Waterlands

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BluefishRetention open

Channel · Florida

Rayonier Reach

30.66°N · 81.48°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 4 AM · Bluefish

79/100Great
Now
353 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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide2.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward WSW
Wind12 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy100% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Bluefish

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 12 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Hook and line, spears, gigs, seine or cast net.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Bluefish, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 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)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Bluefish is best here

Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

Bluefish season by week of the year. Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in Florida →

Spot profile

Rayonier Reach

Depth
10-20 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
Season
Off seasonBluefish

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 Rayonier Reach

Rayonier Reach is a channel in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 10-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, spot and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black sea bass, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Spot peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Seaboard Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    71
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Gray snapper 66

    12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Old Town Reach

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    71
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Gray snapper 66

    12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • City Front Reach

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Crevalle jack 66
    • Spot 65

    12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Kingsley Creek

    Gut · 3.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Crevalle jack 66
    • Spot 64

    11 kt NEH 7:44 PM · 6.6 ftL 1:46 AM · 1.1 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.