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Red snapperRetention openBar · Florida
Quarantine Rocks
26.71°N · 82.25°W · Bar · Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper72
- Common snook71
- Gag grouper66
- Atlantic croaker65
- Permit65
- Spanish mackerel65
- Gray triggerfish64
- Red drum64
- Red grouper63
- Red snapper63
- Florida pompano62
- King mackerel62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Black drum60
- Crevalle jack57
- Greater amberjack57
- Southern flounder56
- Cobia52
- Spotted seatrout48
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 10 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 637 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Quarantine Rocks 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
82Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 2 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Red snapper(private recreational)
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 16 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 4, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 5
- Other
- Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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))
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Catch & release (No retention)
- 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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Quarantine Rocks
- Depth
- 6-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed snapper
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 Quarantine Rocks
Quarantine Rocks is a bar in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 6-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, common snook and gag grouper. It is peak season now for gray snapper, common snook, Atlantic croaker and red drum, and shoulder season for gag grouper, permit, Spanish mackerel and gray triggerfish. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gag grouper peak from October through December.
Tackle & technique
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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.
- 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
- Pelican Pass79
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 79
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 70
2 kt EH 12:17 AM · 1.3 ftL 4:22 AM · 1.1 ft
- Pelican Bay76
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 76
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Gray snapper 69
2 kt EH 12:17 AM · 1.3 ftL 4:22 AM · 1.1 ft
- Boca Grande75
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 75
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 70
2 kt EH 12:17 AM · 1.3 ftL 4:22 AM · 1.1 ft
- Primo Point71
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 71
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Gray snapper 65
2 kt EH 12:17 AM · 1.3 ftL 4:22 AM · 1.1 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.