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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Common snook69
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Gray snapper68
- Red drum66
- Black drum61
- Permit61
- Crevalle jack60
- Southern flounder59
- Gag grouper58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Spanish mackerel55
- Greater amberjack51
- King mackerel51
- Spotted seatrout46
- Cobia45
- Sheepshead35
- Florida pompano33
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 721 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mullet Key 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
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 1 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
94Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 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 Atlantic croaker is best here
Peak season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Mullet Key Channel
- Depth
- 30-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Peak 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 Mullet Key Channel
Mullet Key Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 30-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, outer water and 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, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, permit and crevalle jack. 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
- 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.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Soldier Hole71
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 71
- Atlantic croaker 69
- Gray snapper 68
1 kt SL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ft
- Mullet Key Bayou67
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- Gray snapper 63
2 kt EL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ft
- Mullet Key Shoal66
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 66
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Gray snapper 63
1 kt SL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ft
- De Soto Point66
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 66
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Gray snapper 63
1 kt SL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 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.