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Florida pompanoRetention openBar · Florida
Withlacoochee Reefs
29.02°N · 82.79°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum66
- Atlantic croaker63
- Southern flounder58
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Gray snapper57
- Black drum54
- Permit52
- Spanish mackerel52
- Spotted seatrout50
- Crevalle jack49
- Gag grouper49
- Red snapper49
- Gray triggerfish45
- King mackerel45
- Red grouper45
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Florida pompano44
- Cobia42
- Greater amberjack40
- Sailfish39
- Mahi-mahi35
- Sheepshead35
- Wahoo35
Best score today · 6 PM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 445 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Withlacoochee Reefs 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
20Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 3 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
39Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
79Season: ShoulderHabitat: 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 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 Florida pompano is best here
Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Withlacoochee Reefs
- Depth
- About 5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · Semi-exposedBar · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Withlacoochee Reefs
Withlacoochee Reefs is a bar in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is about 5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and southern flounder. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, Atlantic tarpon, black drum and permit. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Southern flounder peak from October through November.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Bushstake Gap66
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Gray snapper 63
- Red drum 63
3 kt NNEL 7:03 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ft
- Grassy Creek66
Gut · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Red drum 66
- Gray snapper 62
3 kt NNEL 7:03 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ft
- Lows Bay66
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 62
- Gray snapper 57
3 kt NNEL 7:03 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:15 PM · 3.5 ft
- Withlacoochee Bay63
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 63
- Red drum 63
- Gray snapper 57
3 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.