Waterlands

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SailfishRetention open

Bar · Florida

Dog Island Reef

29.82°N · 84.51°W · Bar · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Sailfish

72/100Great
Now
426 AM EDT
Best window
9 AM-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.7 ft ▼

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sun · 79

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score42Fair
Tide1.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind4 kn NEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy57% cloud
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Sailfish

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day (1 billfish combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 63 in, lower jaw fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Report landed billfish to NOAA within 24 hours. A federal HMS Angling Permit is needed in federal waters, not in state waters. Sailfish you plan to release may not be removed from the water in federal waters, or in state waters if you hold an HMS permit. 1 billfish per person per day. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Billfish, Tuna, and Swordfish, 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))
  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Sailfish is best here

Shoulder season for Sailfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Sailfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Sailfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Sailfish in Florida →

Spot profile

Dog Island Reef

Depth
9-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSailfish

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 Dog Island Reef

Dog Island Reef is a bar in Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 9-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, red snapper, gag grouper and black drum. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Sailfish
Sailfish feed along reef edges and color changes, usually in 80 to 240 feet off Southeast Florida and farther out along the Gulf and Carolina shelf edge. Fly live goggle-eyes, pilchards or threadfins from kites, or slow-troll live ballyhoo, on non-offset circle hooks. In winter the best bite often comes the day or two after a cold front, when north wind stacks bait along the edge.
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.
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

View all on map →
  • Peninsula Point

    Cape · 7.5 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Southern flounder 57

    5 kt NEL 6:59 AM · 1.2 ftH 12:48 PM · 2.7 ft

  • Alligator Harbor

    Bay · 9.0 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Gray snapper 62

    5 kt NEL 6:59 AM · 1.2 ftH 12:48 PM · 2.7 ft

  • Turkey Point

    Cape · 6.0 mi

    62
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 62
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Gray snapper 57

    5 kt NEL 7:08 AM · 1.6 ftH 12:44 PM · 2.9 ft

  • Southwest Cape

    Cape · 9.2 mi

    62
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 62
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Gray snapper 56

    5 kt NEL 6:59 AM · 1.2 ftH 12:48 PM · 2.7 ft

Open in the tide map

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.