Waterlands

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Red snapperRetention open

Cape · Florida

Long Bar Point

27.43°N · 82.62°W · Cape · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 8 PM · Red snapper

80/100Great
Now
523 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score52Good
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward W
Wind1 kn NNEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp85°Hot
WeatherPartly cloudy77% chance of rain
Water88°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in Florida

Spot profile

Long Bar Point

Depth
1-2 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Long Bar Point

Long Bar Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, permit and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for red drum, gray snapper, common snook and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for permit, Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Permit peak from April through June. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.

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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Buttonwood Harbor

    Bay · 3.2 mi

    68
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 68
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Common snook 66

    1 kt NNEL 4:55 PM · 0.6 ftH 12:03 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Sarasota Bay

    Bay · 2.8 mi

    66
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 66
    • Red drum 66
    • Atlantic croaker 65

    1 kt NNEL 4:55 PM · 0.6 ftH 12:03 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Millar Bay

    Bay · 2.9 mi

    66
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 66
    • Red drum 66
    • Common snook 65

    1 kt NNEL 5:01 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:44 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Cow Point

    Cape · 3.0 mi

    61
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 61
    • Gray snapper 61
    • Red drum 61

    1 kt NNEL 5:01 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:44 PM · 1.8 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.