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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum69
- Permit67
- Atlantic croaker66
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Southern flounder64
- Gray snapper63
- Common snook62
- Crevalle jack60
- Black drum56
- Gag grouper56
- Cobia53
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Spanish mackerel53
- Greater amberjack51
- Spotted seatrout51
- King mackerel50
- Florida pompano42
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 661 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cross Bayou 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 2 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
83Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Atlantic croaker
Retention open- Daily limit
- Not published
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 100 pounds per person per day. No minimum size. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spot and Atlantic croaker, read Sep 13
Other species here
- 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)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cross Bayou
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Cross Bayou
Cross Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, permit and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and common snook, and shoulder season for permit, Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Permit peak from April through June. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Devils Elbow70
Channel · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 65
- Gray snapper 65
2 kt EL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:34 AM · 1.8 ft
- Long Bayou68
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Southern flounder 64
2 kt EL 5:00 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:38 PM · 1.9 ft
- Boca Ciega Bay66
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Common snook 64
- Gray snapper 64
2 kt EL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:34 AM · 1.8 ft
- Turtlecrawl Point63
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 63
- Common snook 62
- Atlantic croaker 61
2 kt EL 5:00 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:38 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.