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Black sea bassShoulder seasonChannel · Florida
Matanzas Inlet
29.71°N · 81.23°W · Channel · Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker81
- Crevalle jack78
- Atlantic tarpon77
- Spot76
- Summer flounder73
- Gray snapper72
- Red drum72
- Southern flounder72
- King mackerel71
- Spanish mackerel69
- Black drum67
- Black sea bass65
- Spotted seatrout65
- Weakfish63
- Little tunny62
- Cobia61
- Sheepshead61
- Gray triggerfish60
- Red snapper59
- Florida pompano58
- Red grouper58
- Greater amberjack54
- Wahoo52
- Mahi-mahi51
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 6510 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Matanzas Inlet 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 7 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 83°F, hotLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with FWC before you keep a fish.
Species rules 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)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Matanzas Inlet
- Depth
- 1-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Matanzas Inlet
Matanzas Inlet is a channel in Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and spot, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black drum, black sea bass and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Devils Elbow81
Bend · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 76
7 kt NL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- Fox Cut81
Channel · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 76
- Atlantic tarpon 72
6 kt NNEH 11:19 AM · 0.9 ftL 5:42 PM · 0.4 ft
- Murat Point77
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt NL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- French Cape77
Cape · 14 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt NNEL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:01 PM · 4.9 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.