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Little tunnyShoulder seasonBay · Florida
Big Starvation Cove
27.55°N · 80.33°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack80
- Common snook76
- Atlantic tarpon75
- Summer flounder75
- Gray snapper73
- Atlantic croaker72
- King mackerel72
- Red drum71
- Spot70
- Southern flounder69
- Weakfish66
- Little tunny64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Florida pompano62
- Spotted seatrout61
- Cobia58
- Black sea bass57
- Greater amberjack56
- Black drum54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Red grouper54
- Red snapper54
- Sheepshead51
- Wahoo50
- Mahi-mahi45
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 647 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-10 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Starvation 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt SWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 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 yesterday
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
Big Starvation Cove
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Big Starvation Cove
Big Starvation Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, common snook and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, common snook, Atlantic tarpon and summer flounder, and shoulder season for weakfish, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Round Island80
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 80
- Common snook 76
- Summer flounder 75
3 kt SWH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ft
- Parks Cove80
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 80
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 75
3 kt SWH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ft
- Blue Hole Point75
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 75
- Crevalle jack 75
- Atlantic tarpon 75
3 kt SWH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ft
- Blue Hole Creek72
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 67
3 kt SWL 2:27 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:54 PM · 1.3 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.