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Yellowfin tunaShoulder seasonBar · Florida
Dog Island Reef
29.82°N · 84.51°W · Bar · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper69
- Atlantic croaker68
- Gag grouper66
- Red drum66
- Gray triggerfish64
- Red grouper64
- Red snapper64
- Florida pompano61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Spanish mackerel60
- Black drum59
- Crevalle jack59
- King mackerel59
- Greater amberjack57
- Permit57
- Cobia52
- Southern flounder51
- Sailfish48
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Mahi-mahi42
- Spotted seatrout41
- Wahoo41
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 6 PM · Yellowfin tuna
- Now
- 4611 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dog Island Reef 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
87Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.3 ftSeason & habitat · Yellowfin tuna
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
No rule for Yellowfin tuna is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with FWC before you keep a fish.
Species rules 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)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Yellowfin tuna is best here
Shoulder season for Yellowfin tuna · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Dog Island Reef
- Depth
- 9-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonYellowfin tuna
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, Atlantic croaker and gag grouper. It is peak season now for gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and red drum, and shoulder season for gag grouper, gray triggerfish, red grouper and red snapper. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gag grouper peak from October through December.
Tackle & technique
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
- 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.
- 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
- Peninsula Point71
Cape · 7.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Gray snapper 64
6 kt ENEH 12:48 PM · 2.7 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.4 ft
- Alligator Harbor71
Bay · 9.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 71
- Gray snapper 70
6 kt ENEH 12:48 PM · 2.7 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.4 ft
- Turkey Point69
Cape · 6.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 67
- Gray snapper 63
6 kt ENEH 12:44 PM · 2.9 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.5 ft
- Southwest Cape69
Cape · 9.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 67
- Gray snapper 64
6 kt ENEH 12:48 PM · 2.7 ftL 7:42 PM · 0.4 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.