UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Little tunnyShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot74
- Crevalle jack71
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Summer flounder69
- Common snook68
- King mackerel66
- Red drum65
- Gray snapper64
- Florida pompano62
- Southern flounder62
- Weakfish60
- Spanish mackerel57
- Little tunny56
- Spotted seatrout53
- Black drum52
- Black sea bass52
- Cobia52
- Gray triggerfish49
- Red grouper49
- Red snapper49
- Wahoo49
- Greater amberjack48
- Sheepshead46
- Mahi-mahi44
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 569 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Head 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
59Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.9 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt WSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.3 ftSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
69Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here
Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Head Cove
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLittle tunny
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 Head Cove
Head Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- 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
- Head Cove Pocket76
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 71
3 kt WSWL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Round Island76
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 71
3 kt WSWL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Porpoise Bay76
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 71
3 kt WSWL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Starvation Point71
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Spot 69
3 kt WSWL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 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.