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Common snookRetention openChannel · Florida
Gifford Cut
27.67°N · 80.37°W · Channel · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot71
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Common snook60
- Gray snapper57
- Red drum56
- Crevalle jack55
- Summer flounder55
- Southern flounder54
- Florida pompano51
- Black drum50
- Weakfish49
- King mackerel48
- Black sea bass47
- Spotted seatrout47
- Sheepshead42
- Wahoo42
- Little tunny41
- Red snapper40
- Spanish mackerel40
- Gray triggerfish39
- Mahi-mahi38
- Red grouper38
- Cobia37
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish34
- Greater amberjack33
- Bluefish28
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 3 PM · Common snook
- Now
- 606 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- High3.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gifford Cut 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
13Tide: High slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 3 kt SSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Common snook
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Snook
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 28 to 32 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Dec 14, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Catch & release from Dec 15
- Other
- Snook permit and saltwater fishing license required. Must stay whole until landed ashore. For-hire captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. Hook and line only. Closed December 15 through January 31 and June 1 through August 31. Open February 1 through May 31 and September 1 through December 14. Regional rules apply in inland, state and adjacent federal waters.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snook, 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
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 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 Common snook is best here
Peak season for Common snook · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Gifford Cut
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonCommon snook
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 Gifford Cut
Gifford Cut is a channel in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and common snook, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Jandrew Cove72
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Atlantic tarpon 60
3 kt SSWL 12:06 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:18 PM · 3.9 ft
- McCullers Cove72
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Atlantic tarpon 60
3 kt SSWL 12:06 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:18 PM · 3.9 ft
- Bee Gum Point67
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 64
- Common snook 55
3 kt SSWL 12:06 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:18 PM · 3.9 ft
- Stingray Point67
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Spot 64
- Common snook 55
3 kt SSWL 12:06 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:18 PM · 3.9 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.