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Mahi-mahiRetention openChannel · Florida
Saint Augustine Inlet
29.91°N · 81.29°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Atlantic croaker67
- Red drum63
- Southern flounder63
- Spot62
- Crevalle jack60
- Gray snapper59
- Spotted seatrout58
- Summer flounder56
- Black drum55
- Spanish mackerel54
- King mackerel53
- Florida pompano50
- Weakfish50
- Black sea bass48
- Little tunny48
- Mahi-mahi45
- Red snapper45
- Wahoo45
- Cobia44
- Sheepshead44
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red grouper41
- Greater amberjack38
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Mahi-mahi
- Now
- 4512 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Saint Augustine Inlet 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
36Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Mahi-mahi
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Mahi-mahi
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 20 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. Private boats: 5 per person or 30 per vessel, whichever is less. For-hire vessels: 5 per paying customer; no 30-fish cap. Hook and line or spearing.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Dolphinfish/Mahi-Mahi, 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)
- 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 Mahi-mahi is best here
Shoulder season for Mahi-mahi · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Saint Augustine Inlet
- Depth
- 6-35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · Semi-exposedInlet · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonMahi-mahi
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 Saint Augustine Inlet
Saint Augustine Inlet is a channel in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 6-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for black drum, Spanish mackerel, Florida pompano and weakfish. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Mahi-mahi
- Mahi feed near the surface along weedlines, floating debris, buoys and current edges offshore, in water from the low 70s to the low 80s. Troll ballyhoo or small skirted lures along the weed, and when a school comes up behind the boat keep one hooked fish in the water while you pitch cut bait or jigs to the rest. Look for birds working over weed and flotsam.
- 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
- Devils Elbow77
Bend · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 71
3 kt NEL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:31 AM · 4.3 ft
- Murat Point75
Cape · 9.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 75
- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
3 kt NEL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:31 AM · 4.3 ft
- Vilano Point68
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Red drum 63
3 kt NH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ftL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ft
- French Cape68
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 68
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Red drum 63
3 kt NH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ftL 12:35 PM · 0.9 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.