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Florida pompanoRetention openChannel · Florida
Old Town Reach
30.69°N · 81.46°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack68
- Atlantic croaker67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Red drum65
- Gray snapper64
- Summer flounder63
- King mackerel62
- Spot62
- Southern flounder61
- Spanish mackerel59
- Spotted seatrout59
- Florida pompano57
- Black drum56
- Black sea bass55
- Weakfish54
- Little tunny53
- Gray triggerfish49
- Red snapper49
- Red grouper48
- Sheepshead48
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack47
- Mahi-mahi44
- Wahoo40
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 3 AM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 5712 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Old Town Reach 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
42Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 9 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
79Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Florida pompano is best here
Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Old Town Reach
- Depth
- 4-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- 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 Old Town Reach
Old Town Reach is a channel in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 4-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano, black drum and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Seaboard Reach68
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 66
9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft
- City Front Reach68
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft
- Rayonier Reach68
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
9 kt NEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft
- Saint Marys Entrance66
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 66
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Gray snapper 61
9 kt NEL 12:39 PM · 1.1 ftH 6:41 PM · 6.4 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.