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Red grouperShoulder 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 jack67
- Gray snapper66
- King mackerel64
- Summer flounder63
- Spanish mackerel56
- Black sea bass52
- Greater amberjack50
- Little tunny50
- Florida pompano49
- Red snapper47
- Gray triggerfish46
- Gag grouper45
- Red grouper45
- Sheepshead44
- Mahi-mahi40
- Wahoo36
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish31
- Atlantic croaker30
- Atlantic tarpon30
- Black drum30
- Cobia30
- Red drum30
- Southern flounder30
- Spot30
- Spotted seatrout30
- Weakfish30
Best score today · 3 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 459 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing5.0 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
78Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
27Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.6 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Red grouper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 20 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Jan 1
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. No more than 3 grouper and tilefish combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open May 1 through December 31. Closed January 1 through April 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, read Sep 13
Other species 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- 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 Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 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 seasonRed grouper
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, gray snapper and king mackerel. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, gray snapper, king mackerel and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black sea bass, greater amberjack and little tunny. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Red grouper
- Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.
- 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.
- 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
- Old Town Reach77
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 74
10 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:34 AM · 6.4 ft
- Seaboard Reach77
Channel · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Atlantic croaker 76
- Crevalle jack 74
10 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:34 AM · 6.4 ft
- City Front Reach76
Channel · 3.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Crevalle jack 71
10 kt NEL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:34 AM · 6.4 ft
- Saint Marys Entrance67
Channel · 0.1 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 67
- Gray snapper 66
- King mackerel 64
10 kt NEL 1:18 AM · 1.1 ftH 6:58 AM · 6.2 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.