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CobiaRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 546 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-8 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Surprise Waterway 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Cobia
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 36 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
- 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 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Surprise Waterway
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
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 Surprise Waterway
Surprise Waterway is a gut in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, red drum and common snook. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, red drum, common snook and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gray snapper, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Red drum peak from October through February. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Biscayne Waterway79
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 79
- Common snook 76
- Red drum 76
6 kt ESEL 9:08 AM · 0.6 ftH 3:27 PM · 2.6 ft
- Indian Creek79
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 79
- Red drum 78
- Common snook 76
6 kt ESEL 9:56 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:03 PM · 2.6 ft
- Tatum Waterway79
Channel · 2.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 79
- Crevalle jack 79
- Red drum 77
6 kt ESEL 9:56 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:03 PM · 2.6 ft
- Biscayne Point74
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Crevalle jack 74
- King mackerel 71
6 kt ESEL 9:56 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:03 PM · 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.