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Yellowfin tunaShoulder seasonBay · Florida
Big Cove
30.08°N · 84.16°W · Bay · Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum71
- Atlantic croaker69
- Gray snapper64
- Florida pompano63
- Permit63
- Southern flounder63
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Crevalle jack61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Black drum60
- Gag grouper58
- King mackerel56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Cobia53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Greater amberjack50
- Sailfish48
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Mahi-mahi41
- Wahoo41
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Yellowfin tuna
- Now
- 4711 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Cove 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
91Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · Yellowfin tuna
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
No rule for Yellowfin tuna is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with FWC before you keep a fish.
Species rules here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (10 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- 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
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (5 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Yellowfin tuna is best here
Shoulder season for Yellowfin tuna · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Big Cove
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonYellowfin tuna
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 Big Cove
Big Cove is a bay in Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, permit, southern flounder and Atlantic tarpon. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- 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
- Sand Cove71
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Gray snapper 64
6 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Pelican Point69
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 68
- Gray snapper 64
6 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Apalachee Bay69
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 68
- Gray snapper 64
6 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Register Bayou69
Bay · 3.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 69
- Gray snapper 64
6 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 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.