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Black drumShoulder seasonChannel · Georgia
Saint Marys Entrance
30.71°N · 81.43°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack68
- King mackerel64
- Atlantic croaker63
- Gray snapper63
- Summer flounder63
- Red drum58
- Spot58
- Black sea bass57
- Florida pompano56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Gray triggerfish51
- Greater amberjack51
- Red snapper51
- Gag grouper50
- Red grouper50
- Black drum49
- Little tunny49
- Weakfish49
- Sheepshead48
- Cobia44
- Mahi-mahi41
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Wahoo35
- Yellowfin tuna34
- Southern flounder30
- Spotted seatrout30
Best score today · 3 AM · Black drum
- Now
- 493 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Saint Marys Entrance 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
59Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
24Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.3 ftSeason & habitat · Black drum
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Black drum
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 14 to 24 in, total length. One fish over 24 inches allowed, counted in the bag limit.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Black Drum, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- 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 (3 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 drum is best here
Shoulder season for Black drum · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Saint Marys Entrance
- Depth
- 30-60 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack drum
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 Saint Marys Entrance
Saint Marys Entrance is a channel in Coastal waters from Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach FL out 20 NM, Georgia. Depth is 30-60 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
Tackle & technique
- Black drum
- Black drum root along the bottom around oyster reefs, bridge and pier pilings, channel edges and shallow mud flats. TPWD notes they rarely take artificials, so fish peeled shrimp, crab, clams or sand fleas on a bottom rig and let the fish load the rod before setting the hook. Big spawning schools gather near passes and bay mouths in late winter and spring, and in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay the large fish show up on the shoals from April into June.
- 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.
- 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
- Old Town Reach71
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Gray snapper 66
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- Seaboard Reach71
Channel · 3.0 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Gray snapper 66
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- City Front Reach70
Channel · 3.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Crevalle jack 66
- Spot 65
12 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- Saint Marys Entrance68
Channel · 0.1 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- King mackerel 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
12 kt NEH 6:41 PM · 6.4 ftL 1:18 AM · 1.1 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.