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Red drumRetention openChannel · Florida
Big Stake Gap
29.14°N · 82.98°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Gray snapper61
- Red drum61
- Black drum56
- Florida pompano56
- Southern flounder55
- Permit53
- Spanish mackerel51
- Crevalle jack49
- Gag grouper49
- Spotted seatrout49
- Red snapper48
- Gray triggerfish45
- King mackerel45
- Red grouper45
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Cobia42
- Greater amberjack39
- Mahi-mahi36
- Wahoo36
- Sheepshead35
- Sailfish34
Best score today · 9 AM · Red drum
- Now
- 612 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-3 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Stake Gap 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 · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
54Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 4 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Red drum
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Red drum
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 18 to 27 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Must stay whole until landed ashore. For-hire captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. Hook and line or cast net only. No spearing, gigging, bowfishing, snatch hooking, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Red Drum (Redfish), 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 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red drum is best here
Peak season for Red drum · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Big Stake Gap
- Depth
- 5-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonRed drum
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 Big Stake Gap
Big Stake Gap is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL 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
- 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.
- 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
- South Bar Channel72
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Gray snapper 61
4 kt ENEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft
- Corrigan Reef71
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 64
- Gray snapper 63
4 kt ENEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft
- Number Three Channel70
Channel · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 64
- Atlantic tarpon 63
4 kt ENEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft
- Cedar Point67
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Red drum 65
- Atlantic tarpon 62
4 kt ENEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 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.