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SailfishRetention openCape · Florida
Sunset Point
29.16°N · 83.03°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum71
- Atlantic croaker69
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Permit65
- Gray snapper64
- Southern flounder63
- Crevalle jack61
- Florida pompano61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Black drum59
- Gag grouper59
- King mackerel58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Spotted seatrout55
- Cobia53
- Greater amberjack50
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Mahi-mahi43
- Wahoo43
- Sailfish40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 AM · Sailfish
- Now
- 408 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sunset Point 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
69Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
71Wind: 5 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Sailfish
Species seasonality
61Season: 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
Sunset Point
- Depth
- Under 1 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Outer · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Sunset Point
Sunset Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- South Bar Channel74
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Gray snapper 69
5 kt NEH 12:49 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ft
- Number Three Channel73
Channel · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
5 kt NEH 12:49 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ft
- Cedar Point71
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
5 kt NEH 12:49 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ft
- Daughtry Bayou70
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 69
5 kt NEH 12:49 AM · 3.2 ftL 6:08 AM · 1.8 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.