Pensacola fishing times today
Solunar periods, the current at the pass, and the water
TodayFishing around Pensacola
This reading is more than 3 hours old. Check the flag at the lifeguard stand and the National Weather Service before you swim.
Best times to fish, Thursday, October 1
4:03 PM to 6:03 PM
A major period, moon underfoot, close to sunset.
- Major3:31 AM to 5:31 AM, moon overhead
- Minor11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, moonset
- Major4:03 PM to 6:03 PM, moon underfoot, near sunset
- Minor9:36 PM to 10:36 PM, moonrise
Friday, October 2: best bet 4:35 AM to 6:35 AM, moon overhead, close to sunrise.
Saturday, October 3: best bet 5:40 AM to 7:40 AM, moon overhead, close to sunrise.
These are solunar periods, from John Alden Knight's 1926 theory: about two hours around the moon passing overhead or underfoot (major) and about an hour around moonrise and moonset (minor). Plenty of anglers plan by them. They are a tradition, not a forecast: a 2023 study of trout catches found no link to them. Moon and sun times are worked out for Gulf Breeze, to within about 10 minutes.
The current at Pensacola Pass
- Fri 4:12 AMSlack water
- Fri 7:59 AMGoing out hardest, 3.1 knots
- Fri 3:21 PMSlack water
- Fri 8:47 PMComing in hardest, 2.6 knots
- Sat 5:18 AMSlack water
When the current runs hardest in and out of the bay where it meets the Gulf, and the slack water between, as NOAA predicts them for Pensacola Bay entrance, midchannel. Predictions, not readings. NOAA Tides and Currents.
The water
- Water temperature84°F at Pensacola
- Wind at the beach13 mph
Water from NOAA Tides and Currents; wind from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
LicensesDo you need a license?
Florida residents fishing from shore, or from a bridge or jetty attached to it, need the free shore license. Fishing from a boat takes a saltwater license. Kids under 16 and Florida residents 65 and older need none, and neither does anyone fishing from a pier that holds its own license. Florida residents with a VA service-connected rating of 50% or more can get a no-cost hunting and fishing license.
Seasons, sizes and bag limits change through the year, so check before you keep a fish: FWC saltwater rules and FWC saltwater licenses.
The beachHeading out from the beach?
The flag the lifeguards posted is on Pensacola Beach flag today, and the tides, surf and weather are on Pensacola Beach conditions.
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