Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Bay · Florida

Max Hoeck Creek

28.66°N · 80.65°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic croaker

77/100Great
Now
776 PM EDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.8 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 79

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score77Great
Tide3.8 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WNW
Wind3 kn ESEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.5 ft · 7 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast87% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

Max Hoeck Creek

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Max Hoeck Creek

Max Hoeck Creek is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

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.
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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • East Max Hoeck Creek

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 77
    • Spot 74
    • Atlantic tarpon 71

    3 kt ESEL 11:39 PM · 1.2 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.9 ft

  • Eddy Creek

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    77
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 77
    • Spot 75
    • Atlantic tarpon 72

    3 kt ESEL 11:39 PM · 1.2 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.9 ft

  • Eddy Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 72
    • Spot 70

    3 kt ESEL 11:39 PM · 1.2 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.9 ft

  • Gallinipper Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 72
    • Spot 70

    3 kt ESEL 11:39 PM · 1.2 ftH 5:38 AM · 3.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.