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Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 597 PM CDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bunkers Cove 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
38Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 2 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
90Water temp: 86°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Tarpon
Catch & release- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water. Special gear rules apply year-round in Boca Grande Pass. Hook and line only. No snagging, snatch hooking, spearing, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Applies in state and federal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Tarpon, 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 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)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic tarpon is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bunkers Cove
- Depth
- 10-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonAtlantic tarpon
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 Bunkers Cove
Bunkers Cove is a bay in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth is 10-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for red drum, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, permit and southern flounder. Red drum peak from September through November. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Lake Van Vac65
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 65
- Gray snapper 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
2 kt SH 8:29 AM · 1.6 ftL 5:27 PM · 0.6 ft
- Massalina Bayou64
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 64
- Atlantic croaker 59
- Southern flounder 57
2 kt SH 8:29 AM · 1.6 ftL 5:27 PM · 0.6 ft
- Town Point60
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 60
- Gray snapper 58
- Atlantic tarpon 58
2 kt SH 8:29 AM · 1.6 ftL 5:27 PM · 0.6 ft
- Bunkers Point57
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 57
- Gray snapper 55
- Atlantic tarpon 55
2 kt SH 8:29 AM · 1.6 ftL 5:27 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.