Waterlands

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Gray snapperRetention open

Bay · Florida

South Stop

27.68°N · 82.53°W · Bay · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 7 PM · Gray snapper

86/100Epic
Now
616 PM EST
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score65Great
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward NNE
Wind5 kn SWgusts 18 · steady
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy40% cloud
Water76°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray snapper

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day (10 snapper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 10 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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 Closed (No retention)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Gray snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray snapper in Florida →

Spot profile

South Stop

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGray snapper

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 Stop

South Stop is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, red drum and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black drum, common snook, king mackerel and sheepshead. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Beacon Pass

    Channel · 0.3 mi

    84
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 84
    • Red drum 83
    • Spanish mackerel 80

    9 kt EH 10:15 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:15 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Big Cockroach Pass

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    83
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 83
    • Spanish mackerel 80
    • Red drum 79

    9 kt EH 10:15 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:15 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Hole in the Wall Pass

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    83
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 83
    • Spanish mackerel 80
    • Red drum 79

    9 kt EH 10:15 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:15 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Jump Pass

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    83
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 83
    • Spanish mackerel 80
    • Red drum 79

    9 kt EH 10:15 PM · 1.2 ftL 3:15 AM · 0.7 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.