Waterlands

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Florida pompanoRetention open

Cape · Florida

Lands End

30.08°N · 85.65°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 6 AM · Florida pompano

74/100Great
Now
431 PM CDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score43Fair
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward WSW
Wind3 kn ENEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 5 s
Air temp88°Hot
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Florida pompano

Retention open
Daily limit
6 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 11 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, and beach or haul seine only. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round in state and federal waters.

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
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Florida pompano is best here

Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder

Florida pompano season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Florida pompano in Florida

Spot profile

Lands End

Depth
1-20 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonFlorida pompano

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 Lands End

Lands End is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth is 1-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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 permit, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and gag grouper. Red drum peak from September through November. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
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

  • Fred Bayou

    Bay · 3.7 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Gray snapper 68

    3 kt ENEL 4:51 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:00 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Smack Bayou

    Bay · 3.6 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Gray snapper 61

    5 kt NEL 2:54 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:59 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Military Point

    Cape · 3.5 mi

    69
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 69
    • Gray snapper 68
    • Atlantic croaker 66

    5 kt NEL 4:51 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:00 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Palmetto Point

    Cape · 3.0 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Gray snapper 63
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    3 kt ENEL 2:54 PM · 0.4 ftH 2:59 AM · 1.8 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.