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Common snookRetention openBay · Florida
Shortys Slough
27.48°N · 80.31°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Spot73
- Crevalle jack68
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Common snook63
- Summer flounder63
- Florida pompano62
- Gray snapper61
- King mackerel60
- Red drum59
- Southern flounder58
- Weakfish54
- Little tunny53
- Spanish mackerel52
- Spotted seatrout49
- Wahoo49
- Black sea bass48
- Cobia47
- Black drum45
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red snapper45
- Greater amberjack44
- Mahi-mahi44
- Red grouper44
- Sheepshead42
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 4 PM · Common snook
- Now
- 637 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High1.9 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shortys Slough 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
35Tide: High slackCurrent: 1.1 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
87Wind: 3 kt SWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Common snook
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Snook
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 28 to 32 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Dec 14, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Catch & release from Dec 15
- Other
- Snook permit and saltwater fishing license required. Must stay whole until landed ashore. For-hire captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. Hook and line only. Closed December 15 through January 31 and June 1 through August 31. Open February 1 through May 31 and September 1 through December 14. Regional rules apply in inland, state and adjacent federal waters.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snook, 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
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Common snook is best here
Peak season for Common snook · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Shortys Slough
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonCommon snook
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, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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.
- 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
- Fort Pierce Cut79
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 74
- Atlantic tarpon 71
3 kt SWL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft
- Tucker Cove72
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Spot 70
- Crevalle jack 68
3 kt SWL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft
- Boot Toe Point67
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Common snook 65
- Spot 65
3 kt SWL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft
- Dynamite Point67
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Common snook 65
- Spot 65
3 kt SWL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 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.