Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Bend · Florida

Devils Elbow

29.74°N · 81.25°W · Bend · Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM

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Best score today · 4 PM · Atlantic croaker

72/100Great
Now
3010 PM EST
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 11 · 1 AM

Time1A
Score66Great
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind6 kn WNWgusts 12 · steady
Air temp51°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water75°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

Devils Elbow

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder 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 Devils Elbow

Devils Elbow is a bend in Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, black sea bass, bluefish and little tunny, and shoulder season for king mackerel, sheepshead, red snapper and striped bass. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December.

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.
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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Saint Augustine Inlet

    Channel · 12 mi

    68
    Top: WeakfishPeak season
    • Weakfish 68
    • Florida pompano 67
    • Atlantic croaker 66

    8 kt ENEH 2:10 AM · 4.6 ftL 8:17 AM · 0.8 ft

  • French Cape

    Cape · 12 mi

    67
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 67
    • Red drum 66
    • Bluefish 63

    8 kt ENEH 2:10 AM · 4.6 ftL 8:17 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Matanzas Inlet

    Channel · 2.8 mi

    66
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 66
    • Black sea bass 64
    • Bluefish 64

    8 kt ENEH 1:54 AM · 3.7 ftL 8:14 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Murat Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    63
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 63
    • Red drum 62
    • Bluefish 57

    8 kt ENEH 2:56 AM · 4.5 ftL 9:20 AM · 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.