Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Bar · Florida

Gilbert Shoal

27.21°N · 80.15°W · Bar · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 2 PM · Atlantic croaker

71/100Great
Now
5312 PM EDT
Best window
1 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Low0.8 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 72

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score53Good
Tide0.8 ftLow
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind1 kn SSEgusts 10 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 7 s
Air temp82°Hot
WeatherOvercast56% chance of rain
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Atlantic croaker

Retention open
Daily limit
50 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
50 per person per species. No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak.
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  • Shoulder
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Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

Gilbert Shoal

Depth
35-45 ftSlope
Structure
Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · slope
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Gilbert Shoal

Gilbert Shoal is a bar in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 35-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, summer flounder and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, summer flounder, crevalle jack and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black drum, black sea bass and little tunny. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Summer flounder peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • North Point

    Cape · 2.9 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 63
    • Common snook 61
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    1 kt SSEH 7:18 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:01 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Negro Cove

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    60
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    1 kt SSEH 6:14 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:29 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Bessie Cove

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    60
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    1 kt SSEH 6:14 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:29 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Baker Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    59
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 59
    • Common snook 57
    • Atlantic croaker 55

    1 kt SSEH 6:14 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:29 AM · 0.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.