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Black sea bassPeak seasonBay · Florida
Hells Pocket
27.62°N · 80.35°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all54
- Black sea bass54
- Bluefish54
- King mackerel52
- Little tunny50
- Wahoo50
- Red snapper49
- Crevalle jack46
- Yellowfin tuna44
- Sheepshead42
- Florida pompano41
- Greater amberjack40
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Red grouper35
- Sailfish35
- Striped bass35
- Spanish mackerel34
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Common snook30
- Red drum30
- Spot30
- Weakfish30
- Gag grouper20
- Southern flounder20
- Spotted seatrout20
- Summer flounder20
Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 548 PM EST
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hells Pocket 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 · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
72Wind: 14 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
20Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.7 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
74Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 Black sea bass 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 Closed (No retention)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open (50 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Closed (No retention)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black sea bass is best here
Peak season for Black sea bass · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hells Pocket
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonBlack sea bass
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 Hells Pocket
Hells 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 30 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, bluefish and king mackerel. It is peak season now for black sea bass, bluefish, little tunny and wahoo, and shoulder season for king mackerel, red snapper, crevalle jack and yellowfin tuna. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. Bluefish peak from March through April and from November through December. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- Bluefish
- Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Dark Point59
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 59
- Black sea bass 58
- Bluefish 58
9 kt EL 11:19 PM · 0.1 ftH 4:49 AM · 0.8 ft
- Martin Cove54
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 54
- Bluefish 54
- King mackerel 52
14 kt EL 11:40 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:08 AM · 0.9 ft
- Barkers Ditch Cove54
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 54
- Bluefish 54
- King mackerel 53
14 kt EL 11:40 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:08 AM · 0.9 ft
- Little Starvation Cove54
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 54
- Bluefish 54
- King mackerel 52
14 kt EL 11:40 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:08 AM · 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.