Waterlands

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SpotRetention open

Channel · Florida

Old Town Reach

30.69°N · 81.46°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 3 AM · Spot

82/100Great
Now
736 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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sun · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score73Great
Tide5.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward S
Wind5 kn NNEgusts 10 · steady
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy52% chance of rain
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Spot

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

  • 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)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spot is best here

Peak season for Spot · 5 more weeks at peak

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

Spot in Florida →

Spot profile

Old Town Reach

Depth
4-40 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
Season
Peak seasonSpot

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

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.
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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Saint Marys Entrance

    Channel · 2.6 mi

    79
    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 Reach

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    78
    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 Reach

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    78
    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 Reach

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    78
    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

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.