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Mahi-mahiRetention openBay · 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
- Common snook68
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Crevalle jack63
- Red drum62
- Summer flounder62
- Gray snapper61
- Southern flounder60
- Atlantic croaker59
- King mackerel58
- Weakfish57
- Spot56
- Spotted seatrout52
- Florida pompano49
- Spanish mackerel49
- Little tunny48
- Cobia46
- Black drum43
- Greater amberjack42
- Wahoo42
- Red snapper41
- Black sea bass40
- Mahi-mahi38
- Gray triggerfish37
- Red grouper37
- Bluefish35
- Sheepshead35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Mahi-mahi
- Now
- 385 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
28Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt SSEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
34Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 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 yesterday
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
Big Starvation Cove
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 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 common snook, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for weakfish, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Blue Hole Creek73
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Southern flounderPeak season- Southern flounder 73
- Common snook 72
- Red drum 72
4 kt SSEH 7:25 AM · 1.2 ftL 2:27 PM · 0.6 ft
- Blue Hole Point68
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Red drum 62
4 kt SSEH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ft
- Round Island68
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Crevalle jack 63
4 kt SSEH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ft
- Parks Cove68
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Crevalle jack 63
4 kt SSEH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 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.