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CobiaRetention openBar · Florida
Middle Banks
28.68°N · 80.67°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum73
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Atlantic croaker70
- Southern flounder69
- Common snook68
- King mackerel68
- Crevalle jack67
- Spot67
- Summer flounder66
- Gray snapper64
- Spotted seatrout63
- Spanish mackerel62
- Black drum61
- Black sea bass57
- Florida pompano57
- Gray triggerfish56
- Little tunny56
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Cobia54
- Sheepshead52
- Weakfish52
- Greater amberjack50
- Mahi-mahi50
- Wahoo49
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 548 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Banks 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
76Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
73Wind: 0 kt EPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.3 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Cobia
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 36 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
- 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 Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Banks
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · Semi-exposedBar · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
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 Middle Banks
Middle Banks is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic tarpon and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black drum, black sea bass and Florida pompano. Red drum peak from August through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- 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
- Gallinipper Basin75
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 73
- Spot 73
0 kt EL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft
- Eddy Creek75
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 73
- Spot 73
0 kt EL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft
- Gallinipper Point73
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
0 kt EL 11:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ft
- Eddy Point73
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
0 kt EL 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.