Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Bay · Florida

Catfish Creek

30.11°N · 84.02°W · Bay · Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 PM · Red drum

79/100Great
Now
7011 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.7 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 80

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score70Great
Tide1.7 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind4 kn ESEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy33% chance of rain
Water87°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Atlantic croaker

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

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

Catfish Creek

Depth
Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Catfish Creek

Catfish Creek is a bay in Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, southern flounder and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.

Tackle & technique

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.
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 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

View all on map →
  • Pinhook Cut-Off

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Red drum 67
    • Gray snapper 59

    4 kt ESEH 11:42 PM · 1.8 ftL 3:12 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Big Redfish Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Red drum 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    4 kt ESEH 11:42 PM · 1.8 ftL 3:12 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Little Redfish Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Red drum 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 57

    4 kt ESEH 11:42 PM · 1.8 ftL 3:12 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Gamble Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Atlantic croaker 62
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    4 kt ESEH 9:06 AM · 3.0 ftL 6:13 PM · 1.0 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.