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CobiaRetention openBar · Florida
Halfmoon Reef
29.27°N · 83.14°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker58
- Gray snapper58
- Red drum57
- Atlantic tarpon51
- Gag grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Black drum49
- Gray triggerfish47
- Red grouper47
- Florida pompano45
- Spanish mackerel45
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Permit44
- Crevalle jack43
- King mackerel43
- Sailfish42
- Southern flounder42
- Greater amberjack41
- Spotted seatrout40
- Cobia36
- Mahi-mahi35
- Sheepshead35
- Wahoo35
Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 366 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-4 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Low1.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Halfmoon Reef 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
18Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
36Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
58Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Cobia
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 36 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
- 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 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Halfmoon Reef
- Depth
- 6-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · Semi-exposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
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 Halfmoon Reef
Halfmoon Reef is a bar in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 6-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gag grouper, red snapper and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Wadley Pass60
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Gray snapper 56
- Red drum 55
6 kt NEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- White Shell Bar Gap60
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Gray snapper 56
- Red drum 55
6 kt NEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Ranch Bar Gap60
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Gray snapper 56
- Red drum 55
6 kt NEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Suwannee Reef59
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Gray snapper 58
- Red drum 58
6 kt NEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 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.