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Florida pompanoRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum75
- Atlantic croaker73
- Common snook72
- Atlantic tarpon70
- Gray snapper69
- Permit66
- Southern flounder66
- Black drum63
- Crevalle jack60
- Gag grouper58
- Red snapper58
- Spotted seatrout58
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Florida pompano53
- Cobia52
- Greater amberjack50
- King mackerel50
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 10 PM · Florida pompano
- Now
- 5311 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Kitchen 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 9 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
79Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
85Wind: 1 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
47Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Florida pompano
Species seasonality
66Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Florida pompano
Retention open- Daily limit
- 6 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 11 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, and beach or haul seine only. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round in state and federal waters.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Permit, Florida pompano and African pompano, 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
- 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 Florida pompano is best here
Shoulder season for Florida pompano · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
The Kitchen
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonFlorida pompano
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 The Kitchen
The Kitchen is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- South Channel78
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 78
- Atlantic croaker 77
- Gray snapper 75
4 kt EH 1:50 AM · 2.1 ftL 7:18 AM · 1.2 ft
- Alafia River Channel78
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 78
- Atlantic croaker 77
- Gray snapper 75
4 kt EH 1:50 AM · 2.1 ftL 7:18 AM · 1.2 ft
- Big Bend77
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 77
- Atlantic croaker 73
- Gray snapper 73
4 kt EH 1:50 AM · 2.0 ftL 6:31 AM · 1.5 ft
- Big Bend Channel77
Channel · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Common snook 77
- Gray snapper 74
4 kt EH 2:45 AM · 2.1 ftL 6:57 AM · 1.7 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.