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Gray snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook58
- Atlantic tarpon55
- Summer flounder54
- Atlantic croaker52
- Southern flounder52
- Spot52
- Spotted seatrout51
- Gray snapper50
- Red drum50
- Crevalle jack48
- Florida pompano48
- King mackerel48
- Black drum47
- Weakfish47
- Little tunny46
- Spanish mackerel43
- Black sea bass41
- Red snapper40
- Sheepshead39
- Gag grouper38
- Gray triggerfish37
- Red grouper37
- Cobia36
- Greater amberjack36
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 6 PM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 503 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3 AM-12 AMOvercast
Data from: ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when North Lake Shoal 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 · 3 AM · now
- —
Tide & current
Wind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
50Light: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gray snapper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 10 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
- Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
- Crevalle jack Retention open
- Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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 Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
North Lake Shoal
- Depth
- 3-7 ft
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposed
- Season
- Peak seasonGray snapper
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 North Lake Shoal
North Lake Shoal is a bar in Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Depth is 3-7 ft. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and summer flounder. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic tarpon, summer flounder and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, weakfish and little tunny. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Summer flounder peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Whiddens Pass66
Channel · 15 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 66
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Atlantic croaker 61
5 kt SSE
- Brice Fine Pass66
Channel · 15 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 66
- Crevalle jack 57
- Atlantic tarpon 56
5 kt SSE
- Cochrans Pass64
Channel · 17 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 64
- Crevalle jack 55
- Atlantic tarpon 55
5 kt SSE
- Observation Shoal58
Bar · 16 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 58
- Crevalle jack 48
- Atlantic tarpon 47
5 kt SSE
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.