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Black sea bassShoulder seasonBar · 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 snook72
- Atlantic croaker71
- Atlantic tarpon71
- King mackerel69
- Spot69
- Crevalle jack68
- Red drum68
- Summer flounder68
- Gray snapper66
- Southern flounder65
- Spanish mackerel64
- Black drum63
- Florida pompano62
- Spotted seatrout60
- Black sea bass59
- Gray triggerfish58
- Little tunny58
- Red snapper57
- Red grouper56
- Cobia55
- Sheepshead54
- Weakfish53
- Greater amberjack51
- Mahi-mahi50
- Wahoo49
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 4 PM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 598 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.5 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 · 8 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 2 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 83°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with FWC before you keep a fish.
Species rules 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)
- 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 Black sea bass is best here
Last week of shoulder season for Black sea bass · peak season next
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Shortys Banks
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · Semi-exposedBar · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black drum, Florida pompano and black sea bass. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sprig Point77
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 77
- Atlantic tarpon 76
- Southern flounder 73
2 kt NEL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:28 AM · 4.1 ft
- Shortys Pocket76
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 74
- Spot 74
2 kt NEL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:28 AM · 4.1 ft
- Indian River Lagoon76
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 74
- Spot 74
2 kt NEL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:28 AM · 4.1 ft
- Buck Point72
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 71
2 kt NEL 12:26 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:28 AM · 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.