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CobiaRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Common snook64
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Red drum58
- Gray snapper57
- Black drum52
- Southern flounder52
- Permit49
- Spotted seatrout47
- Florida pompano45
- Red snapper45
- Crevalle jack44
- Gag grouper44
- Spanish mackerel42
- Gray triggerfish41
- Red grouper41
- Greater amberjack37
- King mackerel37
- Sheepshead35
- Cobia32
Best score today · 8 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 321 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 AM-12 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Main Channel 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
Tuesday, Sep 29 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt SEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
35Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Cobia
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 36 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- 1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
- 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Main Channel
- Depth
- 3-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
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 Main Channel
Main Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 3-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, southern flounder and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Pass-a-Grille Channel72
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Common snook 64
- Atlantic tarpon 61
5 kt ESEL 4:55 AM · 1.2 ftH 10:55 AM · 2.2 ft
- Pine Key Cutoff67
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Common snook 64
- Red drum 62
5 kt ESEL 4:14 AM · 1.4 ftH 10:53 AM · 2.5 ft
- Middle Ground59
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Common snook 59
- Red drum 53
5 kt ESEL 4:14 AM · 1.4 ftH 10:53 AM · 2.5 ft
- Cat Point Bank59
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Common snook 59
- Red drum 53
5 kt ESEL 4:14 AM · 1.4 ftH 10:53 AM · 2.5 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.