Waterlands

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Crevalle jackRetention open

Bay · Florida

Destin Harbor

30.39°N · 86.50°W · Bay · Western Choctawhatchee Bay

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Best score today · 9 AM · Crevalle jack

74/100Great
Now
643 PM CDT
Best window
3-6 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.3 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
Score64Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward N
Wind3 kn SSWgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 7 s
Air temp83°Hot
WeatherOvercast48% chance of rain
Water87°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Crevalle jack

Retention open
Daily limit
Not published
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Two fish or 100 pounds per person per day, whichever is more. Crevalle jack is an unregulated species with this default limit. Hook and line, spears, gigs, haul seines and cast nets.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: "Unregulated" Species, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
  • Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
  • Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
  • Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 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 Crevalle jack is best here

Shoulder season for Crevalle jack · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Crevalle jack season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Crevalle jack · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Crevalle jack in Florida

Spot profile

Destin Harbor

Depth
6-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonCrevalle jack

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 Destin Harbor

Destin Harbor is a bay in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth is 6-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel, black drum and Atlantic tarpon. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Crevalle jack peak from May through July.

Tackle & technique

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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • East Pass

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    75
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 75
    • Gray snapper 71
    • Atlantic tarpon 69

    3 kt SSWL 6:25 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Marler Bayou

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Gray snapper 66

    3 kt SSWL 6:25 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Joes Bayou

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Red drum 70
    • Gray snapper 66

    3 kt SSWL 6:25 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Cobbs Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Gray snapper 66
    • Red drum 63

    3 kt SSWL 6:25 PM · 0.2 ftH 8:44 AM · 0.8 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.