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Black sea bassShoulder seasonCape · Florida
Dark Point
27.63°N · 80.36°W · Cape · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker67
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Common snook67
- Crevalle jack65
- Gray snapper64
- King mackerel64
- Spot64
- Red drum63
- Southern flounder61
- Summer flounder61
- Little tunny58
- Black sea bass56
- Spanish mackerel56
- Black drum54
- Florida pompano54
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Weakfish52
- Cobia50
- Sheepshead50
- Wahoo49
- Greater amberjack47
- Mahi-mahi43
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 6 PM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 568 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dark Point 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
81Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
90Wind: 3 kt SWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 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 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 Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Dark Point
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Dark Point
Dark Point is a cape in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for little tunny, black sea bass, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- 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
- Crawford Creek74
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Atlantic croaker 73
- Crevalle jack 73
4 kt WSWH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ft
- Hells Pocket73
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Crevalle jack 72
- Spot 70
4 kt WSWH 9:23 AM · 0.7 ftL 4:10 PM · 0.1 ft
- Martin Cove73
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Crevalle jack 73
- Spot 71
4 kt WSWH 9:44 AM · 0.9 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ft
- Barkers Ditch Cove73
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Crevalle jack 73
- Spot 71
4 kt WSWH 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.