Waterlands

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WahooRetention open

Channel · Florida

Boiler Gap

29.32°N · 83.19°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM

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Best score today · 11 PM · Wahoo

75/100Great
Now
362 AM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score36Fair
Tide2.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water88°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 (5 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

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

Wahoo in Florida

Spot profile

Boiler Gap

Depth
5-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
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 Boiler Gap

Boiler Gap is a channel in Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, Florida pompano and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Gray snapper peak from June through September.

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.
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

  • Wadley Pass

    Channel · 1.6 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Atlantic tarpon 64
    • Red drum 61

    4 kt ENEL 6:26 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ft

  • Northern Pass

    Channel · 1.6 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Gray snapper 62

    4 kt ENEL 6:32 AM · 1.5 ftH 12:01 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Suwannee Reef

    Bar · 3.5 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Red drum 63
    • Gray snapper 62

    4 kt ENEL 6:26 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ft

  • Halfmoon Reef

    Bar · 4.2 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Red drum 63
    • Gray snapper 61

    4 kt ENEL 6:26 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:14 PM · 3.4 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.