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Red grouperRetention openBay · Florida
Wildcat Cove
27.49°N · 80.31°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Crevalle jack75
- Spot73
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Common snook70
- Summer flounder70
- Gray snapper68
- King mackerel67
- Red drum67
- Southern flounder66
- Little tunny61
- Weakfish61
- Florida pompano60
- Spanish mackerel60
- Black sea bass58
- Spotted seatrout57
- Black drum56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Cobia54
- Greater amberjack52
- Sheepshead52
- Wahoo50
- Mahi-mahi45
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 558 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 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.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
86Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 4 kt WSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Red grouper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 20 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Jan 1
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. No more than 3 grouper and tilefish combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open May 1 through December 31. Closed January 1 through April 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, 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 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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Wildcat Cove
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed grouper
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 Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, spot and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for little tunny, weakfish, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Spot peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Red grouper
- Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Saint Lucie Cut80
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 80
- Atlantic tarpon 76
- Spot 75
4 kt WSWL 1:12 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:44 PM · 1.7 ft
- Fort Pierce Cut79
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Atlantic tarpon 79
- Common snook 75
4 kt WSWL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft
- Tucker Cove76
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 75
- Spot 73
4 kt WSWL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft
- Shortys Slough76
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 75
- Spot 73
4 kt WSWL 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.