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PermitRetention openChannel · Florida
Derrick Key Gap
29.18°N · 83.09°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum71
- Black drum64
- Southern flounder62
- Permit61
- Florida pompano59
- Red snapper59
- Spanish mackerel59
- Crevalle jack58
- Gag grouper58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Gray triggerfish55
- King mackerel55
- Red grouper55
- Cobia52
- Greater amberjack49
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Mahi-mahi40
- Wahoo39
- Sailfish35
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Permit
- Now
- 6111 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Derrick Key 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 · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Permit
Species seasonality
59Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
Derrick Key Gap
- Depth
- 5-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Derrick Key Gap
Derrick Key Gap is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-10 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, southern flounder and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- 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
- Steamboat Gap76
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Gray snapper 71
6 kt EH 1:00 AM · 3.4 ftL 6:12 AM · 1.7 ft
- Pelican Reef75
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 74
- Gray snapper 73
6 kt EH 1:00 AM · 3.4 ftL 6:12 AM · 1.7 ft
- Suwannee Reef75
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Gray snapper 73
- Red drum 73
6 kt EH 1:00 AM · 3.4 ftL 6:12 AM · 1.7 ft
- Black Point74
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Atlantic tarpon 70
6 kt EH 1:00 AM · 3.4 ftL 6:12 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.