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PermitRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Permit
- Now
- 3011 PM EST
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Florida Anchorage 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
Wednesday, Nov 11 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
94Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
62Wind: 7 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 83°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Permit
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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 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)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Permit is best here
Shoulder season for Permit · 16 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cape Florida Anchorage
- Depth
- 15-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- 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 Cape Florida Anchorage
Cape Florida Anchorage is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and gray snapper. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, bonefish and common snook, and shoulder season for gray snapper, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and red grouper. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. King mackerel peak from November through March. Gray snapper peak from May through August.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Cape Florida Channel64
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- Gray snapper 59
- King mackerel 56
6 kt EH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ftL 8:47 AM · 0.5 ft
- Biscayne Channel64
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- Gray snapper 59
- King mackerel 56
6 kt EH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ftL 8:47 AM · 0.5 ft
- South Basin64
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- Gray snapper 58
- Florida pompano 56
6 kt EH 2:52 AM · 2.3 ftL 9:41 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cape Florida61
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 61
- Spanish mackerel 59
- King mackerel 58
6 kt EH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ftL 8:47 AM · 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.