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BluefishRetention openChannel · 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 croaker71
- Crevalle jack70
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Spot66
- Red drum64
- Summer flounder64
- Gray snapper63
- King mackerel63
- Spanish mackerel62
- Black drum59
- Southern flounder59
- Black sea bass58
- Florida pompano58
- Little tunny56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Weakfish53
- Gray triggerfish52
- Sheepshead52
- Wahoo52
- Cobia51
- Mahi-mahi51
- Red snapper51
- Red grouper50
- Greater amberjack45
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Bluefish
- Now
- 3512 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.0 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
45Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 9 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Bluefish
Species seasonality
52Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Bluefish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 12 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Hook and line, spears, gigs, seine or cast net.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Bluefish, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
- Black drum Retention open (5 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 Bluefish is best here
Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Matanzas Inlet
- Depth
- 1-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
- Season
- Off seasonBluefish
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 Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Bluefish
- Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Fox Cut81
Channel · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 77
- Florida pompano 71
9 kt NNEL 5:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:50 PM · 1.0 ft
- Devils Elbow78
Bend · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Crevalle jack 74
- Spot 73
9 kt NNEL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- Murat Point73
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Crevalle jack 72
- Spot 71
9 kt NNEL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- French Cape63
Cape · 14 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Crevalle jack 63
- Spot 61
8 kt NEH 7:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:15 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.
