Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island Fishing Guide

Species at Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island

• Tarpon

  C&R only PR/USVI; dawn/dusk feeders around mangroves and passes, peak Jan-May plus Oct migration

  Season: Jan–May, Oct–Dec · Tide: the outgoing tide · Light: low light · Water: 78–86°F

• Bonefish

  C&R preferred; tails on flats incoming tide, sight-fishing year-round, cooler months best

  Season: Jan–Jun, Oct–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: bright daylight · Water: 75–85°F

• Permit

  Year-round; peaks Mar-May; tails in shallows on incoming crab feed

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: bright daylight · Water: 78–86°F

• Common Snook

  Native PR resident; outgoing tide flushes bait from mangroves triggering strike

  Season: Jan–May, Oct–Dec · Tide: the outgoing tide · Light: low light · Water: 77–86°F

• Jack Crevalle

  Aggressive year-round schooling predator; blitzes on moving water and bait pods

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 77–87°F

• Great Barracuda

  Year-round sight predator; summer peak; hangs near reefs and structure in daylight

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: any tide stage · Light: bright daylight · Water: 77–87°F

• Yellowtail Snapper

  Year-round reef staple; best May-Sept; chum and drift near ledges and drop-offs

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 77–86°F

• Gray Snapper (Mangrove Snapper)

  Year-round inshore; night and low-light feeders around structure and mangroves

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 77–86°F

• Mutton Snapper

  Closed Apr-Jun in US Caribbean federal waters during spawning aggregation; grass and mangrove juveniles, reef adults otherwise

  Season: Jan–Mar, Jul–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 77–86°F

• Cero Mackerel

  Year-round tropical resident; aggressive dawn feeders along patch reefs

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: low light · Water: 77–86°F

• Red Hind Grouper

  Closed Dec-Feb in PR federal waters spawning areas (Bajo de Sico Oct-Mar); ambush predator on shallow reefs

  Season: Mar–Nov · Tide: any tide stage · Light: any light · Water: 77–86°F

• Lane Snapper

  Closed Apr-Jun in US Caribbean federal waters; seagrass and patch reef the rest of the year

  Season: Jan–Mar, Jul–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 76–86°F

• Ladyfish

  Year-round; dawn and dusk schooling baitfish hunter, acrobatic light-tackle fun

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: any tide stage · Light: low light · Water: 76–86°F

• Blue Runner (Hardtail Jack)

  Year-round schooling jack; attacks bait schools on moving water from shore and jetties

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 76–86°F

• Queen Triggerfish

  Year-round daytime reef feeder (catch-limit managed, no seasonal closure); targeted from small boats near coral

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: any tide stage · Light: bright daylight · Water: 77–86°F

What's biting at Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island, month by month

Typical seasons for this stretch of coast — a warm or late year shifts them by a few weeks. The live forecast scores today's actual conditions.

How Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island fishes

Open water lies to the east of Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island. A wind out of the east is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while a west wind flattens the surface and tends to clean it up.

Tide is the clock: moving water pulls bait through the mouth, and the turns around slack are when most of the roster feeds hardest.

Tides here are read from NOAA station TEC5661 at 17.4000, -83.9330 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.

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Common questions about Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island

What fish can you catch at Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island?

Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit, Common Snook, Jack Crevalle, Great Barracuda, Yellowtail Snapper, Gray Snapper (Mangrove Snapper), Mutton Snapper, Cero Mackerel, Red Hind Grouper, Lane Snapper and 3 more. Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island.

When is the best time to fish Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island?

March and October and November have the most species in season (15 of 15) — Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit, Common Snook, Jack Crevalle, Great Barracuda, Yellowtail Snapper, Gray Snapper (Mangrove Snapper). Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.

What tide is best for fishing Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island?

6 of the 15 species here feed best on moving water. Moving water is what pulls bait through the mouth, so the hours either side of a tide change usually beat dead slack.

Which wind is bad for Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island?

Open water lies to the east, so an east wind is onshore — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes dirty water inshore. A west wind flattens and cleans it up.

Where are the tides for Harbor Bay, Great Swan Island measured?

NOAA CO-OPS station TEC5661, at 17.4000, -83.9330. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

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