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Atlantic croakerRetention openCape · Florida
Cape Saint George
29.59°N · 85.05°W · Cape · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum62
- Atlantic croaker59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Gray snapper54
- Black drum53
- Crevalle jack52
- Florida pompano52
- Wahoo50
- Gag grouper49
- Southern flounder49
- King mackerel48
- Sailfish48
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Gray triggerfish45
- Permit45
- Red grouper45
- Red snapper45
- Cobia43
- Spotted seatrout42
- Mahi-mahi41
- Greater amberjack40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 598 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Saint George 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
42Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
83Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Atlantic croaker
Retention open- Daily limit
- Not published
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 100 pounds per person per day. 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 (10 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- 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
- 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 Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cape Saint George
- Depth
- 3-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · flat bottom
- 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 Cape Saint George
Cape Saint George is a cape in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon, black drum and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Pilot Cove66
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Atlantic tarpon 58
7 kt NEL 8:36 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:37 PM · 1.8 ft
- Horseshoe Cove62
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Atlantic tarpon 58
7 kt NEL 8:36 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:37 PM · 1.8 ft
- Cape Saint George Shoal62
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Atlantic tarpon 57
7 kt NEL 8:36 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:37 PM · 1.8 ft
- Higgins Shoal62
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Atlantic tarpon 58
7 kt NEL 8:36 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:37 PM · 1.8 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.