Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Bay · Florida

Nassau Sound

30.51°N · 81.44°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 4 AM · Atlantic croaker

80/100Great
Now
572 PM EDT
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score57Good
Tide1.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind10 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp81°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

Atlantic croaker

Retention open
Daily limit
50 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
50 per person per species. No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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
  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
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  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

Nassau Sound

Depth
5-20 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · slope
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Nassau Sound

Nassau Sound is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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

View all on map →
  • Broward Creek

    Bay · 3.4 mi

    60
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • Red drum 58

    10 kt NEH 7:21 PM · 5.6 ftL 1:38 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Horseshoe Creek

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    58
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Red drum 57

    10 kt NEH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Fort George River

    Gut · 4.8 mi

    57
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • Summer flounder 56

    10 kt NEH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Seymour Point

    Cape · 5.2 mi

    55
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 55
    • Crevalle jack 54
    • Spot 52

    10 kt NEH 7:36 PM · 4.8 ftL 2:17 AM · 0.8 ft

Open in the tide map

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.