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Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 742 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
97Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 89°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
72Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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 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)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic tarpon is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 23 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Midnight Pass
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · Semi-exposedPass · 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 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, red drum and gray snapper. 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Linderman Creek74
Gut · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Crevalle jack 73
- Common snook 72
4 kt ESEH 5:49 PM · 0.9 ftL 11:49 PM · 0.6 ft
- Cutter Bank68
Bar · 2.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 68
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic tarpon 66
4 kt ESEH 4:58 PM · 1.3 ftL 12:00 AM · 0.7 ft
- Mangrove Point67
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 67
- Common snook 66
- Atlantic tarpon 65
4 kt ENEH 5:27 PM · 1.1 ftL 11:43 PM · 0.6 ft
- Turtle Point67
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 67
- Common snook 66
- Atlantic tarpon 65
4 kt ENEH 5:01 PM · 1.8 ftL 11:54 PM · 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.