UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook65
- Gag grouper64
- Atlantic croaker63
- Red grouper62
- Red snapper62
- Gray snapper61
- Gray triggerfish61
- Red drum61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Black drum59
- Florida pompano57
- Spanish mackerel57
- King mackerel55
- Greater amberjack54
- Southern flounder54
- Permit53
- Crevalle jack52
- Spotted seatrout48
- Cobia46
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 609 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cat Point Bank 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
79Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 89°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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 today
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
Cat Point Bank
- Depth
- 3-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bank · Inner · Semi-exposedBank · 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 Cat Point Bank
Cat Point Bank is a bar in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 3-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bank, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, gag grouper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for gag grouper, red grouper, red snapper and gray triggerfish. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gag grouper peak from October through December. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- Gag grouper
- Gag hold on ledges, rock piles and wrecks, from 15 to 40 feet in the fall on Florida's Gulf coast out to 250 feet the rest of the year. Troll deep-diving plugs to find productive rocks, then anchor and drop or freeline live pinfish or pigfish on a strong circle hook. Keep the drag tight and turn the fish in the first few seconds or it will reach the rocks.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Maximo Channel74
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
6 kt ENEH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ftL 4:14 AM · 1.4 ft
- Main Channel71
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Common snook 70
- Atlantic tarpon 68
6 kt ENEH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ftL 4:14 AM · 1.4 ft
- Cats Point67
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 67
- Gray snapper 64
- Red drum 64
6 kt ENEH 12:20 AM · 1.9 ftL 5:20 AM · 1.4 ft
- Middle Ground65
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 65
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Gray snapper 61
6 kt ENEH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ftL 4:14 AM · 1.4 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.