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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all60
- Atlantic croaker60
- Gray snapper58
- Red drum58
- Common snook57
- Black drum55
- Gag grouper55
- Atlantic tarpon54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Red grouper54
- Spanish mackerel54
- Permit53
- Red snapper53
- Crevalle jack50
- Southern flounder50
- Greater amberjack48
- King mackerel46
- Cobia44
- Florida pompano38
- Spotted seatrout36
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 602 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Palatine Shoal 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: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 1 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
49Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
70Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Palatine Shoal
- Depth
- 25-35 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · flat bottom
- 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 Palatine Shoal
Palatine Shoal is a bar in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 25-35 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and 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 black drum, gag grouper, Atlantic tarpon and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.
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.
- 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Soldier Hole69
Bay · 7.4 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 69
- Red drum 68
- Common snook 67
1 kt EL 4:26 PM · 0.1 ftH 12:30 AM · 1.3 ft
- Egmont Channel68
Channel · 3.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Gray snapper 66
- Red drum 66
1 kt EL 4:09 PM · 0.2 ftH 12:08 AM · 1.4 ft
- Southwest Channel68
Channel · 6.4 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 68
- Red drum 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
1 kt EL 4:09 PM · 0.2 ftH 12:08 AM · 1.4 ft
- De Soto Point64
Cape · 7.5 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 64
- Common snook 63
- Red drum 63
1 kt EL 4:26 PM · 0.1 ftH 12:30 AM · 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.