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Atlantic croakerRetention openBar · Florida
Shortys Banks
28.29°N · 80.62°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook68
- Atlantic croaker66
- King mackerel66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Summer flounder64
- Crevalle jack63
- Spot63
- Florida pompano62
- Red drum61
- Southern flounder61
- Gray snapper60
- Spanish mackerel60
- Black drum59
- Spotted seatrout55
- Black sea bass53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Cobia52
- Little tunny52
- Mahi-mahi52
- Red snapper52
- Red grouper51
- Wahoo50
- Sheepshead49
- Weakfish49
- Greater amberjack46
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 661 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shortys 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
68Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
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)
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 today
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
Shortys Banks
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Shortys Banks
Shortys Banks is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. King mackerel peak in May and 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.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sprig Point71
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Red drum 70
- Southern flounder 69
6 kt NEH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ft
- Shortys Pocket71
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Common snook 68
6 kt NEH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ft
- Indian River Lagoon71
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Common snook 68
6 kt NEH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ft
- Buck Point67
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 67
- King mackerel 64
- Atlantic tarpon 64
6 kt NEH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:26 AM · 1.0 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.