Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Channel · Florida

East Cutoff

30.08°N · 83.98°W · Channel · Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm

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Best score today · 6 PM · Gray triggerfish

77/100Great
Now
442 PM EDT
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score44Fair
Tide3.2 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward W
Wind8 kn NEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp88°Hot
WeatherPartly cloudy40% cloud
Water87°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray triggerfish

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 15 in, fork length
Season
Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Jan 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Gulf season is March 1 through May 31 and August 1 through December 31. Federal waters can close early if the quota is met.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Gray Triggerfish, 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)
  • Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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 (5 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Florida

Spot profile

East Cutoff

Depth
Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 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 East Cutoff

East Cutoff is a channel in Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is up to 3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Florida pompano and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, permit and Atlantic tarpon. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November.

Tackle & technique

Gray triggerfish
Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
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.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Long Point

    Gut · 2.4 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Florida pompano 60
    • Red drum 58

    8 kt NEL 8:01 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:29 AM · 3.1 ft

  • Pinhook Cut-Off

    Channel · 2.7 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Red drum 59
    • Florida pompano 58

    8 kt NEL 8:28 PM · 0.3 ftH 2:07 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Green Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Florida pompano 60
    • Red drum 56

    8 kt NEL 8:01 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:29 AM · 3.1 ft

  • Gamble Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Florida pompano 60
    • Red drum 56

    8 kt NEL 8:01 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:29 AM · 3.1 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.