Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay, FL Fishing Guide

Species at Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay

• Snook

  ambush bait flushed out passes on falling tide

  Season: Apr–Oct · Tide: the outgoing tide · Light: low light · Water: 72–86°F

• Redfish

  reds work shallow flats; bull schools push in fall

  Season: Jan–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 60–85°F

• Spotted seatrout

  first light over grass; gators on deep flats in winter

  Season: Jan–May, Nov–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 55–75°F

• Tarpon

  pass migration stacks once water hits 75F; peak May-Jun

  Season: Apr–Sep · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 75–90°F

• Sheepshead

  winter spawn stacks on pilings; picks crabs at easy current

  Season: Jan–Apr, Dec · Tide: slack water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 50–68°F

• Mangrove snapper

  warm water moves them shallow; dusk-into-dark feed

  Season: May–Sep · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 75–86°F

• Black drum

  winter staple rooting crabs on bottom structure

  Season: Jan–Apr, Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 50–70°F

• Flounder

  fall migration stacks them on sandy bottom transitions

  Season: Sep–Dec · Tide: the outgoing tide · Light: bright daylight · Water: 58–72°F

• Spanish mackerel

  clean moving water on bait schools, daylight blitz

  Season: Mar–May, Sep–Nov · Tide: moving water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 68–78°F

• Pompano

  cool-season run; rides incoming over sand for sandfleas

  Season: Feb–May, Nov–Dec · Tide: the incoming tide · Light: bright daylight · Water: 62–75°F

• Jack crevalle

  chaos on moving water busting bait pods

  Season: Mar–Nov · Tide: moving water · Light: any light · Water: 70–88°F

• Ladyfish

  warm-season schools chase shrimp on current edges

  Season: May–Oct · Tide: moving water · Light: low light · Water: 72–88°F

• Gag grouper

  fall cooldown pulls keepers onto shallow nearshore rock

  Season: Oct–Dec · Tide: moving water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 58–72°F

• Cobia

  spring nearshore run; sight-fish singles on the surface

  Season: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · Tide: moving water · Light: bright daylight · Water: 68–78°F

What's biting at Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay, 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.

Coastal runs that pass Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay

These species travel the coast with the seasons, so they show up on a schedule rather than living here year-round.

• Redfish (red drum)

  bull-red fall surf run cascades by latitude: Mid-Atl Sep–Oct → FL Oct–Nov → Gulf Nov–Dec

  Timing: southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: falling temps trigger the nearshore spawn run · Pace: cold-front-latency tide more than fish-following-fish

• Pompano

  the strongest, cleanest cascade we have — FL Treasure Coast winter run; Gulf spring run hits Pensacola ~April

  Timing: southbound Oct–Dec · northbound Feb–May · Driven by: sand fleas & the 68–75°F edge on the move · Pace: cold-front driven; ~2–4 wk lag NC→Miami in fall

• Cobia

  E→W run (separate stock): Tampa/Charlotte Harbor (Mar) → Destin → Gulf Shores → Pensacola → MS/LA. Sight-fished at the surface

  Timing: westbound Mar–May · Driven by: warming spring temps; overwinter S.FL then push inshore + WEST along the beaches · Pace: ~6 wks; peak Gulf Shores AL mid-Mar–mid-Apr

• Spanish mackerel

  Gulf stock — E→W in spring (FL Gulf → AL/MS → TX), back E→S in fall

  Timing: westbound Feb–Jun · eastbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: warm water expanding west in spring · Pace: reaches TX late Mar–May

• King mackerel

  Gulf stock — splits in fall: eastern group back down FL, western group W down the TX coast

  Timing: northbound Mar–Sep · westbound Oct–Dec · Driven by: temp + bait near the river plume · Pace: summers in the northern Gulf near the MS Delta

• Mullet bait run

  THE keystone bait — the resident snook/tarpon/jacks gorge the moment it arrives

  Timing: southbound Sep–Nov · Driven by: falling temps + photoperiod · Pace: the famous fall mullet run, S down the FL east coast; peak Sep–Oct

How Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay fishes

Open water lies to the south of Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay. A wind out of the south is onshore here — it stacks swell and chop into the mouth and pushes stirred-up water inshore, while a north wind flattens the surface and tends to clean it up.

This is an inshore station — bay, river or lagoon water rather than an open ocean mouth. Tide stage and water temperature drive the bite here far more than swell does.

Tides here are read from NOAA station 8723812 at 24.9133, -80.6600 — see it on NOAA CO-OPS.

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Common questions about Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay

What fish can you catch at Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay?

Snook, Redfish, Spotted seatrout, Tarpon, Sheepshead, Mangrove snapper, Black drum, Flounder, Spanish mackerel, Pompano, Jack crevalle, Ladyfish and 2 more. Each has its own season, preferred tide and water-temperature window at Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay.

When is the best time to fish Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay?

April and May have the most species in season (10 of 14) — Snook, Redfish, Spotted seatrout, Tarpon, Sheepshead, Black drum, Spanish mackerel, Pompano. Seasons shift by a few weeks in a warm or late year.

What tide is best for fishing Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay?

10 of the 14 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 Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay?

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

Do migrating fish run past Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay?

Yes — Redfish (red drum) (southbound Sep–Nov); Pompano (southbound Oct–Dec · northbound Feb–May); Cobia (westbound Mar–May); Spanish mackerel (westbound Feb–Jun · eastbound Sep–Nov); King mackerel (northbound Mar–Sep · westbound Oct–Dec); Mullet (southbound Sep–Nov). These travel the coast with the seasons rather than living here year-round.

Where are the tides for Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay measured?

NOAA CO-OPS station 8723812, at 24.9133, -80.6600. What Inlet? scores the live tide, current, solunar and weather for that station.

Inlets near Shell Key Channel, Florida Bay

• Little Basin, Upper Matecumbe Key, Florida Bay 1 mi
• Islamorada, Upper Matecumbe Key, Florida Bay 2 mi
• Lignumvitae Key, NE side, Florida Bay 2 mi
• Lignumvitae Key, west side, Florida Bay 3 mi
• Whale Harbor Channel, Hwy. 1 bridge, Windley Key 4 mi
• Whale Harbor, Windley Key, Hawk Channel 4 mi
• Matecumbe Bight, Lower Matecumbe Key, Fla. Bay 5 mi
• East Key, southern end, Florida Bay 7 mi

Fishing a different inlet today? Every one has its own species roster and bite pattern.

Browse every inlet in Florida, or the full inlet directory.