Waterlands

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Atlantic tarponCatch & release

Bay · Florida

Haulover Creek

28.65°N · 82.65°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic tarpon

78/100Great
Now
512 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.1 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sat · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score51Good
Tide2.1 ftHigh
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind6 kn NEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 5 s
Air temp89°Hot
WeatherPartly cloudy31% chance of rain
Water86°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Tarpon

Catch & release
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water. Special gear rules apply year-round in Boca Grande Pass. Hook and line only. No snagging, snatch hooking, spearing, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Applies in state and federal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Tarpon, 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 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)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic tarpon is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at shoulder

Atlantic tarpon season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
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Atlantic tarpon in Florida →

Spot profile

Haulover Creek

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic tarpon

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 Haulover Creek

Haulover Creek is a bay 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, inner water and protected.

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, permit, southern flounder and Atlantic tarpon. 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

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.
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

View all on map →
  • South Blind Creek

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Florida pompano 61
    • Red drum 58

    6 kt NEL 9:51 PM · 0.0 ftH 2:59 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Fish Creek

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Florida pompano 62
    • Common snook 58

    6 kt NEL 9:51 PM · 0.0 ftH 2:59 AM · 1.8 ft

  • North Blind Creek

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Florida pompano 60
    • Common snook 57

    6 kt NEL 9:51 PM · 0.0 ftH 2:59 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Chassahowitzka Reefs

    Bar · 2.1 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Florida pompano 63
    • Common snook 58

    6 kt NEL 9:51 PM · 0.0 ftH 2:59 AM · 1.8 ft

Open in the tide map

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.