Waterlands

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Red snapperRetention open

Bay · Florida

Passage Key Inlet

27.55°N · 82.73°W · Bay · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 8 PM · Red snapper

78/100Great
Now
533 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Tue · 87

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score53Good
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.1 kn · toward WSW
Wind1 kn WSWgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 5 s
Air temp85°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy83% chance of rain
Water89°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Red snapper(private recreational)

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day (10 snapper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 16 in, total length
Season
Sep 1 to Oct 4, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Oct 5
Other
Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida.

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 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))
  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in Florida →

Spot profile

Passage Key Inlet

Depth
15-20 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Inlet · Inner · Semi-exposedInlet · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonRed 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 Passage Key Inlet

Passage Key Inlet is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads inlet, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for common snook, red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel and southern flounder. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Red drum peak from September through November.

Tackle & technique

Red snapper
Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
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

View all on map →
  • Southwest Channel

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    72
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 72
    • Atlantic tarpon 69
    • Gray snapper 68

    1 kt WSWL 4:41 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:58 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Bimini Bay

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Gray snapper 67
    • Atlantic croaker 65

    1 kt WSWL 4:45 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:42 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Key ROyale Bar

    Bar · 1.9 mi

    63
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 63
    • Gray snapper 61
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    1 kt WSWL 4:45 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:42 PM · 1.9 ft

  • The Bulkhead

    Bar · 2.1 mi

    63
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 63
    • Gray snapper 61
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    1 kt WSWL 4:45 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:42 PM · 1.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.