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CobiaRetention openBay · Florida
Gaines Slough
28.89°N · 80.82°W · Bay · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker78
- Spot76
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Red drum66
- Common snook63
- Crevalle jack63
- Southern flounder63
- Florida pompano61
- King mackerel60
- Black drum57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Summer flounder57
- Gray snapper55
- Mahi-mahi55
- Wahoo52
- Little tunny50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Gray triggerfish49
- Black sea bass48
- Red snapper48
- Red grouper47
- Weakfish47
- Cobia46
- Sheepshead45
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 4610 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gaines Slough 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
23Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Cobia
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 36 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
- 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- 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 (2 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 Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Gaines Slough
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
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 Gaines Slough
Gaines Slough is a bay in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, mahi-mahi and wahoo. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- East Channel81
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 77
- Atlantic tarpon 68
3 kt NL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bittersweet Cove75
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Crevalle jack 73
- Spot 73
5 kt NL 2:38 PM · 0.1 ftH 8:35 PM · 1.1 ft
- Brickhouse Cove75
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Crevalle jack 73
- Spot 73
5 kt NL 2:38 PM · 0.1 ftH 8:35 PM · 1.1 ft
- Blue Hole75
Bay · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Crevalle jack 73
- Spot 73
5 kt NL 2:38 PM · 0.1 ftH 8:35 PM · 1.1 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.