Waterlands

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Red snapperRetention open

Cape · Florida

Sulphur Point

30.19°N · 85.74°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 6 AM · Red snapper

67/100Great
Now
5712 AM CDT
Best window
12 AM-5 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding1.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 30 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score60Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward ESE
Wind5 kn ESEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast98% cloud
Water85°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Red snapper(private recreational)

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day (10 snapper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 16 in, total length
Season
Sep 1 to Oct 4, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Oct 5
Other
Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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))
  • 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 Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in Florida

Spot profile

Sulphur Point

Depth
7-40 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonRed snapper

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 Sulphur Point

Sulphur Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 7-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Red snapper
Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
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 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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Posten Bayou

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    3 kt NNEH 7:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Pretty Bayou

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Gray snapper 66

    3 kt NNEH 7:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Dyers Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    66
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 66
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Red drum 64

    3 kt NNEH 7:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

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

    3 kt NNEH 7:55 AM · 1.7 ftL 5:16 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.