Waterlands

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SailfishRetention open

Channel · Florida

Mile Point Lower Range and Turn

30.38°N · 81.45°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Sailfish

80/100Great
Now
3510 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.2 kn · toward ESE
Wind8 kn NNEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 5 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy77% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sailfish is best here

Out of season for Sailfish · shoulder season starts in 6 weeks

Sailfish season by week of the year. Out of season for Sailfish · shoulder season starts in 6 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Sailfish in Florida

Spot profile

Mile Point Lower Range and Turn

Depth
20-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · drop-off
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 Mile Point Lower Range and Turn

Mile Point Lower Range and Turn is a channel in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 20-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and greater amberjack. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Mayport Cut Range

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    78
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 78
    • Gray snapper 75
    • Summer flounder 74

    8 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft

  • Chicopit Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    77
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 77
    • Red drum 73
    • Atlantic tarpon 72

    8 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Sherman Cut Range

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    77
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 77
    • Gray snapper 74
    • Summer flounder 74

    8 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft

  • Training Wall Reach

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Crevalle jack 76
    • Atlantic tarpon 73

    8 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 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.