UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
CobiaRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker68
- Gray snapper68
- Common snook67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Red drum65
- Permit63
- Southern flounder60
- Crevalle jack59
- Black drum58
- Gag grouper55
- Spanish mackerel54
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Greater amberjack52
- Red snapper52
- King mackerel51
- Spotted seatrout50
- Cobia48
- Florida pompano40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Cobia
- Now
- 482 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 1 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 today
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, gray snapper and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and crevalle jack. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- 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
- Pine Key Cutoff69
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Gray snapper 68
1 kt EL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ft
- Pass-a-Grille Channel68
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Common snook 68
- Gray snapper 68
1 kt EL 5:34 PM · 0.4 ftH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ft
- Middle Ground62
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 62
- Common snook 61
- Red drum 60
1 kt EL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ft
- Cat Point Bank62
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 62
- Common snook 61
- Gag grouper 61
1 kt EL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:57 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.