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Atlantic croakerRetention openChannel · Florida
Shell Pass
26.70°N · 82.15°W · Channel · Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano68
- Spotted seatrout64
- Red drum61
- Common snook60
- Spanish mackerel59
- Black drum55
- Gray snapper49
- King mackerel49
- Sheepshead45
- Gray triggerfish40
- Red grouper39
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit34
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 3511 PM EST
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- High1.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shell Pass 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
Saturday, Nov 7 · 10 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 4 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
52Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Atlantic croaker
Retention open- Daily limit
- Not published
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 100 pounds per person per day. No minimum size. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13
Other species here
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- 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
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Out of season for Atlantic croaker · shoulder season starts in 22 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Shell Pass
- Depth
- 4-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · Semi-exposedPass · flat bottom
- Season
- Off seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Shell Pass
Shell Pass is a channel in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, spotted seatrout and red drum. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, spotted seatrout, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, gray snapper and king mackerel. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Jug Creek Point Shoal69
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 69
- Spotted seatrout 57
- Red drum 56
9 kt EL 2:07 AM · 1.2 ftH 7:54 AM · 1.7 ft
- Back Bay66
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 66
- Red drum 60
- Spotted seatrout 59
9 kt EL 2:07 AM · 1.2 ftH 7:54 AM · 1.7 ft
- Big Jim Creek65
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 65
- Spotted seatrout 63
- Florida pompano 62
9 kt EL 3:24 AM · 1.2 ftH 8:24 AM · 1.7 ft
- Jug Creek63
Bay · 0.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Florida pompano 62
- Spotted seatrout 62
9 kt EL 2:07 AM · 1.2 ftH 7:54 AM · 1.7 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.