UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic tarponCatch & releaseSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook68
- Gray snapper68
- Atlantic croaker67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Red drum65
- Permit63
- Southern flounder60
- Crevalle jack59
- Black drum56
- Gag grouper54
- Spanish mackerel54
- Gray triggerfish51
- Greater amberjack51
- Red grouper51
- King mackerel50
- Red snapper50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Cobia48
- Florida pompano40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 8 PM · Atlantic tarpon
- Now
- 662 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 Pope 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
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 1 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 88°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic tarpon
Species seasonality
64Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic tarpon is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Pope Channel
- Depth
- 2-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- 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 Pope Channel
Pope Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and crevalle jack. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Clearwater Harbor69
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 69
- Common snook 68
- Atlantic croaker 65
1 kt EL 4:23 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:03 PM · 2.4 ft
- Dunedin Channel68
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Gray snapper 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
1 kt EL 5:03 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:29 PM · 2.4 ft
- Mandalay Channel68
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Gray snapper 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
1 kt EL 4:23 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:03 PM · 2.4 ft
- Malone Point63
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 63
- Gray snapper 62
- Red drum 60
1 kt EL 5:03 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:29 PM · 2.4 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.