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Red grouperRetention 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 croaker79
- Atlantic tarpon78
- Crevalle jack77
- Gray snapper74
- Red drum74
- Spot74
- Southern flounder73
- Summer flounder73
- King mackerel71
- Spotted seatrout68
- Spanish mackerel67
- Black drum65
- Weakfish65
- Black sea bass64
- Florida pompano61
- Little tunny61
- Sheepshead59
- Cobia58
- Gray triggerfish58
- Red grouper57
- Red snapper57
- Greater amberjack54
- Mahi-mahi46
- Wahoo42
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 4 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 579 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 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 7 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
46Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Red grouper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 20 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Jan 1
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. No more than 3 grouper and tilefish combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open May 1 through December 31. Closed January 1 through April 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, 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 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 Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Rayonier Reach
- Depth
- 10-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed grouper
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, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black drum, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Red grouper
- Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from 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.
- 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
- Seaboard Reach80
Channel · 1.3 mi
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
- Old Town Reach80
Channel · 1.7 mi
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
- City Front Reach79
Channel · 0.7 mi
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
- Kingsley Creek77
Gut · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Crevalle jack 72
7 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:44 PM · 6.6 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.