Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Common snookCatch & release

Channel · Florida

Boca Grande Channel

26.70°N · 82.29°W · Channel · Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 10 PM · Common snook

85/100Epic
Now
8510 PM EDT
Best window
10-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Boca Grande Channel scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: today · 85

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score85Epic
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood2.1 kn · toward ENE
Wind3 kn ESEgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 5 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherClear33% chance of rain
Water85°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Snook

Catch & release
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
May 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Retention open from Oct 1
Other
Harvest is closed, but snook may be caught and released with a snook permit and a saltwater fishing license. Closed December 1 through the end of February and May 1 through September 30. Open March 1 through April 30 and October 1 through November 30. 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
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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
  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Common snook is best here

Peak season for Common snook · 5 more weeks at peak

Common snook season by week of the year. Peak season for Common snook · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Common snook in Florida →

Spot profile

Boca Grande Channel

Depth
10-35 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · slope
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 Boca Grande Channel

Boca Grande Channel is a channel in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 10-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, gray snapper and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for common snook, gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and crevalle jack. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.

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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
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

View all on map →
  • Pelican Pass

    Channel · 3.0 mi

    87
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 87
    • Gray snapper 77
    • Red drum 76

    3 kt ESEH 12:19 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:20 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Boca Grande

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    82
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 82
    • Gray snapper 77
    • Red drum 76

    3 kt ESEH 12:19 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:20 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Quarantine Rocks

    Bar · 2.6 mi

    79
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 79
    • Gray snapper 79
    • Red drum 71

    3 kt ESEH 12:19 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:20 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Johnson Shoals

    Bar · 3.2 mi

    79
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 79
    • Gray snapper 72
    • Red drum 71

    3 kt ESEH 12:19 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:20 AM · 1.2 ft

Open in the tide map

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.