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Florida pompanoRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Common snook71
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum68
- Permit64
- Crevalle jack62
- Southern flounder62
- Black drum61
- Gag grouper58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Greater amberjack54
- King mackerel54
- Spotted seatrout49
- Cobia48
- Florida pompano36
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 362 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.8 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 2 kt SWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
37Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Florida pompano
Retention open- Daily limit
- 6 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 11 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, and beach or haul seine only. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round in state and federal waters.
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
- 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 Florida pompano is best here
Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Mullet Key Channel
- Depth
- 30-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonFlorida pompano
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, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, crevalle jack and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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.
- 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 Hole72
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 72
- Gray snapper 70
- Atlantic croaker 68
2 kt SWL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ft
- De Soto Point68
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Gray snapper 66
- Red drum 64
2 kt SWL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ft
- Mullet Key Shoal67
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 67
- Gray snapper 65
- Atlantic croaker 63
2 kt SWL 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 65
- Southern flounder 63
1 kt EL 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.