Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

CobiaRetention open

Cape · Florida

Nelson Point

30.50°N · 86.45°W · Cape · Western Choctawhatchee Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Cobia

71/100Great
Now
338 PM CDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.4 ft

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

Notify me when Nelson Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 PM · now

Time8PNOW
Score33Fair
Tide0.4 ftLow
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward E
Wind2 kn SWgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 5 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water87°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Cobia

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 36 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
1 per person or 2 per vessel, whichever is less. Spears, gigs, hook and line, seine or cast net.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Cobia, 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)
  • 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)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Cobia is best here

Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder

Cobia season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Cobia in Florida

Spot profile

Nelson Point

Depth
10-20 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonCobia

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 Nelson Point

Nelson Point is a cape in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 10-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gag grouper, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September.

Tackle & technique

Cobia
Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
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

  • Rocky Bayou

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Gray snapper 51

    2 kt SWH 8:09 AM · 0.9 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 ft

  • John Bayou

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    63
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 63
    • Atlantic croaker 55
    • Gray snapper 50

    2 kt SWH 8:09 AM · 0.9 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Shirk Bayou

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    63
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 63
    • Atlantic croaker 55
    • Gray snapper 50

    2 kt SWH 7:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 8:39 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Ward Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    61
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 61
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Gray snapper 56

    2 kt SWH 8:09 AM · 0.9 ftL 9:10 PM · 0.4 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.