Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

WahooRetention open

Gut · Florida

Higgenbotham Creek

28.60°N · 82.65°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 11 PM · Wahoo

77/100Great
Now
4411 AM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.6 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Higgenbotham Creek scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Tue · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score44Fair
Tide2.6 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind3 kn NEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 5 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherOvercast37% chance of rain
Water86°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Wahoo

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Wahoo, 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)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Wahoo is best here

Shoulder season for Wahoo · 1 more week at shoulder

Wahoo season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Wahoo · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Wahoo in Florida →

Spot profile

Higgenbotham Creek

Depth
Under 1 ftNearest water
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonWahoo

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 Higgenbotham Creek

Higgenbotham Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water 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, common snook and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, permit 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

Wahoo
Wahoo patrol drop-offs, seamounts, rigs and weed lines where current and temperature breaks meet, usually along the 100 to 600 foot contours. High-speed trolling at 12 to 18 knots with weighted lures covers ground, and slower trolling with ballyhoo or diving plugs works over known structure. Use wire leader, because their teeth cut monofilament.
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

View all on map →
  • Fish Creek

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    75
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 75
    • Red drum 73
    • Atlantic croaker 71

    6 kt NEH 1:59 PM · 2.1 ftL 9:51 PM · 0.0 ft

  • Raccoon Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    73
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 73
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Red drum 70

    3 kt NEH 12:22 PM · 2.8 ftL 7:37 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Rock Island Bay

    Bay · 2.5 mi

    73
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 73
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Red drum 70

    3 kt NEH 12:22 PM · 2.8 ftL 7:37 PM · 0.9 ft

  • North Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    73
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 73
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Red drum 70

    3 kt NEH 12:22 PM · 2.8 ftL 7:37 PM · 0.9 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.