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Gray snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spanish mackerel74
- Spotted seatrout71
- Common snook70
- Red drum68
- Black drum66
- King mackerel63
- Florida pompano61
- Sheepshead61
- Gray snapper60
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 8 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 6012 PM EST
- Best window
- 4-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bunces Pass 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
75Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 1 kt SWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.2 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 3 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bunces Pass
- Depth
- 2-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · Semi-exposedPass · slope
- 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 Bunces Pass
Bunces Pass is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads pass, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout and common snook. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout, red drum and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, king mackerel and sheepshead. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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
- Mullet Key Bayou70
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Spotted seatrout 69
- Spanish mackerel 65
1 kt SWL 3:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:22 PM · 1.9 ft
- Pass-a-Grille South Channel70
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 70
- Common snook 67
- Red drum 67
1 kt SWL 3:42 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:50 PM · 1.9 ft
- South Channel70
Channel · 1.8 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 70
- Common snook 67
- Red drum 67
1 kt SWL 3:42 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:50 PM · 1.9 ft
- De Soto Point60
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 60
- Red drum 58
- Spotted seatrout 58
0 kt SSWL 3:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:22 PM · 1.9 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.