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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum77
- Spanish mackerel75
- Spotted seatrout73
- Common snook70
- King mackerel68
- Gray snapper65
- Black drum62
- Florida pompano62
- Gray triggerfish61
- Red grouper61
- Sheepshead61
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 359 AM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Long Bayou 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
Friday, Nov 13 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
37Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable 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
Long Bayou
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Long Bayou
Long Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for red drum, Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, gray snapper and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cross Bayou79
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 79
- Spotted seatrout 75
- Spanish mackerel 74
6 kt EL 1:19 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:12 PM · 1.9 ft
- Turtlecrawl Point75
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 75
- Common snook 70
- Red drum 70
6 kt EL 1:00 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:30 PM · 1.7 ft
- Boca Ciega Bay75
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 75
- Common snook 71
- Red drum 70
6 kt EL 2:20 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:26 PM · 1.6 ft
- Devils Elbow72
Channel · 2.7 mi
Top: Common snookShoulder season- Common snook 72
- Red drum 71
- Spanish mackerel 71
6 kt EL 2:20 PM · 0.3 ftH 9:26 PM · 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.