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CobiaRetention openChannel · Florida
Saddlebunch Number Five Channel
24.61°N · 81.63°W · Channel · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 246 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.1 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Saddlebunch Number Five Channel 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
22Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
38Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
20Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)
Cobia
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 36 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
- Crevalle jack Retention open
- Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
- Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
- 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 Check regulations
- Permit Retention open (1 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 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 Cobia is best here
Out of season for Cobia · shoulder season starts in 6 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Saddlebunch Number Five Channel
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Off seasonCobia
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 Saddlebunch Number Five Channel
Saddlebunch Number Five Channel is a channel in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, red drum and gray snapper. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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
- Saddlebunch Harbor74
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Crevalle jack 70
- Gray snapper 64
7 kt SH 7:53 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:47 PM · 0.3 ft
- Similar Sound73
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 73
- Crevalle jack 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
7 kt SH 8:53 AM · 0.8 ftL 5:25 PM · 0.1 ft
- Saddlebunch Number Four Channel69
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Crevalle jack 62
8 kt SL 7:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 12:49 PM · 1.2 ft
- Old Finds Bight68
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Crevalle jack 68
- Atlantic tarpon 67
6 kt SSEH 9:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 2:34 PM · 0.1 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.