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Atlantic croakerRetention openCape · Florida
Vilano Point
29.91°N · 81.29°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all77
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot75
- Florida pompano68
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Crevalle jack62
- Red drum61
- King mackerel59
- Gray snapper55
- Spanish mackerel54
- Southern flounder53
- Summer flounder52
- Little tunny50
- Mahi-mahi50
- Spotted seatrout48
- Black sea bass47
- Gray triggerfish47
- Red snapper47
- Black drum46
- Red grouper46
- Cobia45
- Wahoo43
- Weakfish43
- Greater amberjack42
- Sheepshead42
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 776 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High4.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Vilano Point 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
93Tide: High slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Atlantic croaker
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
- 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)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Vilano Point
- Depth
- 8-40 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Vilano Point
Vilano Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 8-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and mahi-mahi. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Saint Augustine Inlet81
Channel · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 70
4 kt NEL 12:32 AM · 1.1 ftH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ft
- Devils Elbow81
Bend · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Atlantic tarpon 78
- Spot 77
4 kt ENEH 7:11 PM · 4.7 ftL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ft
- French Cape77
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Florida pompano 68
4 kt NEL 12:32 AM · 1.1 ftH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ft
- Murat Point77
Cape · 9.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Atlantic tarpon 76
- Spot 75
4 kt ENEH 7:11 PM · 4.7 ftL 1:35 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.
