Waterlands

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Atlantic tarponCatch & release

Bar · Florida

Black Ledge

25.59°N · 80.25°W · Bar · Biscayne Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic tarpon

76/100Great
Now
403 PM EST
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.6 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 13 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score63Good
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
Wind4 kn NEgusts 10 · steady
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherClear16% cloud
Water82°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Tarpon

Catch & release
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water. Special gear rules apply year-round in Boca Grande Pass. Hook and line only. No snagging, snatch hooking, spearing, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Applies in state and federal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Tarpon, 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)
  • 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 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic tarpon is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 17 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic tarpon season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 17 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic tarpon in Florida →

Spot profile

Black Ledge

Depth
6-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic tarpon

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 Black Ledge

Black Ledge is a bar in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 6-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, king mackerel and red grouper. It is peak season now for king mackerel, common snook, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, red grouper, gray snapper and greater amberjack. Florida pompano peak from December through March. King mackerel peak from November through March. Red grouper peak from April through June.

Tackle & technique

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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Biscayne Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    62
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 62
    • Crevalle jack 61
    • Florida pompano 61

    10 kt EL 8:57 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:38 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Deering Bay Channel

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    56
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 56
    • Common snook 55
    • Florida pompano 55

    9 kt EL 9:18 PM · 1.0 ftH 2:55 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Shoal Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    55
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 55
    • Crevalle jack 51
    • Common snook 50

    9 kt EL 9:18 PM · 1.0 ftH 2:55 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Paradise Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    55
    Top: Florida pompanoShoulder season
    • Florida pompano 55
    • Crevalle jack 51
    • Common snook 50

    9 kt EL 9:18 PM · 1.0 ftH 2:55 AM · 2.6 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.