Waterlands

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Southern flounderRetention open

Channel · Florida

Indian Pass

29.68°N · 85.22°W · Channel · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 11 PM · Southern flounder

75/100Great
Now
4712 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low1.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score47Good
Tide1.2 ftLow
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind7 kn Egusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp86°Hot
WeatherClear15% cloud
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Southern flounder

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 14 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Oct 15
Other
Same rules for Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder, in state and federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed every October 15 through November 30.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Flounder, 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 Retention open (1 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Southern flounder is best here

Shoulder season for Southern flounder · 1 more week at shoulder

Southern flounder season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Southern flounder · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Southern flounder in Florida

Spot profile

Indian Pass

Depth
3-20 ftSlope
Structure
Pass · Outer · ExposedPass · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonSouthern flounder

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 Indian Pass

Indian Pass is a channel in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 3-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads pass, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, crevalle jack, black drum and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.

Tackle & technique

Southern flounder
Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.
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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Big Bayou

    Bay · 5.6 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • Florida pompano 56

    7 kt EH 3:04 PM · 1.6 ftL 10:55 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Saint Vincent Sound

    Bay · 6.4 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • Florida pompano 56

    8 kt ENEH 3:04 PM · 1.6 ftL 10:55 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Indian Lagoon

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    58
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 58
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Florida pompano 50

    7 kt EH 1:55 PM · 1.3 ftL 8:59 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Bay San Blas

    Bay · 4.5 mi

    56
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Red drum 55
    • Florida pompano 51

    7 kt EH 1:55 PM · 1.3 ftL 8:59 PM · 0.5 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.