UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseChannel · Florida
Shell Pass
26.70°N · 82.15°W · Channel · Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spanish mackerel74
- Spotted seatrout71
- Common snook70
- Red drum69
- Black drum65
- Florida pompano65
- King mackerel64
- Gray snapper58
- Sheepshead57
- Gray triggerfish54
- Red grouper54
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 352 PM EST
- Best window
- 5-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 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 14 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
94Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
66Wind: 8 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
44Off 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)
Tarpon
Catch & release- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water. Special gear rules apply year-round in Boca Grande Pass. Hook and line only. No snagging, snatch hooking, spearing, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Applies in state and federal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Tarpon, 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 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)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic tarpon is best here
Out of season for Atlantic tarpon · 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 tarpon
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 Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout and common snook. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout, red drum and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, king mackerel and gray snapper. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Big Jim Creek74
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Spotted seatrout 72
- Spanish mackerel 66
9 kt EL 3:30 PM · 0.2 ftH 10:25 PM · 1.4 ft
- Jug Creek71
Bay · 0.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Spotted seatrout 70
- Spanish mackerel 65
9 kt EL 2:52 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:55 PM · 1.3 ft
- Jug Creek Point Shoal70
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 70
- Florida pompano 65
- Red drum 64
9 kt EL 2:52 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:55 PM · 1.3 ft
- Back Bay69
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 69
- Red drum 68
- Spotted seatrout 67
9 kt EL 2:52 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:55 PM · 1.3 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.