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Little tunnyShoulder seasonBay · Florida
Barkers Ditch Cove
27.61°N · 80.35°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Crevalle jack68
- Spot67
- Common snook66
- Summer flounder64
- Gray snapper61
- King mackerel60
- Red drum60
- Southern flounder58
- Black sea bass55
- Little tunny55
- Weakfish54
- Black drum52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Gray triggerfish51
- Red grouper51
- Red snapper51
- Spotted seatrout49
- Sheepshead48
- Wahoo48
- Cobia47
- Greater amberjack46
- Florida pompano43
- Mahi-mahi42
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 11 PM · Little tunny
- Now
- 553 PM 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 Barkers Ditch Cove 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
60Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
69Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
No rule for Little tunny 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 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 Little tunny is best here
Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Barkers Ditch Cove
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLittle tunny
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 Barkers Ditch Cove
Barkers Ditch Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-5 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, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and spot, and shoulder season for black sea bass, little tunny, weakfish and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- 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
- Little Starvation Cove73
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Porpoise Point70
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 68
- Crevalle jack 65
5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Martin Cove69
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic tarpon 68
5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Hells Pocket68
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Crevalle jack 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
5 kt EL 4:10 PM · 0.1 ftH 10:08 PM · 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.