UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
PermitRetention openCape · Florida
Cape Saint George
29.59°N · 85.05°W · Cape · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Red drum70
- Atlantic tarpon67
- Gray snapper65
- Spanish mackerel61
- Black drum60
- Florida pompano58
- Crevalle jack57
- Southern flounder56
- Gag grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Permit54
- King mackerel52
- Gray triggerfish51
- Red grouper51
- Cobia49
- Spotted seatrout49
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Greater amberjack46
- Wahoo45
- Sailfish39
- Mahi-mahi37
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 6 PM · Permit
- Now
- 5412 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Saint George 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Permit
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Permit
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 11 to 22 in, fork length. One fish over 22 inches allowed per person, counted in the bag limit.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- No more than 2 permit over 22 inches per vessel. Hook and line only in state waters. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Outside the Special Permit Zone. Open year-round.
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
- 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)
- 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 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 Permit is best here
Shoulder season for Permit · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cape Saint George
- Depth
- 3-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonPermit
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 Cape Saint George
Cape Saint George is a cape in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, black drum and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
Tackle & technique
- Permit
- Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
- 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Pilot Cove73
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 3:47 AM · 1.6 ftL 8:36 AM · 1.4 ft
- Horseshoe Cove70
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 3:47 AM · 1.6 ftL 8:36 AM · 1.4 ft
- Cape Saint George Shoal70
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 3:47 AM · 1.6 ftL 8:36 AM · 1.4 ft
- Higgins Shoal70
Bar · 3.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 3:47 AM · 1.6 ftL 8:36 AM · 1.4 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.