UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Mahi-mahiRetention openBay · Florida
Big Pass
30.09°N · 84.21°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
- Atlantic croaker73
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Gray snapper68
- Red drum68
- Southern flounder61
- Black drum60
- Spanish mackerel59
- Crevalle jack58
- Florida pompano58
- Permit58
- Spotted seatrout54
- Gag grouper52
- Red snapper52
- King mackerel50
- Cobia49
- Gray triggerfish48
- Red grouper48
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Greater amberjack43
- Mahi-mahi36
- Sheepshead35
- Wahoo35
- Sailfish33
Best score today · 6 PM · Mahi-mahi
- Now
- 3612 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Pass 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
87Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 2 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
32Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Mahi-mahi
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Mahi-mahi
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. 10 per person or 60 per vessel, whichever is less. Hook and line or spearing. No minimum size.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Dolphinfish/Mahi-Mahi, read Sep 13
Other species 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)
- 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 Mahi-mahi is best here
Shoulder season for Mahi-mahi · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Big Pass
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Outer · Semi-exposedPass · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonMahi-mahi
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 Pass
Big Pass 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 pass, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- Mahi-mahi
- Mahi feed near the surface along weedlines, floating debris, buoys and current edges offshore, in water from the low 70s to the low 80s. Troll ballyhoo or small skirted lures along the weed, and when a school comes up behind the boat keep one hooked fish in the water while you pitch cut bait or jigs to the rest. Look for birds working over weed and flotsam.
- 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.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Little Pass73
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 72
- Gray snapper 68
2 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:48 AM · 1.6 ft
- Sprague Point72
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 65
2 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:48 AM · 1.6 ft
- Register Bayou70
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 70
- Atlantic tarpon 65
2 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:48 AM · 1.6 ft
- Indian Point70
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 68
- Atlantic tarpon 65
2 kt NNEH 1:18 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:48 AM · 1.6 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.