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Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Common snook64
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Gray snapper61
- Red drum58
- Black drum51
- Florida pompano51
- Permit50
- Southern flounder48
- Crevalle jack46
- Red snapper43
- Spotted seatrout42
- Gag grouper41
- Spanish mackerel41
- Gray triggerfish39
- Red grouper39
- Greater amberjack36
- King mackerel36
- Cobia35
- Sheepshead33
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 754 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High2.1 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
62Water temp: 87°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
98Season: PeakHabitat: Prime 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
South Channel
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 South Channel
South Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, Florida pompano and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
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.
- 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
- Pass-a-Grille South Channel75
Channel · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 64
- Gray snapper 61
5 kt NEL 1:29 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:26 AM · 2.0 ft
- Dents Channel75
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 64
- Gray snapper 61
5 kt NEL 1:29 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:26 AM · 2.0 ft
- North Channel75
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 64
- Gray snapper 61
5 kt NEL 1:29 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:26 AM · 2.0 ft
- Pass-a-Grille North Channel75
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 64
- Gray snapper 61
5 kt NEL 1:29 PM · 0.4 ftH 5:26 AM · 2.0 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.