Waterlands

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Black drumRetention open

Channel · Florida

White Shell Bar Gap

29.24°N · 83.15°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Black drum

75/100Great
Now
562 AM EDT
Best window
8 AM-3 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.7 ft ▼

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sun · 79

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score56Good
Tide2.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water88°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Black drum

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Slot 14 to 24 in, total length. One fish over 24 inches allowed, counted in the bag limit.
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Black Drum, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open
  • 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 Black drum is best here

Shoulder season for Black drum · 18 more weeks at shoulder

Black drum season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black drum · 18 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black drum in Florida →

Spot profile

White Shell Bar Gap

Depth
6-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack drum

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 White Shell Bar Gap

White Shell Bar Gap is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 6-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Black drum
Black drum root along the bottom around oyster reefs, bridge and pier pilings, channel edges and shallow mud flats. TPWD notes they rarely take artificials, so fish peeled shrimp, crab, clams or sand fleas on a bottom rig and let the fish load the rod before setting the hook. Big spawning schools gather near passes and bay mouths in late winter and spring, and in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay the large fish show up on the shoals from April into June.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Ranch Bar Gap

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Atlantic tarpon 63
    • Red drum 61

    4 kt ENEL 6:26 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ft

  • Suwannee Reef

    Bar · 2.7 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Red drum 63
    • Gray snapper 62

    4 kt ENEL 6:26 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ft

  • Suwannee Sound

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Red drum 61
    • Atlantic tarpon 61

    4 kt ENEL 6:26 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ft

  • White Shell Bar

    Bar · 2.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 63
    • Red drum 62

    4 kt ENEL 6:12 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:05 PM · 3.9 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.