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Little tunnyShoulder seasonBay · Florida
Ballard Cove
27.91°N · 80.48°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker59
- Crevalle jack59
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Common snook58
- Spot57
- Summer flounder56
- Gray snapper53
- King mackerel53
- Red drum51
- Southern flounder50
- Wahoo48
- Little tunny46
- Weakfish46
- Black sea bass45
- Spanish mackerel44
- Florida pompano43
- Black drum42
- Mahi-mahi42
- Gray triggerfish41
- Red grouper41
- Red snapper41
- Cobia40
- Spotted seatrout40
- Sheepshead39
- Greater amberjack37
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish34
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 PM · Little tunny
- Now
- 4611 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Low0.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ballard 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
14Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 2 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
No rule for Little tunny 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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Little tunny is best here
Shoulder season for Little tunny · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Ballard Cove
- Depth
- 4-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonLittle tunny
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 Ballard Cove
Ballard Cove is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 4-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and common snook, and shoulder season for wahoo, little tunny, weakfish and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- 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
- Pepper Cove59
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Crevalle jack 59
- Common snook 58
2 kt NNWL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 PM · 0.4 ft
- Middle Gap59
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Crevalle jack 59
- Common snook 58
2 kt NNWL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 PM · 0.4 ft
- Mathers Cove59
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Crevalle jack 59
- Common snook 58
2 kt NNWL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 PM · 0.4 ft
- Pepper Point58
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 58
- Atlantic tarpon 58
- Atlantic croaker 54
2 kt NNWL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 PM · 0.4 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.
