Waterlands

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WahooRetention open

Channel · Florida

Matanzas Inlet

29.71°N · 81.23°W · Channel · Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM

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Best score today · 9 AM · Wahoo

83/100Great
Now
5212 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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score52Good
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward S
Wind9 kn NNEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast58% chance of rain
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Wahoo

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Wahoo, 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)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Wahoo is best here

Shoulder season for Wahoo · 1 more week at shoulder

Wahoo season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Wahoo · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Wahoo in Florida

Spot profile

Matanzas Inlet

Depth
1-10 ftSlope
Structure
Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonWahoo

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

Wahoo
Wahoo patrol drop-offs, seamounts, rigs and weed lines where current and temperature breaks meet, usually along the 100 to 600 foot contours. High-speed trolling at 12 to 18 knots with weighted lures covers ground, and slower trolling with ballyhoo or diving plugs works over known structure. Use wire leader, because their teeth cut monofilament.
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 Cut

    Channel · 12 mi

    81
    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 Elbow

    Bend · 2.8 mi

    78
    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 Point

    Cape · 5.3 mi

    73
    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 Cape

    Cape · 14 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • Spot 61

    8 kt NEL 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.