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Red grouperRetention openBar · Florida
Delta Shoal
24.63°N · 81.09°W · Bar · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 PM · Red grouper
- Now
- 544 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-2 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Delta Shoal scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 10 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
47Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Special Permit Zone (SPZ)
Red grouper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 South Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 20 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Jan 1
- Other
- No separate red grouper limit off Florida. Red grouper count toward the 3-fish grouper and tilefish bag. Open between the dated closures unless NOAA closes the season early. No snapper-grouper fishing in the North Florida, St. Lucie Hump and East Hump marine protected areas or the Warsaw Hole/50 Fathom Hole spawning area (50 CFR 622.183(a)).
From 50 CFR part 622, subpart I (South Atlantic snapper-grouper), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Black sea bass Retention open (7 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 Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (10 South Atlantic snappers combined per day)
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day (20 South Atlantic snapper-grouper (20-fish) 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 (1 per day)
- Red snapper Catch & release (No retention)
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 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 Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 27 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Delta Shoal
- Depth
- 10-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed grouper
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 Delta Shoal
Delta Shoal is a bar in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth is 10-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are common snook, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gray snapper, red drum and red grouper. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June.
Tackle & technique
- Red grouper
- Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Boot Key Harbor74
Bay · 5.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Crevalle jack 70
- Gray snapper 65
10 kt SSEH 7:11 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.5 ft
- Vaca Key Bight74
Bay · 5.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 74
- Crevalle jack 69
- Atlantic tarpon 65
10 kt SSEH 7:11 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.5 ft
- East Washerwoman Shoal69
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Crevalle jack 63
- Atlantic tarpon 61
10 kt SSEH 7:11 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.5 ft
- Sister Creek69
Bay · 4.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Crevalle jack 69
- Red drum 62
10 kt SSEH 7:11 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.5 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.