Waterlands

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SpotRetention open

Channel · Florida

Rayonier Reach

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

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Best score today · 4 AM · Spot

79/100Great
Now
6212 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score62Good
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward ENE
Wind9 kn NEgusts 20 · steady
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherOvercast93% chance of rain
Water84°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)

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

Rayonier Reach

Depth
10-20 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 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 crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano, black drum and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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.
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.
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 Creek

    Gut · 3.3 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Red drum 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    10 kt NEL 1:07 PM · 1.2 ftH 7:44 PM · 6.6 ft

  • City Front Reach

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

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

  • Seaboard Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 66

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

  • Old Town Reach

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 66

    9 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 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.