Waterlands

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BluefishRetention open

Bay · Florida

Vanns Slough

28.81°N · 80.76°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 6 PM · Bluefish

77/100Great
Now
353 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide0.0 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind8 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 7 s
Air temp82°Warm
WeatherOvercast98% chance of rain
Water85°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Bluefish

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 12 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Hook and line, spears, gigs, seine or cast net.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Bluefish, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Bluefish is best here

Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

Bluefish season by week of the year. Out of season for Bluefish · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in Florida

Spot profile

Vanns Slough

Depth
1-2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Off seasonBluefish

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 Vanns Slough

Vanns Slough is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
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

  • Glory Hole

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Red drum 69
    • Atlantic croaker 68

    8 kt NEL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Mosquito Lagoon

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Common snook 66

    8 kt NEL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Tiger Shoal

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Common snook 66

    8 kt NEL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Pardon Slough

    Bay · 3.0 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • Red drum 69

    8 kt NEL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 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.