Waterlands

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Atlantic tarponCatch & release

Cape · Florida

Mooney Point

26.12°N · 80.11°W · Cape · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 5 AM · Atlantic tarpon

70/100Great
Now
597 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score69Great
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb2.1 kn · toward SE
Wind4 kn Egusts 14 · steady
Air temp84°Hot
WeatherOvercast75% chance of rain
Water87°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 (2 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic tarpon is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 23 more weeks at shoulder

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

Atlantic tarpon in Florida

Spot profile

Mooney Point

Depth
4-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Mooney Point

Mooney Point is a cape in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

  • New River Sound

    Channel · 0.2 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    3 kt NEL 8:12 PM · 1.3 ftH 1:42 AM · 2.5 ft

  • Stranahan River

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Common snook 66
    • Atlantic tarpon 65

    3 kt NEL 8:41 PM · 1.0 ftH 2:07 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Hillsboro Bay

    Bay · 9.6 mi

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 63

    2 kt NEL 7:42 PM · 1.2 ftH 1:31 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Whiskey Creek

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    63
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 63
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • Atlantic tarpon 61

    3 kt NEL 8:10 PM · 1.2 ftH 1:51 AM · 2.3 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.