Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerRetention open

Channel · Florida

West Pass

29.16°N · 82.86°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM

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Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
711 AM EDT
Best window
8 AM-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High3.2 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Mon · 79

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score71Great
Tide3.2 ftHigh
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward S
Wind2 kn Egusts 5 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherClear6% cloud
Water88°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Atlantic croaker

Retention open
Daily limit
Not published
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
100 pounds per person per day. No minimum size. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Florida →

Spot profile

West Pass

Depth
Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Pass · Outer · Semi-exposedPass · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic croaker

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 West Pass

West Pass is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, southern flounder and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • East Pass

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 56
    • Florida pompano 54

    2 kt EL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft

  • Kelly Creek Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Florida pompano 56
    • Atlantic tarpon 55

    4 kt EL 6:08 AM · 1.8 ftH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ft

  • Compass Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Florida pompano 54
    • Atlantic tarpon 53

    2 kt EL 7:03 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Waccasassa Bay

    Bay · 2.1 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Florida pompano 54
    • Atlantic tarpon 53

    2 kt EL 7:03 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ft

Open in the tide map

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.