UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Red snapperRetention openBay · Florida
Johns Cove
30.09°N · 84.24°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 croaker68
- Red drum65
- Florida pompano61
- Permit58
- Gray snapper57
- Southern flounder57
- Black drum55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Atlantic tarpon54
- Crevalle jack54
- Gag grouper52
- King mackerel50
- Gray triggerfish49
- Red grouper49
- Red snapper48
- Cobia47
- Spotted seatrout46
- Sailfish45
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Greater amberjack43
- Mahi-mahi40
- Wahoo39
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 6 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 4812 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Johns 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
65Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Red snapper(private recreational)
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 16 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 4, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 5
- Other
- Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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)
- 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))
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Johns Cove
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed snapper
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 Johns Cove
Johns 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, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, permit, southern flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Little Pass72
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Red drum 64
- Florida pompano 61
6 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Big Pass72
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Florida pompano 61
- Gray snapper 60
6 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 3.6 ftL 7:31 PM · 0.5 ft
- Goose Creek Bay69
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 62
- Red drum 62
6 kt ENEH 1:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:49 PM · 0.5 ft
- Kitchen Cove68
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Red drum 64
- Florida pompano 61
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.