Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

WahooRetention 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 · Wahoo

82/100Great
Now
429 AM EDT
Best window
9 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.6 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.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sat · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score42Fair
Tide4.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward NNE
Wind7 kn NNEgusts 13 · steady
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy63% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Wahoo

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Wahoo, 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)
  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Wahoo is best here

Shoulder season for Wahoo · 1 more week at shoulder

Wahoo season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Wahoo · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Wahoo in Florida →

Spot profile

Old Town Reach

Depth
4-40 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonWahoo

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 tarpon, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, weakfish, black drum and black sea bass. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

Tackle & technique

Wahoo
Wahoo patrol drop-offs, seamounts, rigs and weed lines where current and temperature breaks meet, usually along the 100 to 600 foot contours. High-speed trolling at 12 to 18 knots with weighted lures covers ground, and slower trolling with ballyhoo or diving plugs works over known structure. Use wire leader, because their teeth cut monofilament.
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.
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

View all on map →
  • Seaboard Reach

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    80
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 80
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Crevalle jack 78

    7 kt NNEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft

  • Saint Marys Entrance

    Channel · 2.6 mi

    80
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 80
    • Atlantic tarpon 79
    • Gray snapper 78

    7 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.1 ftH 6:41 PM · 6.4 ft

  • City Front Reach

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    79
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Atlantic tarpon 78
    • Crevalle jack 77

    7 kt NNEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ft

  • Rayonier Reach

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    79
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Atlantic tarpon 78
    • Crevalle jack 77

    7 kt NNEL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:17 PM · 6.7 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.