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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 all63
- Black sea bass63
- King mackerel63
- Wahoo62
- Little tunny61
- Bluefish60
- Crevalle jack56
- Red snapper55
- Florida pompano52
- Yellowfin tuna51
- Sheepshead50
- Greater amberjack49
- Sailfish45
- Striped bass40
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- 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 · Florida pompano
- Now
- 638 AM EST
- Best window
- 1-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 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
Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 4.1 ftSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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 yesterday
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, king mackerel and wahoo. It is peak season now for black sea bass, wahoo, little tunny and bluefish, and shoulder season for king mackerel, crevalle jack, red snapper and yellowfin tuna. Black sea bass peak from March through April and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Wahoo peak from April through May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- Wahoo
- Wahoo patrol drop-offs, seamounts, rigs and weed lines where current and temperature breaks meet, usually along the 100 to 600 foot contours. High-speed trolling at 12 to 18 knots with weighted lures covers ground, and slower trolling with ballyhoo or diving plugs works over known structure. Use wire leader, because their teeth cut monofilament.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Dark Point65
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- King mackerel 64
- Black sea bass 63
6 kt ENEL 11:31 AM · 0.0 ftH 5:34 PM · 0.8 ft
- Martin Cove63
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 63
- King mackerel 63
- Wahoo 62
10 kt EL 12:09 PM · 0.3 ftH 5:50 PM · 1.0 ft
- Barkers Ditch Cove63
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 63
- King mackerel 63
- Wahoo 62
10 kt EL 12:09 PM · 0.3 ftH 5:50 PM · 1.0 ft
- Little Starvation Cove63
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 63
- King mackerel 63
- Wahoo 62
10 kt EL 12:09 PM · 0.3 ftH 5:50 PM · 1.0 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.