Waterlands

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Red snapperRetention open

Bay · Florida

Big Marco River

25.95°N · 81.66°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Red snapper

81/100Great
Now
5910 AM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.2 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Thu · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score59Good
Tide2.2 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward ESE
Wind4 kn Egusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherOvercast90% cloud
Water85°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in Florida →

Spot profile

Big Marco River

Depth
2-15 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Big Marco River

Big Marco River is a bay in Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and crevalle jack. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Goodland Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    78
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 78
    • Atlantic croaker 74
    • Red drum 71

    4 kt EH 12:12 PM · 3.8 ftL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Pink Curlew Flats

    Flat · 0.7 mi

    74
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 74
    • Red drum 72
    • Atlantic croaker 71

    4 kt EH 12:33 PM · 2.8 ftL 7:19 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Addison Bay

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    74
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 74
    • Red drum 72
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    4 kt EH 12:33 PM · 2.8 ftL 7:19 PM · 0.5 ft

  • The Muddies

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    74
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 74
    • Red drum 72
    • Atlantic croaker 70

    4 kt EH 12:33 PM · 2.8 ftL 7:19 PM · 0.5 ft

Open in the tide map

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.