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CobiaRetention openChannel · Florida
Bay Channel
30.36°N · 87.23°W · Channel · Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 471 AM CDT
- Best window
- 1 AM-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bay Channel 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 · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
35Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Cobia
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 36 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
- 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 (3 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 Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bay Channel
- Depth
- 30-35 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
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 Bay Channel
Bay Channel is a channel in Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound, Florida. Depth is 30-35 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, permit and crevalle jack. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- 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.
- 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
- West Channel75
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 75
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Red drum 73
4 kt NEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 ft
- East Channel75
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 75
- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Red drum 73
4 kt NEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 ft
- Old Navy Cove74
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 74
- Red drum 72
- Atlantic tarpon 70
4 kt NEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 ft
- Fair Point70
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 70
- Red drum 68
- Atlantic tarpon 66
4 kt NEH 9:17 AM · 1.6 ftL 7:18 PM · 0.6 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.