Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

CobiaRetention open

Bay · Florida

Head Cove Pocket

27.58°N · 80.34°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Cobia

80/100Great
Now
493 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Head Cove Pocket scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Thu · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score49Good
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward WSW
Wind5 kn Egusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 7 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast97% chance of rain
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Cobia

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 36 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
  • 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 Cobia is best here

Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder

Cobia season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Cobia in Florida →

Spot profile

Head Cove Pocket

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonCobia

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 Pocket

Head Cove Pocket is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Cobia
Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Starvation Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 70
    • Common snook 68
    • Crevalle jack 65

    5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Head Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69

    5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Porpoise Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69

    5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Porpoise Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 70
    • Common snook 68
    • Crevalle jack 65

    5 kt EL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:13 PM · 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.