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Red snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Common snook71
- Atlantic croaker69
- Red drum69
- Gray snapper68
- Permit63
- Southern flounder63
- Black drum60
- Crevalle jack60
- Spanish mackerel57
- Spotted seatrout57
- Gag grouper56
- Gray triggerfish53
- King mackerel53
- Red grouper53
- Red snapper53
- Greater amberjack51
- Cobia48
- Florida pompano45
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 536 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tampa Bay 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
81Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
90Wind: 2 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 89°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Red snapper(private recreational)
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 16 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 4, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 5
- Other
- Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida.
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 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))
- 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 Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Tampa Bay Channel
- Depth
- 10-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed 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 Tampa Bay Channel
Tampa Bay Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 10-15 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 tarpon, common snook and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and black drum. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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.
- 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
- Big Bayou70
Bay · 3.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Common snook 65
- Southern flounder 65
1 kt NL 7:04 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:52 AM · 1.9 ft
- Tampa Bay69
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Red drum 65
2 kt ENEL 7:04 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:52 AM · 1.9 ft
- Little Bayou67
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Common snook 62
- Southern flounder 62
1 kt NL 6:35 PM · 0.4 ftH 1:30 AM · 1.7 ft
- Smacks Bayou67
Bay · 4.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Common snook 64
2 kt ENEL 7:04 PM · 0.5 ftH 1:52 AM · 1.9 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.