Waterlands

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Atlantic tarponCatch & release

Cape · Florida

Pendola Point

27.90°N · 82.43°W · Cape · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 10 PM · Atlantic tarpon

76/100Great
Now
552 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score55Good
Tide1.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.1 kn · toward S
Wind2 kn Egusts 11 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp86°Hot
WeatherPartly cloudy65% chance of rain
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Tarpon

Catch & release
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water. Special gear rules apply year-round in Boca Grande Pass. Hook and line only. No snagging, snatch hooking, spearing, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Applies in state and federal waters of the Gulf and Atlantic.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Tarpon, 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))
  • 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)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic tarpon is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at shoulder

Atlantic tarpon season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic tarpon in Florida

Spot profile

Pendola Point

Depth
4-50 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic tarpon

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 Pendola Point

Pendola Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 4-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, gag grouper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, Atlantic croaker, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for gag grouper, red grouper, gray triggerfish and red snapper. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Gag grouper peak from October through December. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
Gag grouper
Gag hold on ledges, rock piles and wrecks, from 15 to 40 feet in the fall on Florida's Gulf coast out to 250 feet the rest of the year. Troll deep-diving plugs to find productive rocks, then anchor and drop or freeline live pinfish or pigfish on a strong circle hook. Keep the drag tight and turn the fish in the first few seconds or it will reach the rocks.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Sparkman Channel

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Common snook 68
    • Gray snapper 67

    2 kt EL 6:28 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:16 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Seaplane Basin

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Common snook 67
    • Gray snapper 66

    2 kt EL 6:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:47 AM · 2.2 ft

  • East Bay

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Gray snapper 66
    • Red drum 65

    2 kt EL 6:31 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:19 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Black Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 63
    • Common snook 62
    • Gray snapper 62

    2 kt EL 6:24 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:09 AM · 2.3 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.