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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum79
- Atlantic croaker67
- Gray snapper66
- Common snook65
- Crevalle jack62
- Southern flounder62
- Spotted seatrout59
- Spanish mackerel58
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Cobia54
- Florida pompano54
- Permit53
- Black drum52
- Gag grouper52
- King mackerel51
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Greater amberjack48
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 676 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMDusk
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Smith Bayou 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
64Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 6 kt ENEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
Smith Bayou
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Smith Bayou
Smith Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and common snook, and shoulder season for crevalle jack, southern flounder, spotted seatrout and Spanish mackerel. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Sutherland Bayou81
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 81
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Gray snapper 66
6 kt ENEH 4:55 AM · 3.0 ftL 2:29 PM · 0.8 ft
- Avery Bayou75
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 75
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Common snook 62
6 kt ENEH 5:00 AM · 3.0 ftL 2:37 PM · 0.9 ft
- Burghstream Point72
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Gray snapper 66
- Common snook 65
6 kt ENEH 4:55 AM · 3.0 ftL 2:29 PM · 0.8 ft
- Seaside Point72
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Gray snapper 66
- Common snook 65
6 kt ENEH 4:55 AM · 3.0 ftL 2:29 PM · 0.8 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.