Waterlands

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Red snapperCheck regulations

Bay · Florida

Widgeon Bay

28.76°N · 80.72°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 6 PM · Red snapper

77/100Great
Now
424 AM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.0 ft

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score42Fair
Tide0.0 ftLow
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind2 kn WSWgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 8 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy81% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Red snapper

Check regulations

No limits are on file for this species here. FWC pages disagree. The snapper page lists Atlantic red snapper in state waters as open with a 20-inch minimum and 2 per person. The Atlantic red snapper season page says the 2026 season (May 22 to June 20 and three October weekends, 1 fish, no minimum size) is temporarily postponed, and Executive Order 26-16 rescinded the 2026 Atlantic red snapper order. Check with FWC before keeping one. Check with FWC before you keep one.

From FWC Atlantic Recreational Red Snapper State Management Season, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Catch & release (No retention)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish 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 (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (2 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Red snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red snapper in Florida →

Spot profile

Widgeon Bay

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Widgeon Bay

Widgeon Bay is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, red drum and spot, and shoulder season for black drum, mahi-mahi, weakfish and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Red drum peak from August 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Granny Cove

    Bay · 3.0 mi

    62
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 62
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Red drum 61

    2 kt WSWH 9:29 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ft

  • Bairs Cove

    Bay · 3.1 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Spot 59
    • Common snook 58

    2 kt WSWH 9:29 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ft

  • Duckroost Cove

    Bay · 3.1 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Atlantic tarpon 61
    • Red drum 60

    2 kt WSWH 9:29 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ft

  • Pardon Slough

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    60
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic tarpon 60

    2 kt WSWH 9:29 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ft

Open in the tide map

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.