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Southern flounderRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum66
- Permit62
- Atlantic croaker61
- Common snook60
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Southern flounder58
- Gray snapper57
- Black drum53
- Crevalle jack53
- Spanish mackerel50
- Gag grouper49
- Spotted seatrout47
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red grouper46
- Red snapper46
- Cobia44
- Greater amberjack42
- King mackerel42
- Florida pompano41
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 AM · Southern flounder
- Now
- 584 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sutherland 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
63Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 2 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
56Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Southern flounder
Species seasonality
78Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Southern flounder
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 14 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 15
- Other
- Same rules for Gulf, southern, summer and fringed flounder, in state and federal waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Closed every October 15 through November 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Flounder, 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)
- Snook Retention open (1 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 Southern flounder is best here
Shoulder season for Southern flounder · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Sutherland Bayou
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSouthern flounder
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 Sutherland Bayou
Sutherland Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-3 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, permit and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for permit, Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Permit peak from April through June. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Southern flounder
- Flounder lie half buried on soft bottom along marsh edges, creek mouths, dock pilings and the sandy sides of passes, usually in 1 to 15 feet of water. Drag a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bump a soft plastic slowly along the bottom, and give the fish a few seconds before setting the hook. In fall the adults stack up at passes and jetties on their way offshore, and many anglers gig them at night in knee-deep water.
- 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.
- Permit
- Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Avery Bayou62
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Common snook 59
2 kt WNWL 5:01 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:16 PM · 2.7 ft
- Greens Bayou62
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Common snook 59
2 kt WNWL 5:01 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:16 PM · 2.7 ft
- Seaside Point60
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 60
- Gray snapper 57
- Red drum 57
2 kt WNWL 4:53 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:11 PM · 2.7 ft
- Burghstream Point60
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 60
- Gray snapper 57
- Red drum 57
2 kt WNWL 4:53 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:11 PM · 2.7 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.