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PermitRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker59
- Gray snapper56
- Red drum56
- Common snook55
- Atlantic tarpon49
- Black drum48
- Crevalle jack47
- Permit47
- Gag grouper43
- Gray triggerfish42
- Red grouper42
- Southern flounder42
- Red snapper41
- Spanish mackerel41
- Florida pompano39
- Spotted seatrout39
- Greater amberjack37
- King mackerel37
- Cobia35
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 AM · Permit
- Now
- 471 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.7 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
27Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
70Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Permit
Species seasonality
63Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Permit
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 11 to 22 in, fork length. One fish over 22 inches allowed per person, counted in the bag limit.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- No more than 2 permit over 22 inches per vessel. Hook and line only in state waters. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Outside the Special Permit Zone. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, 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)
- 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 Permit is best here
Shoulder season for Permit · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Maximo Channel
- Depth
- 2-9 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonPermit
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 Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper, red drum and common snook, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, crevalle jack and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Sunshine Skyway Channel59
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 59
- Gray snapper 56
- Red drum 56
8 kt ENEH 4:54 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:44 PM · 0.7 ft
- Cats Point54
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 54
- Red drum 54
- Atlantic croaker 53
8 kt ENEL 1:54 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:28 AM · 2.3 ft
- Cat Point Bank50
Bar · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 50
- Gag grouper 50
- Gray snapper 50
8 kt ENEH 4:54 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:44 PM · 0.7 ft
- Middle Ground50
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 50
- Gray snapper 50
- Red drum 50
8 kt ENEH 4:54 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:44 PM · 0.7 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.