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Boca Grande Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The tarpon pass: Boca Grande's legendary deep hole, where the world's densest silver-king migration packs a single mile each spring.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
High 6:06 AM
Air / High
89 / 92 F
Wind
WSW 9 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 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 early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Boca Grande serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 92. Tides: high 4:48 AM, low 2:28 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar at 89 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

Tides

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

Fri
HIGH4:48 AM2.0 ft
LOW2:28 PM0.1 ft
Sat
HIGH6:06 AM2.0 ft
LOW3:44 PM0.1 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp89 F
High / Low92 / 80 F
WindWSW 9-11 mph
Pressure1014.3 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 22%
Sunrise / Sunset07:10 / 19:45
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 92/80 F, wind 14 mph, rain 22%

Fair or better. A 14 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

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: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

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)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 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, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 91 F, wind to 17 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 90 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 license. Tarpon: over-40-inch fish stay in water; pass gear rules specific: check FWC. Snook seasonal.

Access

Placida/Gasparilla causeway ramps, Boca Grande village docks; state park beach at the pass.

About this water

The tarpon pass of Charlotte Harbor, Lee County, FL. The silver king's world capital.

Fishing Boca Grande: the full guide

The pass of passes

Boca Grande Pass: the deep cut between Gasparilla and Cayo Costa: hosts the world's most famous tarpon aggregation: thousands of fish stack the 80-foot hole April-June, and the fleet above them runs a century of tradition, controversy and bent rods. If saltwater fishing has a cathedral moment, the pass in May is it.

How the pass is fished

The classic method drifts live crabs and baitfish at depth through the hole (the 'pass fishing' the old guides built): the jig debate (breakaway gear) was settled by rule: check current gear restrictions: and hill-tide evenings (the outgoing spring-tide flush) trigger the famous crab-washout feeds when every fish in the pass rises. Etiquette is survival: the fleet drifts in ordered lanes: watch before joining.

Beyond the silver kings

The pass and Charlotte Harbor's mouth fish year-round: snook on the beaches and bars (summer), reds along Gasparilla's mangroves, gag grouper in the hole (fall), and the harbor's trout flats spreading east. Guides fish tarpon eight weeks and the full menu the other forty-four: the address stays golden.

Island logistics

Gasparilla Island's ramps (Placida causeway) and the island's golf-cart town serve the pass: the state park's beach fishes the swash at the pass's edge: and May-June books solid a year out: the migration is a global appointment. Handle every tarpon by the modern code: in-water, quick, revived: the pass's future is its ethics.

Common questions

When is tarpon season at Boca Grande?

April into June, peaking in May: thousands of fish in one deep pass. Hill-tide evenings (big outgoing tides) trigger the legendary surface feeds.

Can you fish Boca Grande Pass yourself?

Yes, with homework: ordered drift lanes, current gear rules, and respect for the fleet's rhythm. First-timers do better watching an hour: or hiring the century of local knowledge.

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 early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

Venice29 miSarasota46 miTampa Bay75 miLake Istokpoga75 miLake Okeechobee91 miClearwater94 mi
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