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Common snookRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Common snook
- Now
- 779 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tatum 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 2.0 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Common snook
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Snook
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 28 to 32 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Dec 14, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Catch & release from Dec 15
- Other
- Snook permit and saltwater fishing license required. Must stay whole until landed ashore. For-hire captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line only. Closed December 15 through January 31 and June 1 through August 31. Open February 1 through May 31 and September 1 through December 14. Regional rules apply in inland, state and adjacent federal waters.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snook, 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)
- 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 Common snook is best here
Peak season for Common snook · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Tatum Waterway
- Depth
- 7-8 ft
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Protected
- Season
- Peak seasonCommon snook
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 Tatum Waterway
Tatum Waterway is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 7-8 ft. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, gray snapper and red drum. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Surprise Waterway76
Gut · 2.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 76
- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Crevalle jack 71
6 kt SSWL 12:36 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:27 AM · 2.2 ft
- Indian Creek75
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 75
- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Crevalle jack 70
1 kt SSWL 1:24 AM · 0.9 ftH 7:03 AM · 2.2 ft
- Indian Creek75
Channel · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 75
- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Crevalle jack 69
6 kt SSWL 1:24 AM · 0.9 ftH 7:03 AM · 2.2 ft
- Biscayne Point72
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 72
- Crevalle jack 67
- Atlantic tarpon 67
6 kt SSWL 1:24 AM · 0.9 ftH 7:03 AM · 2.2 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.