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Florida pompanoRetention openChannel · Florida
Rayonier Reach
30.66°N · 81.48°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon77
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot72
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum71
- Southern flounder71
- Crevalle jack69
- Spotted seatrout67
- Summer flounder67
- King mackerel66
- Florida pompano64
- Weakfish63
- Black drum62
- Spanish mackerel59
- Black sea bass58
- Cobia54
- Red snapper54
- Little tunny53
- Sheepshead53
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper50
- Greater amberjack49
- Mahi-mahi44
- Wahoo37
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 645 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding5.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rayonier 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
91Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
41Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
79Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Florida pompano
Retention open- Daily limit
- 6 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 11 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, and beach or haul seine only. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round in state and federal waters.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, 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
- 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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Florida pompano is best here
Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Rayonier Reach
- Depth
- 10-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonFlorida pompano
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 tarpon, Atlantic croaker and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, spot and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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
- Kingsley Creek78
Gut · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Southern flounder 73
4 kt NH 7:13 AM · 6.0 ftL 1:07 PM · 1.2 ft
- City Front Reach77
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 72
5 kt NNEH 6:46 AM · 6.1 ftL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ft
- Seaboard Reach77
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Gray snapper 72
5 kt NNEH 6:46 AM · 6.1 ftL 12:42 PM · 1.2 ft
- Old Town Reach77
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Gray snapper 72
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.