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Southern flounderRetention openBay · Florida
Mathers Cove
27.89°N · 80.47°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Crevalle jack67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Common snook66
- Gray snapper63
- Summer flounder63
- Red drum61
- King mackerel60
- Southern flounder60
- Weakfish56
- Black sea bass53
- Black drum52
- Red snapper52
- Gray triggerfish51
- Little tunny51
- Spanish mackerel51
- Spotted seatrout51
- Red grouper50
- Cobia48
- Sheepshead48
- Greater amberjack45
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi40
- Florida pompano38
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish34
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 PM · Southern flounder
- Now
- 606 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mathers 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 1 kt WPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Southern flounder
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Southern 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)
- 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 Southern flounder is best here
Peak season for Southern flounder · 8 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Mathers Cove
- Depth
- 3-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSouthern 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 Mathers Cove
Mathers Cove is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 3-4 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, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for weakfish, black sea bass, black drum and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Southern flounder
- Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.
- 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
- Long Point Creek71
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Red drum 70
1 kt WH 7:58 AM · 0.4 ftL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ft
- Mud Hole71
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Red drum 70
1 kt WH 7:58 AM · 0.4 ftL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ft
- Pepper Cove71
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 67
1 kt WH 7:58 AM · 0.4 ftL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ft
- Pepper Point66
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 66
- Atlantic tarpon 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
1 kt WH 7:58 AM · 0.4 ftL 3:00 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.