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Gray snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all72
- Gray snapper72
- Atlantic croaker71
- Common snook71
- Red drum71
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Crevalle jack63
- Permit60
- Black drum59
- Spanish mackerel56
- Southern flounder55
- Gag grouper54
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Greater amberjack52
- Red snapper52
- Spotted seatrout52
- King mackerel51
- Cobia49
- Florida pompano44
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 7211 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Maximo 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
90Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.1 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 86°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
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)
Gray snapper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 10 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.
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 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 Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Maximo Channel
- Depth
- 2-9 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonGray 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 Maximo Channel
Maximo Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-9 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for gray snapper, Atlantic croaker, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack, permit and black drum. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Sunshine Skyway Channel72
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 72
- Atlantic croaker 71
- Common snook 71
8 kt ENEL 1:08 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:54 AM · 2.4 ft
- Cats Point66
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 66
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Red drum 65
8 kt ENEL 1:54 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:28 AM · 2.3 ft
- Cat Point Bank65
Bar · 0.7 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 65
- Red drum 65
- Common snook 64
8 kt ENEL 1:08 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:54 AM · 2.4 ft
- Middle Ground65
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 65
- Red drum 65
- Common snook 64
8 kt ENEL 1:08 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:54 AM · 2.4 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.