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Mahi-mahiRetention 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
- Crevalle jack70
- Atlantic croaker69
- Red drum68
- Spot67
- King mackerel66
- Common snook65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Summer flounder62
- Gray snapper60
- Southern flounder60
- Black drum57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Black sea bass54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Mahi-mahi54
- Spanish mackerel54
- Little tunny53
- Red snapper53
- Red grouper52
- Wahoo51
- Florida pompano50
- Weakfish50
- Cobia49
- Sheepshead49
- Greater amberjack48
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 AM · Mahi-mahi
- Now
- 543 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.0 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 82°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.8 ftSeason & habitat · Mahi-mahi
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Mahi-mahi
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 20 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. Private boats: 5 per person or 30 per vessel, whichever is less. For-hire vessels: 5 per paying customer; no 30-fish cap. Hook and line or spearing.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Dolphinfish/Mahi-Mahi, 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)
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Mahi-mahi is best here
Shoulder season for Mahi-mahi · 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 seasonMahi-mahi
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 crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, red drum and spot, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and mahi-mahi. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Mahi-mahi
- Mahi feed near the surface along weedlines, floating debris, buoys and current edges offshore, in water from the low 70s to the low 80s. Troll ballyhoo or small skirted lures along the weed, and when a school comes up behind the boat keep one hooked fish in the water while you pitch cut bait or jigs to the rest. Look for birds working over weed and flotsam.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- East Channel75
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 73
- Atlantic tarpon 71
8 kt NEL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bittersweet Cove65
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 65
- Crevalle jack 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
8 kt NEH 8:35 PM · 1.1 ftL 3:14 AM · 0.1 ft
- Brickhouse Cove65
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 65
- Crevalle jack 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
8 kt NEH 8:35 PM · 1.1 ftL 3:14 AM · 0.1 ft
- Blue Hole65
Bay · 4.4 mi
Top: King mackerelPeak season- King mackerel 65
- Crevalle jack 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
8 kt NEH 8:35 PM · 1.1 ftL 3:14 AM · 0.1 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.