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Red snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook67
- Gray snapper64
- Red drum63
- Spanish mackerel62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Permit59
- Atlantic croaker58
- Crevalle jack56
- Southern flounder56
- Black drum53
- Gag grouper53
- Greater amberjack53
- King mackerel53
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Cobia49
- Florida pompano49
- Spotted seatrout46
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 10 PM · Red snapper
- Now
- 504 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Wake Porter Fish Havens 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
82Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 2 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
45Season: 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
Wake Porter Fish Havens
- Depth
- 15-20 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · 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 Wake Porter Fish Havens
Wake Porter Fish Havens is a bar in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are common snook, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for common snook, gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon, permit and crevalle jack. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Pass-a-Grille Channel73
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 73
- Gray snapper 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
2 kt WNWL 5:34 PM · 0.4 ftH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ft
- Little McPherson Bayou68
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
- Common snook 63
2 kt WNWL 5:34 PM · 0.4 ftH 12:18 AM · 1.7 ft
- Mud Key Cutoff68
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Common snook 66
- Gray snapper 65
2 kt WNWL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:57 PM · 1.8 ft
- McPherson Bayou66
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Common snook 61
2 kt WNWL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 11:57 PM · 1.8 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.