UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
SailfishRetention openBar · Florida
Seahorse Reef
29.05°N · 83.12°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper56
- Red drum55
- Atlantic croaker54
- Gag grouper53
- Red snapper51
- Florida pompano50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red grouper50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Atlantic tarpon48
- Crevalle jack48
- King mackerel48
- Black drum45
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Greater amberjack44
- Permit43
- Sailfish41
- Wahoo40
- Mahi-mahi39
- Cobia37
- Southern flounder36
- Sheepshead34
- Spotted seatrout34
Best score today · 9 AM · Sailfish
- Now
- 417 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Seahorse Reef 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
13Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
58Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Sailfish
Species seasonality
68Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Sailfish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day (1 billfish combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 63 in, lower jaw fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Report landed billfish to NOAA within 24 hours. A federal HMS Angling Permit is needed in federal waters, not in state waters. Sailfish you plan to release may not be removed from the water in federal waters, or in state waters if you hold an HMS permit. 1 billfish per person per day. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Billfish, Tuna, and Swordfish, 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))
- 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 Sailfish is best here
Shoulder season for Sailfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Seahorse Reef
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSailfish
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 Seahorse Reef
Seahorse Reef is a bar in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for gag grouper, red snapper, Florida pompano and gray triggerfish. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Sailfish
- Sailfish feed along reef edges and color changes, usually in 80 to 240 feet off Southeast Florida and farther out along the Gulf and Carolina shelf edge. Fly live goggle-eyes, pilchards or threadfins from kites, or slow-troll live ballyhoo, on non-offset circle hooks. In winter the best bite often comes the day or two after a cold front, when north wind stacks bait along the edge.
- 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.
- 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
- Main Ship Channel58
Channel · 4.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Red drum 55
- Gray snapper 54
8 kt NEH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ftL 7:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Deadmans Channel58
Channel · 5.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Red drum 55
- Gray snapper 54
8 kt NEH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ftL 7:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- West Bank55
Bar · 3.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 55
- Atlantic croaker 54
- Gag grouper 52
8 kt NEH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ftL 7:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- East Bank55
Bar · 4.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 55
- Atlantic croaker 54
- Gag grouper 52
8 kt NEH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ftL 7:00 AM · 1.4 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.