Waterlands

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Gray snapperRetention open

Bar · Florida

New Ground

24.58°N · 82.20°W · Bar · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge

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Best score today · 7 PM · Gray snapper

75/100Great
Now
612 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score61Good
Tide1.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward S
Wind4 kn WNWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast76% chance of rain
Water88°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray snapper

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day (10 snapper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 10 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Check regulations
  • 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 Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Gray snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray snapper in Florida

Spot profile

New Ground

Depth
10-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGray snapper

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 New Ground

New Ground is a bar in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, common snook and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack and common snook, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, gray snapper and red drum. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Mooney Harbor

    Bay · 4.2 mi

    77
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 77
    • Common snook 74
    • Gray snapper 67

    4 kt WNWL 4:54 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:16 PM · 3.4 ft

  • Rebecca Shoal Channel

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    73
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 73
    • Crevalle jack 73
    • Atlantic tarpon 72

    4 kt WNWL 4:54 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:16 PM · 3.4 ft

  • Halfmoon Shoal

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Common snook 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    4 kt WNWL 4:54 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:16 PM · 3.4 ft

  • The Quicksands

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Common snook 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    4 kt WNWL 4:54 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:16 PM · 3.4 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.