Waterlands

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Summer flounderRetention open

Channel · Florida

Saint Augustine Inlet

29.91°N · 81.29°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Summer flounder

83/100Great
Now
6711 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score67Great
Tide1.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward E
Wind3 kn NNEgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherClear9% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Summer flounder

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 14 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Oct 15
Other
Same rules for Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder, in state and federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed every October 15 through November 30.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Flounder, 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)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Summer flounder is best here

Peak season for Summer flounder · 5 more weeks at peak

Summer flounder season by week of the year. Peak season for Summer flounder · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Summer flounder in Florida

Spot profile

Saint Augustine Inlet

Depth
6-35 ftSlope
Structure
Inlet · Outer · Semi-exposedInlet · slope
Season
Peak seasonSummer flounder

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 spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, Spanish mackerel, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
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 Elbow

    Bend · 12 mi

    80
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 80
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Spot 74

    3 kt NNEL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:31 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Murat Point

    Cape · 9.6 mi

    78
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 78
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Red drum 73

    3 kt NNEL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:31 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Vilano Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 77
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 73

    3 kt NNEL 12:32 AM · 1.1 ftH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ft

  • French Cape

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 77
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Spot 73

    3 kt NNEL 12:32 AM · 1.1 ftH 6:37 AM · 4.4 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.