Waterlands

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PermitRetention open

Bay · Florida

Biscayne Bay

25.58°N · 80.23°W · Bay · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 12 PM · Permit

74/100Great
Now
557 PM EDT
Best window
7-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Sep 21 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score67Great
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind1 kn Sgusts 5 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 3 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy52% chance of rain
Water87°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Permit

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 22 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Apr 1
Other
Hook and line only in state waters. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed April 1 through July 31 each year inside the Special Permit Zone.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • 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 (50 per day)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Permit is best here

Shoulder season for Permit · 23 more weeks at shoulder

Permit season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Permit · 23 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Permit in Florida

Spot profile

Biscayne Bay

Depth
About 10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonPermit

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 Biscayne Bay

Biscayne Bay is a bay in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is about 10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gray snapper, red drum and red grouper. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June.

Tackle & technique

Permit
Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Deering Bay Channel

    Channel · 4.7 mi

    73
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 73
    • Common snook 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 70

    4 kt NEL 9:20 PM · 0.9 ftH 3:05 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Safety Valve

    Gut · 4.3 mi

    71
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 71
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 69

    4 kt NEL 8:55 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:17 AM · 1.9 ft

  • Black Ledge

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Red grouper 67

    4 kt NEL 9:20 PM · 0.9 ftH 3:05 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Featherbed Bank

    Bar · 3.7 mi

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Crevalle jack 67
    • Red grouper 65

    4 kt NEL 10:05 PM · 0.7 ftH 3:12 AM · 1.5 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.