- Depth
- 40-43 ft
- Access
- By boat
- Best months
- March to May, September to December
- Species
- Gag grouper, Red grouper, Mangrove (gray) snapper, King mackerel (kingfish), Cobia
A north-south line of reefs about 8 to 10 nautical miles west-southwest of New Pass and Big Pass, all in 40 to 43 feet. M-3 is concrete culverts and boxes (1990), M-4 is rubble and culverts (1991) plus 212 reef balls (1998), and M-5 is a big pile of nested culverts with about 8 feet of relief (1994). Genesis Center Reef, 10.4 nautical miles west of Big Pass, is 67 dome modules from 2019, charted by NOAA as a fish haven. The FWC and Nova Southeastern University satellite map shows dozens of pavement hard-bottom patches within a mile of M-3, M-4 and Genesis.
How to fish it
Fish the bottom on anchor for grouper and snapper, and live baits for kingfish in spring and fall. Drifting the mapped pavement between the reefs can turn up fish too.
Watch out for: These sit right on the state-federal line: M-3 is about 1.8, M-4 about 0.9 and M-5 about 0.4 nautical miles inside it, and Genesis about 0.3 outside. About 8 to 10 nautical miles out, so watch the forecast.
Rules here: M-3 to M-5 are in state waters and Genesis is in federal waters, so the rules for the water you're in apply. Reef fish gear rules and the State Reef Fish Angler designation apply at all of them. The rules to check in Sarasota nearshore waters