UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic croakerRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout73
- Common snook72
- Red drum71
- Black drum69
- Spanish mackerel68
- Florida pompano64
- Sheepshead64
- Gray snapper63
- King mackerel63
- Gray triggerfish60
- Red grouper60
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 3510 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South Gandy 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
Friday, Nov 6 · 10 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 3 kt NNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
90Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
53Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In range
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 Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Out of season for Atlantic croaker · shoulder season starts in 22 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
South Gandy Channel
- Depth
- Up to 7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Off 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 Gandy Channel
South Gandy Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, common snook and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, sheepshead and gray snapper. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Red drum peak from September through November.
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.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Christmas Pass76
Channel · 2.6 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 76
- Common snook 75
- Spotted seatrout 75
10 kt EL 3:53 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:56 PM · 2.0 ft
- Papys Point75
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 75
- Red drum 74
- Spanish mackerel 68
10 kt EL 3:53 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:56 PM · 2.0 ft
- Port Tampa Channel74
Channel · 3.1 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 74
- Common snook 72
- Red drum 71
10 kt EL 3:53 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:56 PM · 2.0 ft
- Riviera Bay72
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 72
- Common snook 71
- Red drum 70
10 kt EL 3:53 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:56 PM · 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.