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Yellowfin tunaShoulder seasonChannel · Florida
Number Four Channel
29.15°N · 83.08°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker65
- Gray snapper63
- Red drum63
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Florida pompano58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Black drum56
- Southern flounder55
- Crevalle jack54
- Permit53
- King mackerel52
- Gag grouper51
- Spotted seatrout49
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Red snapper47
- Sailfish47
- Cobia46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red grouper46
- Wahoo43
- Greater amberjack42
- Mahi-mahi41
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Yellowfin tuna
- Now
- 487 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Number Four 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
47Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 5 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Yellowfin tuna
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
No rule for Yellowfin tuna is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with FWC before you keep a fish.
Species rules 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)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Yellowfin tuna is best here
Shoulder season for Yellowfin tuna · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Number Four Channel
- Depth
- 8-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonYellowfin tuna
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 Number Four Channel
Number Four Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 8-10 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, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel 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
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
- 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
- Pelican Reef67
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Gray snapper 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
5 kt NEH 12:05 PM · 3.9 ftL 6:47 PM · 0.5 ft
- Northwest Channel65
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Gray snapper 63
- Red drum 63
5 kt NEH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ft
- North Bank63
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Florida pompano 58
5 kt NEH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ft
- South Bank63
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Florida pompano 58
5 kt NEH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:04 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.