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Yellowfin tunaShoulder seasonChannel · 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 croaker73
- Gray snapper69
- Red drum67
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Black drum62
- Crevalle jack61
- Permit61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Gag grouper58
- Southern flounder57
- King mackerel56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Cobia53
- Florida pompano53
- Greater amberjack51
- Spotted seatrout50
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Mahi-mahi40
- Sailfish40
- Wahoo38
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Yellowfin tuna
- Now
- 453 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.7 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Yellowfin tuna
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
No rule for Yellowfin tuna is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with FWC before you keep a fish.
Species rules 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)
- 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 Yellowfin tuna is best here
Shoulder season for Yellowfin tuna · 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 seasonYellowfin tuna
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, black drum, crevalle jack and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
- 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 Gap73
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 69
- Red drum 67
6 kt NEL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ft
- Corrigan Reef72
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Gray snapper 71
- Red drum 70
6 kt NEL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ft
- Number Three Channel72
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Red drum 70
- Gray snapper 69
6 kt NEL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ftH 1:21 AM · 3.4 ft
- Cedar Point70
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Gray snapper 64
6 kt NEL 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.