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Black drumRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Black drum
- Now
- 354 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Midnight Pass 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 2 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 89°F, hotLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Black drum
Species seasonality
46Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Black drum
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 14 to 24 in, total length. One fish over 24 inches allowed, counted in the bag limit.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Black Drum, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 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 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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black drum is best here
Out of season for Black drum · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Midnight Pass
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · Semi-exposedPass · flat bottom
- Season
- Off seasonBlack drum
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 Midnight Pass
Midnight Pass is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for crevalle jack and common snook, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, bonefish and red drum. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Black drum
- Black drum root along the bottom around oyster reefs, bridge and pier pilings, channel edges and shallow mud flats. TPWD notes they rarely take artificials, so fish peeled shrimp, crab, clams or sand fleas on a bottom rig and let the fish load the rod before setting the hook. Big spawning schools gather near passes and bay mouths in late winter and spring, and in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay the large fish show up on the shoals from April into June.
- 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.
- 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
- Linderman Creek71
Gut · 3.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 69
4 kt WSWH 7:37 PM · 0.9 ftL 1:55 AM · 0.6 ft
- Cutter Bank65
Bar · 2.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 65
- Common snook 63
- Red grouper 62
4 kt WSWH 7:01 PM · 1.3 ftL 2:06 AM · 0.6 ft
- Mangrove Point64
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- Common snook 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
2 kt EH 7:22 PM · 1.1 ftL 1:42 AM · 0.7 ft
- Turtle Point64
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- Common snook 62
- Atlantic tarpon 62
2 kt EH 6:47 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:47 AM · 0.9 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.