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PermitRetention 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 croaker73
- Florida pompano62
- Common snook59
- Red drum59
- Gray snapper57
- Atlantic tarpon53
- Permit52
- Southern flounder52
- Black drum50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Crevalle jack48
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Gag grouper45
- King mackerel44
- Sailfish43
- Gray triggerfish42
- Red grouper41
- Red snapper41
- Cobia40
- Mahi-mahi40
- Spotted seatrout40
- Wahoo40
- Greater amberjack36
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Permit
- Now
- 5212 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High4.0 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
18Tide: High slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Permit
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of 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
Buckford Creek
- Depth
- Under 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Outer · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 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, Florida pompano and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Atlantic tarpon, permit and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- East Pass73
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Common snook 62
- Florida pompano 62
6 kt NNEL 7:59 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:28 AM · 3.1 ft
- Demory Gap73
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Florida pompano 63
- Common snook 60
6 kt NNEL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 1:18 AM · 3.5 ft
- Long Point69
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 62
- Common snook 59
6 kt NNEL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 1:18 AM · 3.5 ft
- Rocky Cove69
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 62
- Common snook 59
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.