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Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseChannel · Florida
Coon Key Pass
25.91°N · 81.64°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook79
- Atlantic croaker74
- Gray snapper72
- Red drum71
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Spanish mackerel70
- Crevalle jack68
- Permit66
- Southern flounder65
- Black drum62
- King mackerel60
- Cobia58
- Gag grouper58
- Florida pompano56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Greater amberjack52
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Mahi-mahi43
- Sailfish43
- Wahoo39
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 703 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Coon Key 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
92Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 1 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 85°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
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 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)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic tarpon is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Coon Key Pass
- Depth
- Up to 15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · ProtectedPass · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Coon Key Pass
Coon Key Pass is a channel in Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is up to 15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 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 Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, crevalle jack and permit. 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 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.
- 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
- Blue Hill Creek77
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 77
- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 70
1 kt SL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 3.6 ft
- Sugar Bay76
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 76
- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 70
1 kt SL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 3.6 ft
- Goodland Bay76
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 76
- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
1 kt SL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 3.6 ft
- Southwest Gate76
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 76
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 72
1 kt WL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 3.6 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.