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SailfishRetention openBay · Florida
Horseshoe Creek
30.44°N · 81.46°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack68
- Atlantic croaker67
- Spot65
- Red drum64
- King mackerel62
- Florida pompano60
- Summer flounder60
- Gray snapper58
- Spanish mackerel56
- Black sea bass54
- Spotted seatrout54
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper51
- Red snapper51
- Weakfish50
- Black drum49
- Little tunny49
- Cobia46
- Sheepshead46
- Greater amberjack45
- Mahi-mahi40
- Wahoo36
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Southern flounder35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish34
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Sailfish
- Now
- 345 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horseshoe Creek scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
77Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
62Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Sailfish
Species seasonality
33Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Sailfish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day (1 billfish combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 63 in, lower jaw fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Report landed billfish to NOAA within 24 hours. A federal HMS Angling Permit is needed in federal waters, not in state waters. Sailfish you plan to release may not be removed from the water in federal waters, or in state waters if you hold an HMS permit. 1 billfish per person per day. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Billfish, Tuna, and Swordfish, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (3 per day)
- Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
- Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
- Crevalle jack Retention open
- Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
- Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
- Red snapper Check regulations
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open (50 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sailfish is best here
Out of season for Sailfish · shoulder season starts in 6 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Horseshoe Creek
- Depth
- 1-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Off seasonSailfish
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Horseshoe Creek
Horseshoe Creek is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and spot. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Sailfish
- Sailfish feed along reef edges and color changes, usually in 80 to 240 feet off Southeast Florida and farther out along the Gulf and Carolina shelf edge. Fly live goggle-eyes, pilchards or threadfins from kites, or slow-troll live ballyhoo, on non-offset circle hooks. In winter the best bite often comes the day or two after a cold front, when north wind stacks bait along the edge.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Hannah Mills Creek71
Gut · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Crevalle jack 70
- Red drum 66
11 kt NEH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:58 AM · 1.0 ft
- Deep Creek70
Gut · 1.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 70
- King mackerel 66
- Gray snapper 65
11 kt NEH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:58 AM · 1.0 ft
- Broward Creek68
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 65
11 kt NEH 7:21 PM · 5.6 ftL 1:38 AM · 0.7 ft
- Fort George River65
Gut · 2.0 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
- King mackerel 61
11 kt NEH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.8 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with FWC before you keep a fish.