Species here · tap to switch

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Black sea bass

81/100Great

Now: 544 PM EDT
Best window: 4-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now: Flooding1.3 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Wildcat Cove 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: Fri · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

DRAG OR TAP AN HOUR

Time4PNOW

Score54Good

Tide1.3 ft ▲Flooding

CurrentFlood1.7 kn · toward WSW

Wind4 kn Egusts 12 · steady

Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 7 s

Air temp80°Warm

WeatherOvercast97% chance of rain

Water86°FObserved

WED · SEP 23

THU · SEP 24

1P

2P

3P

NOW

5P

6P

7P

8P

9P

10P

11P

12A

1A

2A

3A

4A

5A

6A

7A

8A

9A

10A

11A

12P

43

57

60

54

52

48

40

50

54

52

50

45

33

39

54

56

50

45

41

49

62

58

53

51

1.7

0.8

0.4

1.7

2.5

2.2

1.4

○0.0

1.5

2.5

2.7

2.5

1.9

0.9

0.5

1.7

2.2

2.1

1.5

0.4

1.2

2.4

2.7

123

145

135

124

104

94

83

73

63

53

42

32

53

84

106

116

127

147

168

179

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.5

1.6

77%

92%

97%

94%

88%

80%

69%

53%

35%

33%

49%

59%

56%

48%

39%

30%

39%

86°

85°

86°

Hour

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Peak
Shoulder
Off
This week

Black sea bass in Florida →

Spot profile

Wildcat Cove

Depth: 1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure: Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season: Shoulder 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 Wildcat Cove

Wildcat Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, common snook and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, common snook, Atlantic tarpon and summer flounder, and shoulder season for weakfish, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →

Fort Pierce Cut
Channel · 0.7 mi
84
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
- Atlantic tarpon 84
- Common snook 81
- Crevalle jack 78
4 kt EH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:05 AM · 0.4 ft
Saint Lucie Cut
Channel · 1.0 mi
84
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
- Atlantic tarpon 84
- Common snook 81
- Crevalle jack 78
4 kt EH 7:44 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:45 AM · 0.3 ft
Tucker Cove
Bay · 1.3 mi
78
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
- Crevalle jack 78
- Common snook 77
- Atlantic tarpon 76
4 kt EH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:05 AM · 0.4 ft
Shortys Slough
Bay · 1.3 mi
78
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
- Crevalle jack 78
- Common snook 76
- Atlantic tarpon 76
4 kt EH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:05 AM · 0.4 ft