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Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseCape · 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 all
- Atlantic croaker79
- Spot77
- Crevalle jack76
- Atlantic tarpon75
- Red drum73
- King mackerel72
- Gray snapper68
- Spanish mackerel66
- Southern flounder65
- Summer flounder64
- Gray triggerfish62
- Little tunny62
- Black sea bass61
- Florida pompano61
- Red snapper61
- Black drum60
- Red grouper60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Cobia58
- Greater amberjack56
- Sheepshead56
- Weakfish55
- Mahi-mahi53
- Wahoo46
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 759 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.2 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
77Wind: 6 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
90Water temp: 83°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
85Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Tarpon
Catch & release- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water. Special gear rules apply year-round in Boca Grande Pass. Hook and line only. No snagging, snatch hooking, spearing, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Applies in state and federal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Tarpon, 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)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic tarpon is best here
Peak season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Vilano Point
- Depth
- 8-40 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonAtlantic tarpon
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 crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, gray triggerfish, little tunny and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Saint Augustine Inlet82
Channel · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 82
- Crevalle jack 79
- Spot 78
6 kt NL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:01 PM · 4.9 ft
- Devils Elbow81
Bend · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Spot 76
5 kt NL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- French Cape79
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 77
- Crevalle jack 76
6 kt NL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:01 PM · 4.9 ft
- Murat Point78
Cape · 9.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 74
5 kt NL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 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.