UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Yellowfin tunaShoulder seasonChannel · Florida
West Pass
29.16°N · 82.86°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Gray snapper64
- Red drum64
- Spanish mackerel62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Crevalle jack59
- Florida pompano58
- Southern flounder58
- Black drum57
- Permit53
- Gag grouper52
- King mackerel52
- Cobia50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Gray triggerfish48
- Red grouper48
- Red snapper48
- Yellowfin tuna48
- Sailfish47
- Greater amberjack43
- Wahoo43
- Mahi-mahi41
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Yellowfin tuna
- Now
- 487 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-3 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West Pass 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
56Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 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 yesterday
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
West Pass
- Depth
- Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Outer · Semi-exposedPass · 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 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, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and Florida pompano. 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
- East Pass66
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Gray snapper 64
- Red drum 64
5 kt NNEH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ft
- Kelly Creek Point64
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Atlantic tarpon 59
5 kt NEH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ft
- Compass Point58
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Red drum 58
- Gray snapper 53
5 kt NNEL 7:03 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ft
- Waccasassa Bay58
Bay · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 58
- Red drum 58
- Gray snapper 53
5 kt NNEL 7:03 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:15 PM · 3.5 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.