Waterlands

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SpotPeak season

Channel · Georgia

Saint Marys Entrance

30.71°N · 81.43°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 3 AM · Spot

82/100Great
Now
582 PM EDT
Best window
2-6 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.8 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score58Good
Tide1.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward W
Wind11 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.1 ft · 5 s
Air temp82°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy100% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Spot

Retention open
Daily limit
50 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
50 per person per species. No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, 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 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)
  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spot is best here

Peak season for Spot · 5 more weeks at peak

Spot season by week of the year. Peak season for Spot · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spot in Georgia →

Spot profile

Saint Marys Entrance

Depth
25-60 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · slope
Season
Peak seasonSpot

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 25-60 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and gray snapper, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
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

View all on map →
  • Old Town Reach

    Channel · 2.6 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Spot 62

    11 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Seaboard Reach

    Channel · 2.9 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Spot 62

    11 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • City Front Reach

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • Spot 62

    11 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Saint Marys Entrance

    Channel · 0.1 mi

    65
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 65
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • King mackerel 62

    11 kt NEH 6:41 PM · 6.4 ftL 1:18 AM · 1.1 ft

Open in the tide map

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.