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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano71
- Spotted seatrout70
- Common snook68
- Red drum66
- Spanish mackerel65
- Black drum62
- King mackerel56
- Gray snapper54
- Sheepshead51
- Gray triggerfish45
- Red grouper45
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 355 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hunter Pass 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
Wednesday, Nov 4 · 9 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 4 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
55Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Prime structureDepth: 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 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)
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- 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)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Out of season for Atlantic croaker · shoulder season starts in 22 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hunter Pass
- Depth
- Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Pass · Inner · Semi-exposedPass · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Hunter Pass
Hunter Pass is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads pass, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, spotted seatrout and common snook. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, spotted seatrout, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, king mackerel and gray snapper. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Little Cockroach Rock Pass72
Channel · 3.1 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 72
- Florida pompano 71
- Red drum 70
6 kt ENEH 6:59 AM · 2.0 ftL 3:21 PM · 0.2 ft
- Double Bayou Pass70
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 70
- Spotted seatrout 69
- Red drum 68
6 kt ENEH 6:35 AM · 2.5 ftL 2:52 PM · 0.3 ft
- Mangrove Point65
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 65
- Spotted seatrout 63
- Red drum 61
6 kt ENEH 6:35 AM · 2.5 ftL 2:52 PM · 0.3 ft
- Sand Point65
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 65
- Spotted seatrout 64
- Red drum 62
6 kt ENEH 6:59 AM · 2.0 ftL 3:21 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.