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Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseBar · 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 all
- Spanish mackerel75
- King mackerel74
- Red drum74
- Spotted seatrout71
- Black drum70
- Gray triggerfish69
- Red grouper69
- Red snapper69
- Florida pompano68
- Gray snapper66
- Sheepshead66
- Wahoo53
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Mahi-mahi35
- Permit35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 3511 AM EST
- Best window
- 3-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.9 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
Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
79Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 7 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
95Water temp: 74°F, coolLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
37Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Tarpon
Catch & release- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water. Special gear rules apply year-round in Boca Grande Pass. Hook and line only. No snagging, snatch hooking, spearing, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Applies in state and federal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Tarpon, 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 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)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic tarpon is best here
Out of season for Atlantic tarpon · shoulder season starts in 22 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Suwannee Reef
- Depth
- 5-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · Semi-exposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Off seasonAtlantic tarpon
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 Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, red drum, spotted seatrout and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black drum, gray triggerfish and red grouper. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and in October. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Wadley Pass78
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 78
- Red drum 72
- Spotted seatrout 72
9 kt EL 1:10 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ft
- White Shell Bar Gap76
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 76
- King mackerel 72
- Red drum 72
9 kt EL 1:10 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ft
- Ranch Bar Gap75
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 75
- Red drum 72
- Spotted seatrout 72
9 kt EL 1:10 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:50 PM · 2.4 ft
- Halfmoon Reef74
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Spanish mackerel 74
- King mackerel 73
9 kt EL 1:10 PM · 0.3 ftH 7:50 PM · 2.4 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.