Waterlands

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Atlantic tarponCatch & release

Cape · Florida

Saint Andrew Point

29.96°N · 85.47°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic tarpon

68/100Great
Now
592 PM CDT
Best window
2-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score59Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind2 kn SSEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 7 s
Air temp86°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy84% chance of rain
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic tarpon is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Atlantic tarpon in Florida

Spot profile

Saint Andrew Point

Depth
3-7 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Saint Andrew Point

Saint Andrew Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gag grouper, permit and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.

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.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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

  • Wild Goose Lagoon

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Permit 64

    2 kt SSEL 7:58 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:33 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Nesser Flat

    Bay · 4.4 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Gray snapper 67
    • Red drum 64

    2 kt SSEL 5:58 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:33 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Bell Shoal

    Bar · 3.7 mi

    64
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 64
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Red drum 61

    2 kt SSEL 5:03 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:50 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Strange Point

    Cape · 4.9 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Gray snapper 62
    • Red drum 60

    2 kt SSEL 7:58 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:33 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.