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PermitRetention openChannel · Florida
Number Three Channel
29.15°N · 83.02°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker73
- Red drum72
- Gray snapper69
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Permit62
- Black drum61
- Southern flounder61
- Crevalle jack59
- Florida pompano58
- Gag grouper58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Red snapper56
- Spotted seatrout56
- Gray triggerfish55
- King mackerel55
- Red grouper55
- Cobia51
- Greater amberjack49
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Mahi-mahi40
- Wahoo40
- Sailfish35
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 10 AM · Permit
- Now
- 629 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Number Three 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
78Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 5 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Permit
Species seasonality
66Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Permit
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 11 to 22 in, fork length. One fish over 22 inches allowed per person, counted in the bag limit.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- No more than 2 permit over 22 inches per vessel. Hook and line only in state waters. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Outside the Special Permit Zone. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, 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)
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Permit is best here
Shoulder season for Permit · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Number Three Channel
- Depth
- Under 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonPermit
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 Three Channel
Number Three Channel is a channel 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 channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, black drum and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- Permit
- Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
- 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- South Bar Channel73
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 70
- Red drum 70
5 kt EH 12:49 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ft
- Sunset Point72
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Atlantic tarpon 66
5 kt EH 12:49 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ft
- Cedar Point72
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
5 kt EH 12:49 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ft
- Daughtry Bayou71
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 67
5 kt EH 12:49 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:08 AM · 1.8 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.