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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook59
- Atlantic croaker53
- Gray snapper52
- Red drum52
- Black drum49
- Florida pompano48
- Spanish mackerel48
- Atlantic tarpon45
- Red snapper43
- Gag grouper42
- Crevalle jack40
- Gray triggerfish40
- Red grouper40
- Southern flounder40
- King mackerel38
- Permit37
- Spotted seatrout35
- Greater amberjack34
- Cobia33
- Sheepshead30
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 535 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-10 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low1.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Banks 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
34Tide: Low slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 9 kt ESEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 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)
- 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
South Banks
- Depth
- 1-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 South Banks
South Banks is a bar in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and Atlantic tarpon. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Chadwick Bayou65
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 65
- Common snook 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
9 kt ESEL 6:05 AM · 1.3 ftH 11:43 AM · 2.3 ft
- Foster Bay63
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 63
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Gray snapper 57
9 kt ESEH 10:51 AM · 2.2 ftL 6:06 PM · 0.5 ft
- Pine Island Sound63
Bay · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 63
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Red drum 57
9 kt ESEH 11:34 AM · 2.3 ftL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ft
- Foster Point59
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 59
- Atlantic croaker 54
- Gray snapper 52
9 kt ESEH 10:51 AM · 2.2 ftL 6:06 PM · 0.5 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.