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PermitRetention openBay · Florida
Northkey Harbor
24.68°N · 82.81°W · Bay · Gulf of America including Dry Tortugas and Rebecca Shoal Channel
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 PM · Permit
- Now
- 637 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Northkey Harbor 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
97Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
74Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Permit
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)
Permit
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 22 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Apr 1
- Other
- Hook and line only in state waters. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed April 1 through July 31 each year inside the Special Permit Zone.
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
- 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Check regulations
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish 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 Catch & release (No retention)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Permit is best here
Shoulder season for Permit · 22 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Northkey Harbor
- Depth
- 30-35 ft
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Shoulder seasonPermit
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Northkey Harbor
Northkey Harbor is a bay in Gulf of America including Dry Tortugas and Rebecca Shoal Channel, Florida. Depth is 30-35 ft. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, common snook and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack and common snook, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gray snapper, permit and red drum. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June.
Tackle & technique
- Permit
- Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Southeast Channel78
Channel · 4.8 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season- Atlantic tarpon 78
- Crevalle jack 76
- Common snook 72
3 kt NH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ftL 2:56 AM · 1.1 ft
- Pulaski Shoal71
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 64
3 kt NNEH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ftL 2:56 AM · 1.1 ft
- Sawa Rock71
Bar · 4.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 71
- Permit 70
- Atlantic tarpon 70
3 kt NNEH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ftL 2:56 AM · 1.1 ft
- Bush Key Shoal71
Bar · 5.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 71
- Crevalle jack 71
- Atlantic tarpon 70
3 kt NNEH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ftL 2:56 AM · 1.1 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.