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SailfishRetention openChannel · Florida
East Channel
27.77°N · 80.42°W · Channel · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon78
- Atlantic croaker76
- Common snook74
- Red drum73
- Crevalle jack71
- Spot71
- Gray snapper70
- Summer flounder70
- Southern flounder69
- King mackerel64
- Black sea bass63
- Black drum62
- Spotted seatrout62
- Weakfish62
- Little tunny57
- Sheepshead57
- Spanish mackerel55
- Florida pompano54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Red grouper54
- Red snapper54
- Cobia51
- Greater amberjack48
- Wahoo48
- Mahi-mahi42
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish30
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 6 PM · Sailfish
- Now
- 308 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East Channel 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
71Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
55Wind: 2 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Sailfish
Species seasonality
35Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- 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 (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 Sailfish is best here
Out of season for Sailfish · shoulder season starts in 6 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
East Channel
- Depth
- 3-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- 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 East Channel
East Channel is a channel in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 3-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for black sea bass, black drum, weakfish and little tunny. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Common snook peak from April through May and from September 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 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Michael Creek72
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Red drum 72
- Crevalle jack 71
2 kt ENEH 9:33 PM · 0.5 ftL 4:28 AM · 0.3 ft
- Pine Island Bay72
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Crevalle jack 71
- Spot 70
2 kt ENEH 9:33 PM · 0.5 ftL 4:28 AM · 0.3 ft
- South Point70
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
2 kt ENEH 9:33 PM · 0.5 ftL 4:28 AM · 0.3 ft
- Duck Point70
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
2 kt ENEH 9:33 PM · 0.5 ftL 4:28 AM · 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.