Waterlands

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Red grouperRetention open

Channel · Florida

Mayport Cut Range

30.39°N · 81.43°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 AM · Red grouper

80/100Great
Now
4012 PM EDT
Best window
5-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score40Fair
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb2.4 kn · toward NNE
Wind10 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy92% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Red grouper

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 20 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Jan 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. No more than 3 grouper and tilefish combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open May 1 through December 31. Closed January 1 through April 30.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, 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 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)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Red grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in Florida

Spot profile

Mayport Cut Range

Depth
40-50 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonRed grouper

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 Mayport Cut Range

Mayport Cut Range is a channel in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 40-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and summer flounder. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, summer flounder and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, little tunny, Florida pompano and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Summer flounder peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Red grouper
Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.
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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • King mackerel 66
    • Gray snapper 64

    10 kt NEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Chicopit Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Red drum 65
    • King mackerel 63

    10 kt NEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Training Wall Reach

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Spot 63

    10 kt NEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Sherman Cut Range

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    64
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Gray snapper 60
    • King mackerel 60

    10 kt NEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 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.