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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all50
- Atlantic croaker50
- Common snook50
- Gray snapper50
- Red drum49
- Gag grouper43
- Crevalle jack42
- Gray triggerfish41
- Red grouper41
- Red snapper41
- Black drum39
- Florida pompano39
- Spanish mackerel39
- Atlantic tarpon38
- Permit38
- Greater amberjack36
- King mackerel35
- Southern flounder33
- Cobia32
- Spotted seatrout30
- Sheepshead27
Best score today · 8 AM · Common snook
- Now
- 503 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMDusk
- Tide now
- Low0.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Howard 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, Sep 21 · 8 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
94Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 2 kt SEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Common snook
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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
Howard Point
- Depth
- 4-10 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Howard Point
Howard Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 4-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for gag grouper, crevalle jack, gray triggerfish and red grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Clearwater Pass62
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 62
- Atlantic croaker 60
- Red drum 58
7 kt NEH 4:47 AM · 2.7 ftL 1:59 PM · 0.8 ft
- Point Pleasant50
Cape · 0.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 50
- Common snook 50
- Gray snapper 50
7 kt NEH 5:15 AM · 2.5 ftL 2:49 PM · 0.6 ft
- Shell Point48
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 48
- Gray snapper 47
- Red drum 47
7 kt NEH 6:06 AM · 2.5 ftL 3:31 PM · 0.6 ft
- McKay Point48
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 48
- Gray snapper 47
- Red drum 47
7 kt NEH 6:06 AM · 2.5 ftL 3:31 PM · 0.6 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.