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Red grouperRetention 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 jack71
- Atlantic croaker69
- Gray snapper66
- Summer flounder66
- King mackerel65
- Red drum65
- Spot65
- Florida pompano63
- Black sea bass58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Spotted seatrout57
- Black drum56
- Weakfish56
- Gray triggerfish52
- Little tunny52
- Red snapper52
- Greater amberjack51
- Red grouper51
- Sheepshead51
- Cobia50
- Mahi-mahi39
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Southern flounder35
- Wahoo34
- Yellowfin tuna33
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 3 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 513 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.7 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
29Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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
Old Town Reach
- Depth
- 4-40 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 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 gray snapper. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- 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 Reach71
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 71
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Gray snapper 66
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- City Front Reach69
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Crevalle jack 66
- Spot 65
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- Rayonier Reach69
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Crevalle jack 66
- Spot 65
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- Saint Marys Entrance68
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- King mackerel 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
12 kt NEH 6:41 PM · 6.4 ftL 1:18 AM · 1.1 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.