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Summer flounderRetention openBar · Florida
Chester Shoal
28.59°N · 80.54°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Spot67
- Common snook66
- King mackerel65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Florida pompano64
- Crevalle jack63
- Summer flounder62
- Gray snapper61
- Red drum61
- Spanish mackerel60
- Black drum59
- Southern flounder59
- Black sea bass54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Little tunny53
- Red snapper53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Red grouper52
- Cobia50
- Mahi-mahi49
- Sheepshead49
- Wahoo48
- Weakfish48
- Greater amberjack47
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 PM · Summer flounder
- Now
- 627 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chester Shoal 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
59Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
73Wind: 0 kt SPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 83°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Summer flounder
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Summer flounder
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 15
- Other
- Same rules for Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder, in state and federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed every October 15 through November 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Flounder, 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))
- 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)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Summer flounder is best here
Peak season for Summer flounder · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Chester Shoal
- Depth
- 20-25 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSummer flounder
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 Chester Shoal
Chester Shoal is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 20-25 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, common snook and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Summer flounder
- Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
- 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.
- 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 Cut77
Channel · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Spot 72
- Common snook 71
0 kt SL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft
- Pintail Creek73
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Red drum 69
0 kt SL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft
- Bluebill Creek73
Bay · 4.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Southern flounder 69
0 kt SL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft
- False Cape68
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Spot 66
- Common snook 65
0 kt SL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 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.