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Red snapperCheck regulationsBay · 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
- Crevalle jack80
- Atlantic croaker76
- Atlantic tarpon76
- Summer flounder75
- Common snook74
- Spot74
- Gray snapper73
- King mackerel72
- Red drum71
- Southern flounder70
- Weakfish66
- Little tunny65
- Spanish mackerel64
- Black sea bass61
- Spotted seatrout61
- Black drum58
- Cobia58
- Gray triggerfish58
- Red grouper58
- Red snapper58
- Greater amberjack56
- Sheepshead55
- Florida pompano53
- Wahoo50
- Mahi-mahi45
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 589 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt WSWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Check regulations
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Red snapper
Check regulationsNo limits are on file for this species here. FWC pages disagree. The snapper page lists Atlantic red snapper in state waters as open with a 20-inch minimum and 2 per person. The Atlantic red snapper season page says the 2026 season (May 22 to June 20 and three October weekends, 1 fish, no minimum size) is temporarily postponed, and Executive Order 26-16 rescinded the 2026 Atlantic red snapper order. Check with FWC before keeping one. Check with FWC before you keep one.
From FWC Atlantic Recreational Red Snapper State Management Season, 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))
- 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 snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 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 snapper
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, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and summer flounder, and shoulder season for weakfish, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Fort Pierce Cut81
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 81
- Atlantic croaker 80
- Common snook 77
3 kt WSWL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft
- Saint Lucie Cut81
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 81
- Atlantic croaker 80
- Common snook 77
3 kt WSWL 1:12 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:44 PM · 1.7 ft
- Tucker Cove80
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 80
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Atlantic tarpon 76
3 kt WSWL 12:31 PM · 0.2 ftH 7:13 PM · 2.2 ft
- Shortys Slough77
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 77
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
3 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.