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Red snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker66
- Gray snapper65
- Common snook63
- Red drum62
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Permit58
- Crevalle jack57
- Spanish mackerel56
- Black drum55
- Gag grouper55
- Southern flounder55
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Cobia48
- Greater amberjack48
- King mackerel46
- Spotted seatrout37
- Florida pompano36
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 533 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East Bay 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 1 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
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
East Bay
- Depth
- 30-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- 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 East Bay
East Bay is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 30-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, crevalle jack and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sparkman Channel69
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Common snook 67
- Gray snapper 66
1 kt EL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:33 AM · 2.5 ft
- McKay Bay66
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Common snook 66
- Gray snapper 65
1 kt EL 7:10 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:33 AM · 2.5 ft
- Pendola Point66
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 66
- Gag grouper 64
- Common snook 62
1 kt EL 7:09 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:13 AM · 2.2 ft
- Black Point62
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 62
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Gray snapper 60
1 kt EL 7:08 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:32 AM · 2.4 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.