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Crevalle jackRetention openChannel · Florida
South Bar Channel
29.13°N · 83.00°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum70
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Crevalle jack64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Black drum62
- Gag grouper61
- Permit60
- King mackerel59
- Southern flounder58
- Gray triggerfish57
- Red grouper57
- Red snapper57
- Spotted seatrout56
- Cobia53
- Florida pompano53
- Greater amberjack52
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi41
- Sailfish40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Crevalle jack
- Now
- 645 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Bar 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
84Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Crevalle jack
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Crevalle jack
Retention open- Daily limit
- Not published
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Two fish or 100 pounds per person per day, whichever is more. Crevalle jack is an unregulated species with this default limit. Hook and line, spears, gigs, haul seines and cast nets.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: "Unregulated" Species, 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)
- 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)
- 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 Crevalle jack is best here
Shoulder season for Crevalle jack · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
South Bar Channel
- Depth
- About 9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCrevalle jack
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 South Bar Channel
South Bar Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is about 9 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, crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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
- Big Stake Gap74
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 71
- Red drum 70
7 kt ENEL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ft
- Corrigan Reef73
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 73
- Red drum 73
7 kt ENEL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ft
- Cedar Point73
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Gray snapper 65
7 kt ENEL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ft
- Number Three Channel73
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 73
- Gray snapper 70
7 kt ENEL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:21 AM · 3.4 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.