Know exactly when the bite turns on around Boca Grande Pass, Gasparilla Island and Charlotte Harbor. Turnwater scores every 30 minutes of the next 7 days from live NOAA tides, moon feeding times, weather and water temperature — then tells you the best time to go and what to throw.
See today's Boca Grande forecast ›| Best remaining windows today | Top species | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 6 PM–8 PM | Speckled trout | 57 |
| 2 PM–4 PM | Speckled trout | 52 |
| 10 PM–12 AM | Speckled trout | 51 |
| Best windows tomorrow | Top species | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 6 AM–8 AM | Speckled trout | 67 |
| 6 PM–8 PM | Speckled trout | 52 |
| 10 AM–12 PM | Speckled trout | 49 |
Tides from NOAA station Port Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor. Always check the official NWS marine forecast before heading out.
The deep pass between Gasparilla Island and Cayo Costa, where Charlotte Harbor drains into the Gulf. It's famous worldwide for tarpon, which gather here in huge numbers in late spring and summer.
The Gulf side of the island has long sandy beaches with snook in the surf in the warm months.
One of Florida's biggest estuaries, behind the island, with grass flats, oyster bars and mangrove shorelines for redfish, trout and snook.
Tarpon are the headline, with the biggest crowds in the pass from late spring through mid-summer. Summer is also strong for snook on the beaches and in the passes. Fall and winter shift the action into Charlotte Harbor, where redfish school on the flats and trout settle into the grass and deeper edges.
Boca Grande Pass is deep with very strong current and heavy boat traffic during tarpon season, so it's a boat fishery with its own etiquette. It also has its own special gear rules, so read the FWC rules for the pass before you fish it. Tarpon in Florida are catch-and-release in most cases, and the big ones should stay in the water.
Seasons, size limits and bag limits change. Check the current FWC saltwater fishing rules before you keep a fish.
Scores update with the season, the tide and the light — the forecast shows which of these is strongest right now and when it peaks this week.
Open the Boca Grande forecast ›