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WahooRetention openChannel · Florida
West Pass
29.63°N · 85.10°W · Channel · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Gray snapper71
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Red drum70
- Southern flounder63
- Black drum62
- Spanish mackerel62
- Crevalle jack61
- Permit60
- Florida pompano58
- Red snapper56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Gag grouper55
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- King mackerel52
- Cobia51
- Greater amberjack49
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Mahi-mahi37
- Wahoo37
- Sailfish36
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Wahoo
- Now
- 3712 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
36Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Wahoo
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Wahoo
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- No minimum size. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Wahoo, 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)
- 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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Wahoo is best here
Shoulder season for Wahoo · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
West Pass
- Depth
- 10-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Pass · Outer · ExposedPass · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonWahoo
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 West Pass
West Pass is a channel in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 10-50 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 Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
Tackle & technique
- Wahoo
- Wahoo patrol drop-offs, seamounts, rigs and weed lines where current and temperature breaks meet, usually along the 100 to 600 foot contours. High-speed trolling at 12 to 18 knots with weighted lures covers ground, and slower trolling with ballyhoo or diving plugs works over known structure. Use wire leader, because their teeth cut monofilament.
- 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
- Sheepshead Bayou73
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 3:22 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:15 AM · 1.3 ft
- Big Bayou73
Bay · 3.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 6:05 AM · 1.6 ftL 10:47 AM · 1.4 ft
- Saint Vincent Point70
Cape · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 3:22 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:15 AM · 1.3 ft
- Paradise Point70
Cape · 3.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
3 kt NEH 3:22 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:15 AM · 1.3 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.