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Florida pompanoRetention openBar · Florida
Suwannee Reef
29.27°N · 83.18°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all72
- Florida pompano72
- Red drum69
- King mackerel67
- Spanish mackerel67
- Spotted seatrout66
- Black drum64
- Gray triggerfish61
- Red grouper61
- Red snapper61
- Gray snapper57
- Sheepshead57
- Wahoo52
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Permit35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 722 PM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Suwannee 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
56Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 8 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.3 ftSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Florida pompano
Retention open- Daily limit
- 6 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 11 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, and beach or haul seine only. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round in state and federal waters.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, 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
- Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (5 per day)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Florida pompano is best here
Peak season for Florida pompano · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Suwannee Reef
- Depth
- 5-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · Semi-exposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonFlorida pompano
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 Suwannee Reef
Suwannee Reef is a bar in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, red drum and king mackerel. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, red drum, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black drum, gray triggerfish and red grouper. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. King mackerel peak in May and in October.
Tackle & technique
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Ranch Bar Gap72
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Spanish mackerel 67
- Spotted seatrout 67
8 kt ESEH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:59 AM · 1.8 ft
- Halfmoon Reef72
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Red drum 69
- Spotted seatrout 68
8 kt ESEH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:59 AM · 1.8 ft
- Wadley Pass72
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Spanish mackerel 71
- Spotted seatrout 67
8 kt ESEH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:59 AM · 1.8 ft
- White Shell Bar Gap72
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 72
- Spanish mackerel 67
- Red drum 65
8 kt ESEH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ftL 12:59 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.