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Southern flounderRetention 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
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot73
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Florida pompano67
- Red drum67
- Southern flounder67
- Gray snapper65
- Crevalle jack64
- Summer flounder64
- King mackerel63
- Spotted seatrout63
- Weakfish58
- Black drum57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Black sea bass51
- Cobia50
- Little tunny48
- Red snapper48
- Sheepshead47
- Gray triggerfish46
- Greater amberjack45
- Red grouper45
- Mahi-mahi44
- Wahoo37
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 3 AM · Southern flounder
- Now
- 676 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding5.9 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.9 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Southern flounder
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Southern flounder
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 15
- Other
- Same rules for Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder, in state and federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed every October 15 through November 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Flounder, 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
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 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 Southern flounder is best here
Peak season for Southern flounder · 8 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Old Town Reach
- Depth
- 4-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonSouthern flounder
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 Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Southern flounder
- Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.
- 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Saint Marys Entrance79
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 64
5 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.1 ftH 6:41 PM · 6.4 ft
- Seaboard Reach78
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 71
5 kt NNEH 6:46 AM · 6.1 ftL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ft
- City Front Reach78
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
5 kt NNEH 6:46 AM · 6.1 ftL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ft
- Rayonier Reach78
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Atlantic tarpon 70
5 kt NNEH 6:46 AM · 6.1 ftL 12:42 PM · 1.2 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.