Species guide · Florida

Permit fishing in Florida

Trachinotus falcatus, an inshore species also called palometa and big pompano. Listed for the South Florida and the Keys and Eastern Gulf regions. Shoulder season, about 23 more weeks.

Right now it scores best in St. Andrews Bay Waterways at 63, one of 26 Florida bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.

Season now

Shoulder season

Where it's scoring now All Florida waters

Season by month

From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.

South Florida and the Keys

Shoulder season, about 23 more weeks

Jan: Shoulder season
Feb: Shoulder season
Mar: Peak season
Apr: Peak season
May: Peak season
Jun: Peak season
Jul: Shoulder season
Aug: Shoulder season
Sep: Shoulder season
Oct: Shoulder season
Nov: Shoulder season
Dec: Shoulder season

Peak: Mar to Jun. In season (shoulder or peak): all year.

Research notes, South Florida and the Keys region

FWC finds March through June the most productive recreational months, peaking in April with spawning on Keys reefs and wrecks in 33 to 100 feet. Flats fishing in the Keys and Biscayne Bay stays good through fall. Inside the Special Permit Zone (south of Cape Florida and Cape Sable) harvest is closed April through July; catch and release is allowed.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Eastern Gulf

Shoulder season, about 2 more weeks

Jan: Off season
Feb: Off season
Mar: Shoulder season
Apr: Peak season
May: Peak season
Jun: Peak season
Jul: Shoulder season
Aug: Shoulder season
Sep: Shoulder season
Oct: Off season
Nov: Off season
Dec: Off season

Peak: Apr to Jun. In season (shoulder or peak): Mar to Sep.

Research notes, Eastern Gulf region

FWC reports most recreational permit landings come from the Gulf coast, mainly schools on artificial reefs and wrecks off southwest Florida and Tampa Bay in spring and summer, plus Boca Grande Pass. Flats permit are uncommon north of Cape Romano.

Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.

Where it's scoring now · 26

Florida bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's permit score this hour.

63Good

St. Andrews Bay Waterways

Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (63) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (71) · 79 named spots

62Good

Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM

Best window today 8-10 PM (62) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 9 AM (71) · 81 named spots

62Good

Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound

Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 8 AM (70) · 46 named spots

61Good

Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (71) · 131 named spots

60Good

Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm

Best window today 8-11 PM (60) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 9 AM (69) · 49 named spots

60Good

Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM

Best window today 8-10 PM (60) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 8 AM (67) · 24 named spots

58Good

Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge

Best window today 8-11 PM (58) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 12 PM (72) · 199 named spots

58Good

Coastal waters from Jupiter Inlet to Deerfield Beach FL out 20 NM

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (59) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 2 PM (72) · 6 named spots

57Good

Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 12 PM (72) · 126 named spots

57Good

Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM

Best window today 8-11 PM (58) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 8 AM (70) · 20 named spots

57Good

Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay

Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (62) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 6 AM (69) · 13 named spots

57Good

Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 1 PM (74) · 109 named spots

57Good

Western Choctawhatchee Bay

Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 7 AM (68) · 23 named spots

54Good

Biscayne Bay

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (55) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 12 PM (74) · 82 named spots

53Good

Lake Okeechobee

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (53) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (56) · 11 named spots

52Good

Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm

Best window today 8-10 PM (52) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 12 PM (67) · 39 named spots

51Good

Tampa Bay waters

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (55) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 AM (70) · 195 named spots

30Fair

Anegada Passage east of Virgin Gorda and Saint Croix south to 17N

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (54)

30Fair

Caribbean Waters of Puerto Rico from 10 NM to 17N, including the Coastal Waters of Saint Croix

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 6 AM (57)

30Fair

Coastal Waters from Cabo San Juan to the waters between Anegada Island and Virgin Gorda and North 10 NM

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 2 PM (58)

30Fair

Gulf of America including Dry Tortugas and Rebecca Shoal Channel

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Sun, Sep 20 at 9 AM (70) · 16 named spots

30Fair

Mona Passage Southward to 17N

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 3 PM (62)

30Fair

Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile Bridge out 20 NM

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 8 AM (65)

30Fair

Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 NM

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 12 PM (64)

27Fair

Atlantic Waters of Puerto Rico AND USVI from 10 NM to 19.5N

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Mon, Sep 28 at 2 PM (62)

25Fair

Coastal Waters east of Puerto Rico, around Vieques, and around and just north of Culebra and Saint John

Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 6 AM (56)

How and where it feeds

Water temperature: Feeds from 70°F to 92°F, best between 75°F and 85°F.
Water depth: 1 to 120 ft of water.
Structure: Flat, wreck, reef, channel and grass, in that order of preference.
Tide and current: Prefers incoming tide and outgoing tide, with moderate current.On flats, permit tail along edges and channel banks on a moving tide, often the flood. On wrecks and reefs they school up current of the structure, so moderate current that keeps a crab drifting past them works best.
Light: Little tied to dawn and dusk.
Pressure: Prefers steady pressure.
Wind and sea limits: 15 kt of wind and 2 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.

Tackle and technique

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.

Methods: sight casting, fly fishing, wreck fishing, live bait drifting
Lures: crab fly (Merkin, Raghead), bucktail jig, artificial crab
Bait: live blue crab, pass crab, shrimp, sand flea

Regulations

FWC saltwater regulations Buy a Florida fishing license License types

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Synced with FWC Sep 16, 2026.

No reviewed permit rule for Florida is on file yet. Check with FWC before you keep one.

Season by month

South Florida and the Keys

Eastern Gulf

Where it's scoring now · 26

How and where it feeds

Tackle and technique

Regulations

Other Florida species