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Southern flounderRetention 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
- Gray snapper69
- Red drum68
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Spanish mackerel63
- Black drum62
- Florida pompano62
- Crevalle jack61
- Southern flounder60
- Gag grouper58
- King mackerel57
- Permit57
- Red snapper55
- Gray triggerfish54
- Red grouper54
- Spotted seatrout54
- Cobia51
- Greater amberjack49
- Yellowfin tuna49
- Sailfish48
- Wahoo43
- Mahi-mahi42
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 AM · Southern flounder
- Now
- 608 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-3 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.0 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
67Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Southern flounder
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Southern flounder
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 15
- Other
- Same rules for Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder, in state and federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed every October 15 through November 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Flounder, 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))
- 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)
- 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 Southern flounder is best here
Shoulder season for Southern flounder · 1 more week 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 seasonSouthern flounder
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, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, black drum and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Southern flounder
- Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.
- 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
- White Shell Bar Gap73
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 69
- Red drum 68
6 kt NNEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Suwannee Reef72
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Gray snapper 71
- Red drum 71
6 kt NNEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Halfmoon Reef70
Bar · 2.7 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 70
- Red drum 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
6 kt NNEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Suwannee Sound69
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 68
- Gray snapper 64
6 kt NNEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 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.