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Red 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 croaker73
- Florida pompano63
- Gray snapper57
- Red drum55
- Atlantic tarpon51
- Black drum50
- Spanish mackerel50
- Crevalle jack48
- Permit48
- Southern flounder47
- Yellowfin tuna46
- Gag grouper45
- King mackerel45
- Sailfish44
- Gray triggerfish42
- Red grouper42
- Red snapper42
- Cobia40
- Mahi-mahi40
- Spotted seatrout40
- Wahoo40
- Greater amberjack37
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 4212 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High3.4 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
31Tide: High slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Red snapper(private recreational)
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 16 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 4, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 5
- Other
- Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida.
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 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))
- 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 Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Ranch Bar Gap
- Depth
- 6-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed 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 Spanish mackerel. 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
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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 Gap73
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Florida pompano 63
- Gray snapper 57
7 kt NEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 ft
- Halfmoon Reef73
Bar · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Florida pompano 63
- Gray snapper 59
7 kt NEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 ft
- Suwannee Reef72
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Florida pompano 63
- Gray snapper 58
7 kt NEL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:27 AM · 3.0 ft
- Suwannee Sound70
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Florida pompano 63
- Red drum 56
7 kt NEL 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.