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Atlantic croakerRetention openBay · Florida
Indian River Lagoon
28.26°N · 80.61°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all69
- Atlantic croaker69
- Common snook68
- Spot67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Crevalle jack62
- Red drum60
- Southern flounder60
- Gray snapper59
- King mackerel59
- Summer flounder59
- Spotted seatrout54
- Weakfish54
- Black drum52
- Red snapper50
- Black sea bass49
- Florida pompano49
- Gray triggerfish48
- Spanish mackerel48
- Cobia47
- Little tunny46
- Mahi-mahi46
- Red grouper46
- Sheepshead45
- Wahoo43
- Greater amberjack42
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 691 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Indian River Lagoon 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 · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 2 kt SSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
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)
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 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 Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Indian River Lagoon
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Indian River Lagoon
Indian River Lagoon is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, spot and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for weakfish, black drum, red snapper and black sea bass. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. 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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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
- Sprig Point71
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Red drum 69
- Common snook 68
2 kt SSWH 5:40 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ft
- Shortys Pocket69
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Common snook 68
- Spot 67
2 kt SSWH 5:40 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ft
- Shortys Banks68
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Atlantic croaker 64
2 kt SSWH 5:40 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ft
- Cape Cod68
Cape · 3.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Atlantic croaker 64
2 kt SSWH 5:40 AM · 3.9 ftL 12:03 PM · 0.9 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.