Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Gag grouperShoulder season

Cape · Alabama

Point Ono

30.31°N · 87.46°W · Cape · Perdido Bay Area

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper

69/100Great
Now
538 AM CDT
Best window
4-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.7 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Point Ono scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score53Good
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SE
Wind1 kn WNWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 5 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gag grouper

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 24 in, total length
Season
Sep 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Oct 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. No more than 4 grouper combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC set the 2026 Gulf state waters gag season to September 1 through 30 by executive order, matching the federal season. Excludes Monroe County.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
  • Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
  • Crevalle jack Retention open
  • Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gag grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 1 more week at shoulder

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in Alabama

Spot profile

Point Ono

Depth
2-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGag grouper

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 14 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Point Ono

Point Ono is a cape in Perdido Bay Area, Alabama. Depth in the nearest water is 2-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and gag grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November.

Tackle & technique

Gag grouper
Gag hold on ledges, rock piles and wrecks, from 15 to 40 feet in the fall on Florida's Gulf coast out to 250 feet the rest of the year. Troll deep-diving plugs to find productive rocks, then anchor and drop or freeline live pinfish or pigfish on a strong circle hook. Keep the drag tight and turn the fish in the first few seconds or it will reach the rocks.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Old River

    Gut · 2.6 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Gray snapper 66
    • Red drum 66

    1 kt WNWH 9:18 AM · 0.8 ftL 10:29 PM · 0.1 ft

  • Old River

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Gray snapper 65
    • Red drum 63

    1 kt WNWH 9:18 AM · 0.8 ftL 10:29 PM · 0.1 ft

  • Bellville Bay

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Gray snapper 65
    • Red drum 63

    1 kt WNWH 9:18 AM · 0.8 ftL 10:29 PM · 0.1 ft

  • Goat Bayou

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Red drum 66
    • Gray snapper 60

    1 kt WNWH 9:18 AM · 0.8 ftL 10:29 PM · 0.1 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with FWC before you keep a fish.