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Atlantic croakerRetention openChannel · Florida
Barge Channel
28.57°N · 80.61°W · Channel · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all69
- Atlantic croaker69
- Weakfish67
- Spot66
- Red drum65
- Black sea bass64
- Florida pompano62
- Common snook60
- Black drum59
- Little tunny59
- Wahoo58
- King mackerel57
- Bluefish56
- Sheepshead54
- Red snapper52
- Yellowfin tuna52
- Crevalle jack49
- Striped bass49
- Greater amberjack43
- Sailfish42
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Gray snapper35
- Gray triggerfish35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Red grouper35
- Spanish mackerel35
- Gag grouper20
- Southern flounder20
- Spotted seatrout20
- Summer flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 6912 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Barge Channel 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 7 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
84Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Atlantic croaker
Retention open- Daily limit
- 50 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 50 per person per species. No minimum size. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13
Other species here
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open (50 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Closed (No retention)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Barge Channel
- Depth
- 2-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Barge Channel
Barge Channel is a channel in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 30 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, weakfish and spot. It is peak season now for weakfish, red drum, black sea bass and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, common snook and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Weakfish peak from October through November. Spot peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- Weakfish
- Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
- 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
- Jack Davis Cut69
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Weakfish 67
- Spot 66
7 kt EH 1:02 AM · 4.1 ftL 7:26 AM · 0.8 ft
- Tea Creek Cutoff69
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Weakfish 67
- Spot 66
7 kt EH 1:02 AM · 4.1 ftL 7:26 AM · 0.8 ft
- Pintail Creek68
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
7 kt EH 1:02 AM · 4.1 ftL 7:26 AM · 0.8 ft
- Tea Creek66
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Spot 65
7 kt EH 1:02 AM · 4.1 ftL 7:26 AM · 0.8 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.