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PermitRetention openCape · Florida
Sponge Point
29.78°N · 83.59°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum57
- Atlantic croaker56
- Atlantic tarpon54
- Gray snapper52
- Florida pompano50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Crevalle jack48
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Gag grouper44
- King mackerel43
- Permit43
- Southern flounder42
- Black drum41
- Gray triggerfish40
- Red grouper40
- Red snapper40
- Cobia39
- Mahi-mahi39
- Wahoo39
- Sailfish37
- Spotted seatrout36
- Greater amberjack35
- Sheepshead29
Best score today · 11 PM · Permit
- Now
- 437 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sponge 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
18Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 1 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Permit
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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 (5 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 Permit is best here
Shoulder season for Permit · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sponge Point
- Depth
- Up to 4 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Sponge Point
Sponge Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Hagens Cove61
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Atlantic tarpon 54
1 kt EH 1:15 AM · 3.1 ftL 6:58 AM · 1.7 ft
- Crooked Point61
Cape · 3.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Atlantic tarpon 54
1 kt EH 1:04 AM · 3.0 ftL 6:46 AM · 1.4 ft
- Boggy Bay61
Bay · 3.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Atlantic tarpon 54
1 kt EH 1:15 AM · 3.1 ftL 6:58 AM · 1.7 ft
- Piney Point57
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Atlantic tarpon 54
1 kt EH 1:15 AM · 3.1 ftL 6:58 AM · 1.7 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.