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Florida pompanoRetention openBar · Florida
Useppa Oyster Bar
26.65°N · 82.21°W · Bar · Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all83
- Florida pompano83
- Spanish mackerel82
- Spotted seatrout78
- Red drum77
- Common snook74
- King mackerel70
- Black drum65
- Gray snapper65
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Sheepshead55
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 836 PM EST
- Best window
- 6-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Useppa Oyster Bar 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
88Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 8 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
100Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
95Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Florida pompano
Retention open- Daily limit
- 6 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 11 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, and beach or haul seine only. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round in state and federal waters.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, 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
- 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 Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- 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 Florida pompano is best here
Peak season for Florida pompano · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Useppa Oyster Bar
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonFlorida pompano
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 Useppa Oyster Bar
Useppa Oyster Bar is a bar in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout and red drum, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and gray snapper. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Water Turkey Bayou87
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 87
- Spotted seatrout 85
- Spanish mackerel 79
8 kt EH 10:50 PM · 1.4 ftL 1:20 AM · 1.4 ft
- The Narrows85
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 85
- Red drum 83
- Spanish mackerel 83
8 kt EH 5:39 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:44 PM · 0.3 ft
- Murdock Bayou85
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 85
- Spotted seatrout 83
- Spanish mackerel 77
8 kt EH 5:39 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:44 PM · 0.3 ft
- Platt Point78
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 78
- Red drum 77
- Spanish mackerel 77
8 kt EH 5:39 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:44 PM · 0.3 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.