Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Bay · Florida

Shortys Slough

27.48°N · 80.31°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 8 PM · Crevalle jack

81/100Great
Now
6911 AM EDT
Best window
5-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.7 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: today · 81

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score69Great
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 7 s
Air temp83°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy67% cloud
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Atlantic croaker

Retention open
Daily limit
50 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
50 per person per species. No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

Shortys Slough

Depth
3-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Shortys Slough

Shortys Slough is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 3-5 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, crevalle jack and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, spot and common snook, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black drum, black sea bass and cobia. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Spot peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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

View all on map →
  • Fort Pierce Cut

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Atlantic tarpon 72
    • Common snook 71

    4 kt ENEH 4:01 PM · 2.1 ftL 9:53 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Tucker Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • Spot 68

    4 kt ENEH 4:01 PM · 2.1 ftL 9:53 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Boot Toe Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    66
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 66
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Red drum 65

    4 kt ENEH 4:01 PM · 2.1 ftL 9:53 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Dynamite Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    66
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 66
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Red drum 65

    4 kt ENEH 4:01 PM · 2.1 ftL 9:53 PM · 0.7 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.