Waterlands

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Florida pompanoRetention open

Gut · Florida

Kingsley Creek

30.62°N · 81.49°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Florida pompano

79/100Great
Now
593 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.2 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score59Good
Tide2.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind11 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy100% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Florida pompano

Retention open
Daily limit
6 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 11 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, and beach or haul seine only. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round in state and federal waters.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, 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
  • 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
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Florida pompano is best here

Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder

Florida pompano season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Florida pompano in Florida

Spot profile

Kingsley Creek

Depth
3-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonFlorida pompano

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 Kingsley Creek

Kingsley Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Spot peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Seaboard Reach

    Channel · 4.6 mi

    71
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Gray snapper 66

    12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Rayonier Reach

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Crevalle jack 66
    • Spot 65

    12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • City Front Reach

    Channel · 3.9 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Crevalle jack 66
    • Spot 65

    12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Seymour Point

    Cape · 3.5 mi

    65
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Spot 62

    11 kt NEH 7:36 PM · 4.8 ftL 2:17 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.