For red snapper out of Pensacola Pass, I’d start with the Don Phillips–Penhall cluster: several substantial public reefs in roughly 89–100 feet, close enough together to move if one is crowded or not marking fish.

Public snapper reef coordinates

Format: degrees and decimal minutes — verify your GPS is set to DD° MM.MMM′.

Public reef	Coordinates	Charted depth	Structure
Don Phillips Barge & Parks	N 30°05.750′ / W 87°10.600′	100 ft	120-foot barge and concrete structures
Penhall Reef	N 30°05.523′ / W 87°11.497′	92 ft	Approximately 5,700 tons of bridge rubble
Rusty B Reef	N 30°04.753′ / W 87°11.384′	89 ft	Limestone and large reef balls
Admiral Fetterman Reef	N 30°04.682′ / W 87°11.878′	93 ft	Reef balls and rock rubble
Pensacola Fishing Forum Reef 5	N 30°05.781′ / W 87°08.872′	85 ft	Welded-steel tetrahedron
DKE Knicklebine Barge	N 30°01.970′ / W 87°11.495′	122 ft	117-foot barge with concrete
Oriskany Memorial Reef	N 30°02.555′ / W 87°00.397′	212 ft	Large ship reef; advanced offshore/deep-water option

These are from Escambia County’s July 23, 2026 public artificial-reef list. Download the official 2026 Excel reef list, use the interactive reef map, or download the county’s 2026 KML/KMZ file.

Important for today, August 22, 2026

Florida’s Gulf private-recreational red snapper harvest is currently closed; it reopens September 1–October 4, 2026. When open, the limit is 2 per person per day, minimum 16 inches total length. Confirm the full fall schedule on the current FWC snapper regulations page. Federally permitted charter boats can operate under different seasons.

Local approach

• Public numbers get heavily worked. Idle across the waypoint first and fish the strongest sonar return rather than dropping blindly on the exact coordinate.
• Try a controlled drift from up-current before anchoring. Fish may hold beside or down-current of the structure, not directly over it.
• In 90–120 feet, carry a descending device or venting tool rigged and ready, plus a dehooker and proper non-stainless circle hooks when using natural bait; these are required reef-fishing gear. See FWC’s reef-fish gear rules.
• Escambia County has also posted a 2026 warning about possible military practice munitions in some waterways. Check the risk overlay on the county map before anchoring, and never retrieve or disturb a suspicious object.

👉 Are you launching through Pensacola Pass, and what maximum depth or offshore range is comfortable for your boat?