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Gag grouperClosedBar · Florida
Eastern Dry Rocks
24.46°N · 81.84°W · Bar · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 205 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-2 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Eastern Dry Rocks 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt SSEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
42Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
52Off season · capped at 35Closed season · capped at 20Season: Off seasonHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Closed
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)
Gag grouper
Closed- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Aug 2 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- FWC closed Atlantic gag grouper, including all state waters off Monroe County, for the rest of the 2026 season (Executive Order 26-10). The 2027 season has not been announced.
From FWC news release, May 13, 2026: Atlantic gag grouper closes August 2 (EO 26-10), 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 (10 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
- Permit Retention open (1 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
- Red snapper Check regulations
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Catch & release (No retention)
- 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
Out of season for Gag grouper · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Eastern Dry Rocks
- Depth
- About 80 ft
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · Exposed
- Season
- Off seasonGag grouper
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Eastern Dry Rocks
Eastern Dry Rocks is a bar in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth is about 80 ft. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, red grouper and common snook. It is peak season now for common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for gray snapper, red grouper, permit and Atlantic tarpon. Gray snapper peak from May through August. Red grouper peak from April through June. Common snook peak from April through May and 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sand Key Channel71
Channel · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Common snook 70
- Crevalle jack 66
3 kt SSEH 7:44 AM · 2.0 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.5 ft
- Main Ship Channel70
Channel · 4.9 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 69
- Crevalle jack 67
8 kt SSEH 8:14 AM · 2.1 ftL 2:44 PM · 0.6 ft
- Middle Ground67
Bar · 4.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 67
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Crevalle jack 61
3 kt SSEH 7:44 AM · 2.0 ftL 2:18 PM · 0.5 ft
- Sand Key63
Bar · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season- Atlantic tarpon 63
- Common snook 61
- Crevalle jack 60
3 kt SSEH 7:44 AM · 2.0 ftL 2:18 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.