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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all76
- Atlantic croaker76
- Common snook64
- Gray snapper61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Red drum58
- Black drum51
- Permit51
- Florida pompano50
- Southern flounder48
- Crevalle jack46
- Red snapper43
- Gag grouper42
- Spotted seatrout42
- Spanish mackerel41
- Gray triggerfish40
- Red grouper40
- Greater amberjack35
- King mackerel35
- Cobia33
- Sheepshead33
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 765 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High2.6 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Alafia River Channel 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
98Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Atlantic croaker
Retention open- Daily limit
- Not published
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 100 pounds per person per day. No minimum size. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13
Other species here
- 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)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Alafia River Channel
- Depth
- 8-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Alafia River Channel
Alafia River Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 8-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, permit and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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
- South Channel76
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Common snook 64
- Gray snapper 61
6 kt NNEH 5:55 AM · 2.7 ftL 3:52 PM · 0.4 ft
- Big Bend Channel76
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Common snook 68
- Atlantic tarpon 63
6 kt NNEH 6:50 AM · 2.7 ftL 3:31 PM · 0.6 ft
- Hillsborough Channel76
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic tarpon 63
6 kt NNEL 3:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 6:14 AM · 2.8 ft
- The Kitchen72
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Red drum 60
- Common snook 58
6 kt NNEH 5:55 AM · 2.7 ftL 3:52 PM · 0.4 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.