Mayport Jetties, St. Augustine Inlet, and the St. Johns River where inshore meets offshore. One of the most productive inlets on Florida's Atlantic coast. Mayport is a flounder factory, and Amelia Island offers diverse inshore and nearshore options all year.
Paralichthys lethostigma
Mayport Jetties is legendary for flounder. Fall (September–November) and winter bring large migratory fish. Incoming tides on deep channels are prime. First light jigging sandy bottoms near the jetties is consistently productive.
Minimum 12" total length (Atlantic waters). 10 fish per day. Verify current FWC rules.
Medium spinning. 15–20lb braid. 20–25lb fluorocarbon leader. 1/4–1/2oz jig head depending on depth. Work structure edges at Mayport with a hopping presentation — flounder hit hard.
Lightweight, smooth reel for all-day jigging Mayport channels. Quiet operation for subtle flounder presentations.
Jigging Mayport's channels requires finesse. Sienna excels.
Shorter rod for precise jig control in Mayport's deep channels. Sensitive enough to feel flounder taps on the bottom.
Flounder fishing at Mayport demands precision and sensitivity.
Sciaenops ocellatus
Year-round sight-fishing on Amelia Island flats. Low tide at first light is prime for tailing reds. Fall brings schooling redfish to grass flat edges throughout Northeast Florida.
Slot limit 18"–27" (Atlantic). One fish per day. Verify current FWC rules.
Light to medium spinning. 15–20lb braid. 20–25lb fluorocarbon leader. Wading Amelia Island and Nassau Sound demands a 7' sensitive rod for long casts to tailing fish.
The gold standard for sight-fishing Northeast Florida redfish. Weedless design for shallow grass without snagging. Retrieve slow near tailing fish.
Amelia Island tailing reds are conditioned to gold spoons.
Topwater that triggers explosive redfish strikes. Rattle draws fish from distance across shallow flats.
Topwater reds on Northeast Florida flats at dawn — this works.
Sensitive rod for long-distance sight-fishing on Amelia Island and Nassau Sound flats. 7' length reaches distant tailing reds.
Sight-fishing demands reach and sensitivity. Triumph excels.
Ultralight reel for wading Northeast Florida flats. Smooth drag for all-day sight-fishing.
Light gear makes finesse fishing more enjoyable.
Pomatomus saltatrix
Fall (September–November) is peak bluefish season at Mayport. Fast-moving schools follow baitfish. When you find birds diving, blues are beneath them. Move fast and cast into the chaos.
Minimum 7" fork length. No daily limit in Atlantic. Verify current FWC and federal rules.
Medium spinning. 15–20lb braid. 20–30lb wire leader or heavy fluorocarbon. Bluefish teeth will cut mono. Fast retrieve — if it's not moving, they won't eat it.
The Gotcha plug is a Florida staple for bluefish. Pencil-popper style with flashy action that triggers strikes at Mayport Jetties.
Bluefish can't resist a Gotcha plug burned through the water.
Gold standard trolling spoon. Flash and vibration at speed triggers strikes in Mayport's nearshore waters.
Troll a Clark spoon and fill the cooler with fall blues.
Smooth, durable reel with line capacity for long casts to breaking bluefish schools off Amelia Island.
When blues are crashing bait, you need a reel that casts distance.
Medium-action rod with backbone for fast bluefish retrieves. Sensitive tip for detecting bites in rough nearshore conditions.
Durable and proven on fall bluefish at Mayport.
Centropomus undecimalis
Spring through fall peak. St. Augustine Inlet is a migration corridor. First light on an outgoing tide concentrates snook in the inlet current. Summer night fishing under dock lights is productive.
Slot limit 28"–33" (Atlantic). Seasonal closures Dec 1–Feb 28 and Jun 1–Aug 31. One fish per day when open. Verify current FWC rules.
7' medium-heavy spinning. 20–30lb braid. 30–40lb fluorocarbon leader. St. Augustine Inlet rocks demand heavy tackle.
Medium-heavy combo for Northeast Florida snook. Handles 20–30lb braid against St. Augustine Inlet rocks.
Battle-tested on Northeast Florida snook — a workhorse.
Abrasion-resistant leader for St. Augustine Inlet rocks and structure. Invisible in Northeast Florida water.
Snook at St. Augustine will cut weak leader. Use Blue Label.
Walk-the-dog topwater that drives Northeast Florida snook wild at dawn on mangrove edges.
Topwater snook at first light — classic Northeast Florida action.
Archosargus probatocephalus
Fall through spring is prime. Spawning sheepshead stack at Mayport Jetties in February–March. Cold fronts push big fish tight to pilings.
Minimum 12" total length (Atlantic). 15 fish per day. No closed season. Verify current FWC rules.
Light to medium spinning. 10–15lb braid. 20lb fluorocarbon. 1/8–1/4oz jig head. Small current movements at Mayport get sheepshead feeding.
Catch fresh fiddler crabs for Mayport sheepshead. Fresh-caught fiddlers are lethal on Mayport Jetties pilings.
Fresh fiddlers are the #1 Mayport sheepshead bait.
Ultra-sharp fine wire for threading fiddler crabs. Small hook size improves bait presentation on Mayport sheepshead.
Sharp small hooks beat sheepshead bait stealers.
Light round jig heads for Mayport pilings. 1/8oz is perfect for light current at the jetties.
Get your bait to the pilings — that's where the sheepshead are.
Mayport Jetties is the key to Northeast Florida fishing. Incoming tides funnel baitfish and flounder into the deep channels. Outgoing tides push snook and other predators through the inlet mouth. St. Augustine Inlet is another major funnel. Amelia Island flats fish best on low tide with gin-clear water.
Baitfish and flounder push into Mayport channels. Deep channel edges come alive.
Snook push into mangrove creeks. Work tree lines and marker poles.
Mayport and St. Augustine inlets are funnels. Snook and flounder concentrate at inlet mouths.
Sight-fish tailing reds on Amelia Island flats. Gin-clear water enables sight-casting.
Snook spawn run at inlets. Bluefish appear nearshore. Redfish activate on flats.
Night snook under dock lights. Morning flounder jigging at Mayport. Backcountry action in creeks.
Bluefish school at Mayport. Flounder migration begins. Sheepshead appear at pilings.
Sheepshead peak at Mayport. Flounder dominate channels. Cold snaps trigger big fish.
Check live tides, weather, and solunar forecasts for Northeast Florida spots.
Fishing regulations change. Always verify current rules with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) before harvest. FishSonar.com is not responsible for regulatory changes after publication.