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Black sea bassShoulder seasonChannel · Florida
Ponce de Leon Cut
29.07°N · 80.94°W · Channel · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker81
- Spot76
- Atlantic tarpon74
- Crevalle jack74
- King mackerel73
- Gray snapper71
- Summer flounder71
- Red drum70
- Black drum64
- Black sea bass64
- Florida pompano64
- Southern flounder62
- Spotted seatrout62
- Weakfish61
- Spanish mackerel60
- Gray triggerfish59
- Sheepshead59
- Red snapper58
- Little tunny57
- Mahi-mahi57
- Red grouper57
- Cobia55
- Wahoo54
- Greater amberjack53
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 646 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ponce de Leon Cut 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 82°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 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 today
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
Ponce de Leon Cut
- Depth
- 1-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- 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 Ponce de Leon Cut
Ponce de Leon Cut is a channel in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 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 crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, Florida pompano and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September 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.
- 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
- Ponce de Leon Inlet81
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 76
- Crevalle jack 73
7 kt NEH 6:54 PM · 3.7 ftL 1:03 AM · 0.8 ft
- Inlet Harbor79
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 79
- Crevalle jack 75
7 kt NEH 7:18 PM · 3.2 ftL 1:37 AM · 0.7 ft
- Blind Spruce Creek77
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 75
- Crevalle jack 74
7 kt NEH 7:18 PM · 3.2 ftL 1:37 AM · 0.7 ft
- Bass Flats72
Flat · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- King mackerel 70
- Red drum 70
7 kt NEH 6:54 PM · 3.7 ftL 1:03 AM · 0.8 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.