Waterlands

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PermitRetention open

Cape · Florida

Ranch Point

29.80°N · 84.86°W · Cape · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Permit

71/100Great
Now
449 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.4 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 · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 PM · now

Time9PNOW
Score44Fair
Tide0.4 ftLow
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward NE
Wind2 kn NWgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Permit is best here

Shoulder season for Permit · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Permit in Florida →

Spot profile

Ranch Point

Depth
Up to 4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Ranch Point

Ranch Point is a cape in Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Cash Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Atlantic tarpon 56

    2 kt NWH 4:17 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:20 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Rabbit Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Atlantic tarpon 56

    2 kt NWH 4:17 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:20 AM · 1.5 ft

  • East Bayou

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Atlantic tarpon 56

    2 kt NWH 4:17 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:20 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Cash Bayou

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic croaker 56
    • Atlantic tarpon 56

    2 kt NWH 4:17 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:20 AM · 1.5 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.