UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Common snook62
- Red drum61
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Gray snapper56
- Southern flounder54
- Black drum52
- Permit50
- Florida pompano46
- Spotted seatrout46
- Crevalle jack44
- Gag grouper43
- Red snapper42
- Spanish mackerel41
- Gray triggerfish39
- Red grouper39
- Greater amberjack35
- King mackerel35
- Sheepshead35
- Cobia31
Best score today · 11 AM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 584 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 AM-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Island Gap 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 4 kt ESEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 88°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.2 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
63Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Big Island Gap
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Big Island Gap
Big Island Gap is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, black drum and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- South Gandy Channel68
Channel · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Common snook 68
- Gray snapper 65
3 kt ESEL 7:03 AM · 1.4 ftH 1:03 PM · 2.8 ft
- Old Tampa Bay64
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Common snook 61
- Red drum 58
3 kt ESEL 7:22 AM · 1.8 ftH 1:28 PM · 2.8 ft
- Cabbage Patch Point62
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Red drum 62
- Common snook 57
4 kt ESEL 7:57 AM · 1.9 ftH 1:30 PM · 3.1 ft
- Cedar Point61
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 60
- Common snook 57
4 kt ESEL 7:57 AM · 1.9 ftH 1:30 PM · 3.1 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.