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Common snookRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all61
- Common snook61
- Atlantic tarpon57
- Gray snapper57
- Red drum56
- Atlantic croaker54
- Permit51
- Spanish mackerel51
- Crevalle jack50
- Southern flounder50
- Florida pompano47
- Black drum45
- Gag grouper45
- Cobia43
- King mackerel43
- Spotted seatrout42
- Gray triggerfish41
- Red grouper41
- Red snapper41
- Greater amberjack40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 10 PM · Common snook
- Now
- 615 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.1 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Soldier Hole 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 9 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
83Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.0 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 85°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Common snook
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Snook
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 28 to 33 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Nov 30, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Catch & release from Dec 1
- Other
- Snook permit and saltwater fishing license required. Must stay whole until landed ashore. For-hire captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. Hook and line only. Closed December 1 through the end of February and May 1 through August 31. Open March 1 through April 30 and September 1 through November 30. Regional rules apply in inland, state and adjacent federal waters.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snook, 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)
- 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 Common snook is best here
Peak season for Common snook · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Soldier Hole
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonCommon snook
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 Soldier Hole
Soldier Hole is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper. It is peak season now for common snook, gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, Spanish mackerel and crevalle jack. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Bunces Pass62
Channel · 1.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 62
- Atlantic tarpon 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
2 kt WNWH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ftL 4:08 AM · 1.0 ft
- Mullet Key Channel60
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season- Atlantic tarpon 60
- Common snook 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
1 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ftL 4:08 AM · 1.0 ft
- Mullet Key Bayou58
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 58
- Atlantic croaker 55
- Common snook 54
2 kt WNWH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ftL 4:08 AM · 1.0 ft
- De Soto Point56
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 56
- Gray snapper 52
- Red drum 52
1 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ftL 4:08 AM · 1.0 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.