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Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseBay · Florida
The First National
26.05°N · 81.76°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook74
- Atlantic croaker70
- Red drum70
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Gray snapper66
- Florida pompano64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Crevalle jack63
- Gag grouper60
- King mackerel59
- Permit58
- Southern flounder57
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Black drum55
- Cobia55
- Greater amberjack52
- Spotted seatrout49
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi41
- Sailfish37
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 691 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The First National 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
88Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 87°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
58Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable 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
The First National
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 The First National
The First National is a bay in Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. 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
- 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
- Little Marco Pass77
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 77
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 72
3 kt SSEL 6:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 12:35 AM · 2.4 ft
- Rookery Channel74
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Common snook 74
- Gray snapper 72
3 kt SSEL 6:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 12:35 AM · 2.4 ft
- Rookery Bay74
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 70
3 kt SSEL 6:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 12:35 AM · 2.4 ft
- Hall Bay73
Bay · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 73
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 67
3 kt SSEL 6:14 PM · 0.6 ftH 12:35 AM · 2.4 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.