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SailfishRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack79
- Atlantic tarpon78
- Common snook78
- Summer flounder75
- Gray snapper73
- King mackerel72
- Atlantic croaker70
- Red drum70
- Southern flounder68
- Spot68
- Weakfish66
- Little tunny64
- Spanish mackerel63
- Florida pompano61
- Spotted seatrout59
- Cobia58
- Greater amberjack57
- Black sea bass56
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Black drum52
- Sheepshead50
- Wahoo50
- Mahi-mahi44
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish33
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 PM · Sailfish
- Now
- 337 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
70Wind: 4 kt SSWPressure: 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
Head Cove
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 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 crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon, common snook and summer flounder, and shoulder season for weakfish, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. 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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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
- Head Cove Pocket79
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 79
- Common snook 78
- Atlantic tarpon 78
4 kt SSWH 9:29 PM · 0.9 ftL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ft
- Round Island79
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 79
- Common snook 78
- Atlantic tarpon 78
4 kt SSWH 9:29 PM · 0.9 ftL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ft
- Porpoise Bay79
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 79
- Common snook 78
- Atlantic tarpon 78
4 kt SSWH 9:29 PM · 0.9 ftL 4:22 AM · 0.4 ft
- Starvation Point78
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 78
- Atlantic tarpon 78
- Crevalle jack 74
4 kt SSWH 9:29 PM · 0.9 ftL 4:22 AM · 0.4 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.