Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

PermitRetention open

Cape · Florida

Hooker Point

27.52°N · 82.60°W · Cape · Tampa Bay waters

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Permit

73/100Great
Now
356 PM EST
Best window
6-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.0 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Hooker Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 6 · 9 PM

Time9P
Score35Fair
Tide2.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NE
Wind4 kn NNWgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water78°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Permit

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Slot 11 to 22 in, fork length. One fish over 22 inches allowed per person, counted in the bag limit.
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
No more than 2 permit over 22 inches per vessel. Hook and line only in state waters. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Outside the Special Permit Zone. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, 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 snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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)
  • 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 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Permit is best here

Out of season for Permit · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks

Permit season by week of the year. Out of season for Permit · shoulder season starts in 17 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Permit in Florida →

Spot profile

Hooker Point

Depth
3-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Off seasonPermit

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 Hooker Point

Hooker Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, Florida pompano and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, Florida pompano, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Snead Island Cutoff

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    77
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 77
    • Red drum 75
    • Common snook 72

    11 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Champlain Bayou

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    77
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 77
    • Spotted seatrout 76
    • Florida pompano 70

    11 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Clambar Bayou

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    77
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 77
    • Spotted seatrout 76
    • Florida pompano 70

    11 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Bishop Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    70
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 70
    • Red drum 70
    • Spanish mackerel 70

    11 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 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.