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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all70
- Atlantic croaker70
- Common snook70
- Gray snapper68
- Red drum67
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Crevalle jack60
- Permit60
- Spanish mackerel58
- Black drum57
- Gag grouper57
- Southern flounder56
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Cobia52
- Spotted seatrout51
- Greater amberjack49
- King mackerel49
- Florida pompano43
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 7012 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Lemon 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
93Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In 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 Check regulations
- 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
Lemon Bay
- Depth
- 2-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Lemon Bay
Lemon Bay is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, 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 Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack, permit and Spanish mackerel. 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
- Deer Creek73
Bend · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Common snook 71
- Red drum 70
6 kt ENEL 2:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 6:43 AM · 1.6 ft
- Redfish Cove70
Bay · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 70
- Gray snapper 68
6 kt ENEL 2:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 6:43 AM · 1.6 ft
- Point of Pines68
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 68
- Common snook 67
- Red drum 67
6 kt ENEL 2:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 6:43 AM · 1.6 ft
- Cedar Point68
Cape · 3.4 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 68
- Common snook 67
- Red drum 67
6 kt ENEL 2:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 6:43 AM · 1.6 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.