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Mahi-mahiRetention openGut · Florida
Buckford Creek
28.98°N · 82.73°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Common snook63
- Red drum63
- Florida pompano60
- Gray snapper60
- Permit59
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Southern flounder56
- Black drum55
- Spanish mackerel53
- Crevalle jack51
- Gag grouper49
- Gray triggerfish46
- King mackerel46
- Red grouper46
- Red snapper46
- Yellowfin tuna44
- Cobia43
- Spotted seatrout43
- Sailfish41
- Greater amberjack40
- Mahi-mahi39
- Wahoo38
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Mahi-mahi
- Now
- 391 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Buckford Creek 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
60Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
38Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.2 ftSeason & habitat · Mahi-mahi
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Mahi-mahi
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. 10 per person or 60 per vessel, whichever is less. Hook and line or spearing. No minimum size.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Dolphinfish/Mahi-Mahi, 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)
- 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)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Mahi-mahi is best here
Shoulder season for Mahi-mahi · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Buckford Creek
- Depth
- Under 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Outer · Semi-exposedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonMahi-mahi
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 Buckford Creek
Buckford Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, permit, Atlantic tarpon and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Mahi-mahi
- Mahi feed near the surface along weedlines, floating debris, buoys and current edges offshore, in water from the low 70s to the low 80s. Troll ballyhoo or small skirted lures along the weed, and when a school comes up behind the boat keep one hooked fish in the water while you pitch cut bait or jigs to the rest. Look for birds working over weed and flotsam.
- 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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Demory Gap72
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Common snook 63
- Florida pompano 61
6 kt NNEL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 1:18 AM · 3.5 ft
- East Pass71
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Common snook 65
- Red drum 62
6 kt NNEL 7:59 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:28 AM · 3.1 ft
- Long Point68
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Common snook 63
- Red drum 63
6 kt NNEL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 1:18 AM · 3.5 ft
- Rocky Cove68
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Common snook 63
- Red drum 63
6 kt NNEL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 1:18 AM · 3.5 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.