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Boca Grande Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The 80-foot-deep pass between Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf off Gasparilla Island, which Florida State Parks calls world-famous for tarpon, with its own FWC gear rule.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Next tide
High 11:36 PM
Air / High
81 / 81 F
Wind
NE 10 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8725577, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Boca Grande offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 10 mph, steady pressure near 1015 hPa and a high of 81. Tides: high 11:47 AM and 11:36 PM, low 5:13 AM and 5:19 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 78 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:05 AM-12:05 PM and 10:31 PM-12:31 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Spring and early summer put redfish on grass flats, shorelines and oyster bars; on the Gulf, fish below spawning age stay inside the bays (TPWD). Sight-cast to tailing and cruising fish or drift live shrimp under a popping cork.

Tomorrow: Similar at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Florida requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $17.00 for residents, and salt water needs its own licence here. What a Florida licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing redfish (red drum) here? Check the size and bag limits with FWC before you keep anything. The season dates for Florida, read off the agency, are on the Florida seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

NOAA station 8725577 (Port Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
LOW5:13 AM0.6 ft
HIGH11:47 AM1.6 ft
LOW5:19 PM0.8 ft
HIGH11:36 PM1.7 ft
Sat
LOW6:01 AM0.4 ft
HIGH12:44 PM1.5 ft
LOW5:44 PM0.9 ft
HIGH11:48 PM1.9 ft

Englewood tide chart: the week and the month β†’

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp81 F
High / Low81 / 66 F
WindNE 10-13 mph
Pressure1015.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:33 / 18:53
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~78 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Boca Grande this week

Today is the pick of the week on Boca Grande, at 3 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” fair at 3/5, steady pressure, neither help nor hindrance.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Fair

A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Solunar majors
10:05 AM-12:05 PM and 10:31 PM-12:31 AM
Minor period
4:26 AM-5:26 AM
Sun
07:33 to 18:53
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 22 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

The species that matter on Boca Grande: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: late-summer and fall bull run; inshore all year

Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus), called redfish across the South, is a bronze inshore drum with a black spot near the tail, fished on grass flats, oyster bars, marsh creeks and beaches from the Chesapeake around Florida to Texas. Spring and early summer put redfish on grass flats, shorelines and oyster bars; on the Gulf, fish below spawning age stay inside the bays (TPWD). Sight-cast to tailing and cruising fish or drift live shrimp under a popping cork.

When to come: the Boca Grande calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redfish (red drum)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 78 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~78 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Boca Grande today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 20 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 82 F, wind to 20 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 83 F, wind to 21 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used if we need to ask you about your report. No mailing list, no spam.

Before you go

License

Florida requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Florida saltwater fishing license. FWC rules (Florida digest, read 2026-10-05): bottom-weighted jigs prohibited in Boca Grande Pass; tarpon catch-and-release except one fish per year with a $50 harvest tag, and fish over 40 in. must stay in the water; snook in the Charlotte Harbor region open March-April and October-November, 28-33 in., 1 a day, snook permit required; redfish 18-27 in., 1 a day, 2 per vessel.

Access

Gasparilla Island State Park, 880 Belcher Road, Boca Grande: 8 a.m. to sunset daily, $3 per vehicle, five beach parking areas. The island is reached by the private-toll Boca Grande Causeway from Placida.

About this water

The deep pass linking Charlotte Harbor to the Gulf, off the south end of Gasparilla Island, Lee County, Florida. Tide station: NOAA 8725577, Port Boca Grande.

Fishing Boca Grande: the full guide

The pass

Boca Grande Pass lies just off the southern tip of Gasparilla Island State Park and connects Charlotte Harbor with the Gulf. Florida State Parks calls it world-famous for sportfishing, particularly tarpon, and one of the deepest natural passes in Florida, reaching 80 feet. Fresh water from the Peace and Myakka rivers makes the harbor brackish, and the park service notes that tarpon and other fish move between the estuary and the Gulf through the pass.

Tarpon season and the rules

Florida State Parks says that from May to June the pass fills with anglers after tarpon, and that anglers also come for snook and goliath grouper. FWC rules shape how the fishing is done: bottom-weighted jigs are prohibited in Boca Grande Pass, tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water during release, and a tarpon may be kept only with a $50 harvest tag, one per person per year, for a potential IGFA record.

From the beach

Shore fishing near the pass is popular at Gasparilla Island State Park, which lists sheepshead, redfish and whiting as the most common catches along the shore. The park has five parking areas along the island's southwestern tip and the restored 1890 Port Boca Grande Lighthouse; it is reached on the private-toll Boca Grande Causeway from County Road 775 at Placida.

Common questions

When is tarpon season at Boca Grande?

Florida State Parks says the pass is filled with tarpon anglers from May to June.

What gear is banned in the pass?

FWC prohibits bottom-weighted jigs in Boca Grande Pass, and any tarpon over 40 inches must remain in the water while it is released.

Can I fish from shore near the pass?

Yes. Gasparilla Island State Park lists shore fishing as a popular activity, with sheepshead, redfish and whiting the most common catches.

Is fishing good at Boca Grande right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Venice29 miSarasota46 miTampa Bay75 miLake Istokpoga75 miLake Okeechobee91 miClearwater94 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Tide predictions
NOAA CO-OPS 8725577 β€” Port Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor
Harmonic predictions, datum MLLW, local time. 11 high and low events returned for today and the next two days. A prediction, not a measured water level: wind and surge move the real thing.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 26.7200, -82.2600 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.