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Red snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum69
- Permit65
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Common snook62
- Southern flounder62
- Atlantic croaker61
- Gray snapper61
- Gag grouper57
- Black drum56
- Crevalle jack53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Spanish mackerel53
- Spotted seatrout52
- Greater amberjack50
- King mackerel50
- Cobia47
- Florida pompano40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 6 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 534 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cabbage Patch Point 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
79Wind: 1 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cabbage Patch Point
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- 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 Cabbage Patch Point
Cabbage Patch Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, permit and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for red drum, common snook, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for permit, Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder and gag grouper. Red drum peak from September through November. Permit peak from April through June. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- Permit
- Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Big Island Gap69
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Common snook 66
- Red drum 66
2 kt WNWL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:53 AM · 2.4 ft
- South Gandy Channel68
Channel · 4.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Common snook 65
- Gray snapper 64
0 kt NL 7:43 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:16 AM · 2.2 ft
- Cedar Point66
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Permit 62
- Atlantic tarpon 61
2 kt WNWL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:53 AM · 2.4 ft
- Old Tampa Bay65
Bay · 2.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Gray snapper 62
0 kt NWL 8:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:51 AM · 2.2 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.