FISHING GUIDE · JACKSONVILLE & ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA

Jacksonville & St. Augustine Fishing Guide

Jacksonville and St. Augustine offer marsh creeks, inlets and jetties for redfish, trout, flounder and sheepshead, plus summer tarpon. Offshore boats fish artificial and natural reefs for grouper, snapper and kingfish, and run 50 miles or more to the Ledge and Gulf Stream for wahoo and mahi. Big tides here (about 5 feet) move a lot of water, so plan around them.

📍 Northeast Florida, from the Georgia line south through Jacksonville (Duval County) to St. Augustine (St. Johns County). The St. Johns River meets the Atlantic at Mayport, next to Naval Station Mayport. St. Augustine has the St. Augustine Inlet and, farther south, Matanzas Inlet.

📅 Florida Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

Open the full Florida Atlantic Coast map →

Quick facts

The St. Johns River is about 310 miles long and flows north; its mouth is at Mayport in Jacksonville, and tides push seawater well up the lower river.
FWC lists 19 artificial reefs off Nassau and Duval counties, in depths from under 20 feet to 110 feet.
The Ledge, a shelf break about 55 to 65 miles off Jacksonville, drops from about 120 to 175 feet, with the Gulf Stream running nearby.
Off St. Augustine the Gulf Stream is about 50 to 80 miles out.
Federal waters off northeast Florida are calving grounds for North Atlantic right whales; boats must stay at least 500 yards away from a right whale.

What you can catch

Redfish (red drum)
Top inshore target in the marsh, creeks and jetties; good in spring on topwater when finger mullet are around.
Spotted seatrout
Best at dawn and dusk; no fish over 19 inches may be kept in this region.
Flounder
Caught inshore, at the inlets and from piers; summer is a peak time.
Sheepshead and black drum
Winter and early spring around docks, jetties and piers.
Tarpon
Summer fish at the inlets (June-September at St. Augustine); catch-and-release only.
King mackerel (kingfish)
Nearshore and offshore; Jacksonville hosts a big kingfish tournament.
Grouper and red snapper
Reef fish offshore; check seasons and the Atlantic red snapper rules.
Wahoo and mahi (dolphin)
Wahoo at the Ledge in winter; mahi start around April.

Month by month

January	Inshore redfish, trout, sheepshead and black drum; wahoo at the Ledge. Right whale calving season (Nov 15 - Apr 15).
February	Sheepshead and drum around structure; wahoo offshore.
March	Inshore still good; redfish and trout on topwater as bait shows up.
April	Mahi show offshore around mid-April; spring redfish on the flats.
May	Mahi offshore; Atlantic red snapper: check current rules.
June	Summer starts: tarpon at the inlets (June-September); flounder and redfish.
July	Tarpon, flounder, sharks and redfish; summer is peak inshore.
August	Tarpon at the inlets; snook closed on the Atlantic through Aug 31.
September	Last of the inlet tarpon; snook reopens Sept 1.
October	Fall redfish and trout. 2026 Atlantic red snapper state season Oct 9-22.
November	Fall inshore fishing; right whale season starts Nov 15.
December	Snook closed on the Atlantic from Dec 15; sheepshead and drum pick up.

Tips

Plan inshore trips around the tide; Jacksonville averages about a 5-foot tidal swing every 6 hours.
Get the GPS numbers for the Duval and Nassau artificial reefs from FWC's Boating and Angling Guide and Artificial Reef Program.
In the St. Johns River and Intracoastal, watch for manatee speed zones (FWC rule for Duval, Clay and St. Johns counties) and federal manatee zones on the lower St. Johns.
Offshore, keep a sharp lookout for right whales from Nov 15 to Apr 15 and stay 500 yards away.
Atlantic red snapper trips must be declared in FWC's Atlantic Red Snapper reporting app before you go.

Rules and license

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC); NOAA Fisheries (federal waters, right whales); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (federal manatee areas) · Official rules page ↗

Florida saltwater fishing license required unless exempt (under 16, Florida residents 65+, or fishing from a licensed charter/guide boat, among others). Florida residents fishing only from shore can get a free shoreline license. A snook permit is also needed to keep snook.
Redfish (Northeast region, Georgia line to New Smyrna Beach): 18-27 inch slot, 1 per person, 4 per vessel, open year-round.
Spotted seatrout (Northeast region): 15-19 inch slot, 3 per person, no fish over 19 inches may be kept, open year-round.
Snook (Atlantic): 28-32 inch slot, 1 per person; closed Dec 15 - Jan 31 and June 1 - Aug 31.
Atlantic red snapper 2026: state season Oct 9-22 (federal season Oct 9-11; pick one, not both), 1 per person, State Reef Fish Angler designation needed on private boats, trips declared in the FWC app, descending device rigged and ready.
Tarpon: catch-and-release only; fish over 40 inches must stay in the water unless you hold a tarpon tag.
Manatee protection zones: FWC rule 68C-22.027 (Duval, Clay, St. Johns); federal manatee speed zones on the lower St. Johns River.
North Atlantic right whales: no approach within 500 yards; boats 65 feet and over limited to 10 knots in the seasonal area Nov 15 - Apr 15.

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 24 boat ramps and 6 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Bill Dye Marina
Boat ramp near Alligator Creek
Boat ramp near Little Clapboard Creek
Fisherman's Marina
Inlet Marina
Morningstar Marina
Ocean Vista Boat Ramp
Ribault Club Landing
Saint Augustine Marina
Saint Augustine Road Fish Management Area South Primitive Ramp
Six Mile Landing Boat Ramp
The Florida Yacht Club

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.