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Crevalle jackRetention openChannel · Florida
Main Ship Channel
29.09°N · 83.06°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Gray snapper62
- Red drum62
- Black drum57
- Florida pompano57
- Southern flounder55
- Permit54
- Spanish mackerel52
- Crevalle jack49
- Gag grouper49
- Red snapper49
- Spotted seatrout49
- Gray triggerfish46
- King mackerel46
- Red grouper46
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Cobia42
- Greater amberjack40
- Mahi-mahi36
- Wahoo36
- Sheepshead35
- Sailfish34
Best score today · 9 AM · Crevalle jack
- Now
- 492 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-3 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Main Ship Channel 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 · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
46Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Crevalle jack
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Crevalle jack
Retention open- Daily limit
- Not published
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Two fish or 100 pounds per person per day, whichever is more. Crevalle jack is an unregulated species with this default limit. Hook and line, spears, gigs, haul seines and cast nets.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: "Unregulated" Species, 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)
- 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 Crevalle jack is best here
Shoulder season for Crevalle jack · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Main Ship Channel
- Depth
- 4-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCrevalle jack
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 Main Ship Channel
Main Ship Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 4-15 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, Florida pompano and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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
- Deadmans Channel72
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Gray snapper 62
4 kt ENEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft
- East Bank69
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Red drum 62
4 kt ENEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft
- West Bank69
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Red drum 62
4 kt ENEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft
- Piney Point69
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Red drum 62
4 kt ENEL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 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.