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Red grouperRetention openBay · Florida
Nassau Sound
30.51°N · 81.44°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack60
- King mackerel58
- Atlantic croaker57
- Florida pompano57
- Summer flounder56
- Spot55
- Red drum53
- Atlantic tarpon52
- Gray snapper50
- Black sea bass49
- Spanish mackerel49
- Gray triggerfish48
- Red grouper47
- Red snapper47
- Greater amberjack42
- Little tunny42
- Mahi-mahi42
- Black drum41
- Southern flounder41
- Cobia40
- Sheepshead40
- Weakfish40
- Wahoo37
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Spotted seatrout35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 4 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 472 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
Notify me when Nassau Sound 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
66Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
46Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Nassau Sound
- Depth
- 5-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · 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 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
- 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
- Broward Creek60
Bay · 3.4 mi
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 Creek58
Bay · 4.7 mi
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 River57
Gut · 4.8 mi
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 Point55
Cape · 5.2 mi
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
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.