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SailfishRetention openChannel · Florida
Ponce de Leon Inlet
29.07°N · 80.92°W · Channel · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker81
- Atlantic tarpon78
- Crevalle jack77
- Spot76
- King mackerel72
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum71
- Southern flounder71
- Summer flounder71
- Spanish mackerel68
- Black drum67
- Spotted seatrout67
- Florida pompano66
- Black sea bass64
- Little tunny62
- Weakfish62
- Cobia60
- Sheepshead60
- Gray triggerfish59
- Red snapper58
- Mahi-mahi57
- Red grouper57
- Wahoo56
- Greater amberjack53
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Sailfish
- Now
- 358 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ponce de Leon 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
67Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 4 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
90Water temp: 82°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Sailfish
Species seasonality
43Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Sailfish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day (1 billfish combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 63 in, lower jaw fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Report landed billfish to NOAA within 24 hours. A federal HMS Angling Permit is needed in federal waters, not in state waters. Sailfish you plan to release may not be removed from the water in federal waters, or in state waters if you hold an HMS permit. 1 billfish per person per day. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Billfish, Tuna, and Swordfish, 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
- 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sailfish is best here
Out of season for Sailfish · shoulder season starts in 6 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Ponce de Leon Inlet
- Depth
- 7-15 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
- Season
- Off seasonSailfish
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 Inlet
Ponce de Leon Inlet is a channel in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 7-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and spot, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black drum, Florida pompano and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Sailfish
- Sailfish feed along reef edges and color changes, usually in 80 to 240 feet off Southeast Florida and farther out along the Gulf and Carolina shelf edge. Fly live goggle-eyes, pilchards or threadfins from kites, or slow-troll live ballyhoo, on non-offset circle hooks. In winter the best bite often comes the day or two after a cold front, when north wind stacks bait along the edge.
- 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.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Ponce de Leon Cut83
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 83
- Spot 78
- Atlantic tarpon 74
4 kt NWL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:18 PM · 3.2 ft
- Inlet Harbor81
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 81
- Spot 81
- Crevalle jack 72
4 kt NWL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:18 PM · 3.2 ft
- Blind Spruce Creek80
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Spot 77
- Southern flounder 71
4 kt NWL 1:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:18 PM · 3.2 ft
- Bass Flats75
Flat · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Atlantic croaker 72
4 kt NWL 12:20 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:54 PM · 3.7 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.