Waterlands

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Gray snapperRetention open

Channel · Florida

Big Miguel Pass

27.57°N · 82.61°W · Channel · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 6 PM · Gray snapper

82/100Great
Now
634 PM EST
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 10 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score63Good
Tide0.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind6 kn NNEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp57°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water77°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray snapper

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day (10 snapper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 10 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.

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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
  • 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Gray snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray snapper in Florida →

Spot profile

Big Miguel Pass

Depth
2-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Pass · Inner · Semi-exposedPass · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGray 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 Big Miguel Pass

Big Miguel Pass is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout, Florida pompano and red drum, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and gray snapper. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Critical Bayou

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    78
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 78
    • Spotted seatrout 78
    • Florida pompano 69

    8 kt EH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:26 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Custer Bayou

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Spotted seatrout 76
    • Florida pompano 67

    8 kt EH 10:07 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Miguel Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    74
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 74
    • Spotted seatrout 74
    • Florida pompano 73

    8 kt EH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:26 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Fletcher Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    70
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 70
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Red drum 69

    8 kt EH 9:17 PM · 1.7 ftL 1:26 AM · 1.3 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.