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Gray snapperRetention openChannel · Florida
Ranch Bar Gap
29.26°N · 83.18°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Florida pompano61
- Gray snapper60
- Red drum59
- Atlantic tarpon56
- Black drum56
- Permit55
- Spanish mackerel54
- Southern flounder52
- Crevalle jack51
- Gag grouper50
- Gray triggerfish47
- Red grouper47
- King mackerel46
- Red snapper46
- Yellowfin tuna44
- Cobia43
- Spotted seatrout43
- Greater amberjack41
- Sailfish41
- Mahi-mahi39
- Wahoo37
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 601 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ranch Bar Gap 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
40Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 86°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
83Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Gray snapper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 10 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Ranch Bar Gap
- Depth
- 6-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonGray snapper
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 Ranch Bar Gap
Ranch Bar Gap is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 6-15 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, Florida pompano and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Atlantic tarpon, black drum and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- White Shell Bar Gap72
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Florida pompano 61
- Gray snapper 60
6 kt NNEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 ft
- Suwannee Reef71
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 62
- Florida pompano 61
6 kt NNEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 ft
- Halfmoon Reef71
Bar · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 62
- Florida pompano 61
6 kt NNEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 ft
- Suwannee Sound69
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 61
- Red drum 59
6 kt NNEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 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.