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SailfishRetention openCape · Florida
Ranch Point
29.80°N · 84.86°W · Cape · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Red drum69
- Gray snapper67
- Florida pompano60
- Crevalle jack59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Southern flounder56
- Black drum55
- Gag grouper55
- Permit55
- Red snapper55
- King mackerel53
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Cobia50
- Yellowfin tuna50
- Greater amberjack48
- Spotted seatrout48
- Mahi-mahi40
- Sailfish39
- Wahoo39
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 6 PM · Sailfish
- Now
- 3911 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ranch Point 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
67Wind: 3 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
47Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Sailfish
Species seasonality
61Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Sailfish is best here
Shoulder season for Sailfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Ranch Point
- Depth
- Up to 4 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 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, crevalle jack and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Red drum peak from September through November.
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.
- 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
- Cash Point73
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
3 kt NH 4:17 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:20 AM · 1.5 ft
- Rabbit Point73
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
3 kt NH 4:17 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:20 AM · 1.5 ft
- East Bayou73
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
3 kt NH 4:17 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:20 AM · 1.5 ft
- Cash Bayou73
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
3 kt NH 4:17 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:20 AM · 1.5 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.