Waterlands

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Gray snapperRetention open

Bar · Florida

Turtlecrawl Bank

24.84°N · 81.42°W · Bar · Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge

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Best score today · 8 AM · Gray snapper

72/100Great
Now
553 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-12 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score55Good
Tide2.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward N
Wind9 kn ESEgusts 15 · easing
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp82°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy62% chance of rain
Water86°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)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

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

Turtlecrawl Bank

Depth
5-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bank · Outer · ExposedBank · 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 Turtlecrawl Bank

Turtlecrawl Bank is a bar in Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Florida. Depth is 5-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bank, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Harbor Channel

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    73
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 73
    • Atlantic tarpon 67
    • Crevalle jack 64

    9 kt ESEL 6:06 AM · 1.5 ftH 11:33 AM · 4.2 ft

  • Harbor Key Bank

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    9 kt ESEL 6:06 AM · 1.5 ftH 11:33 AM · 4.2 ft

  • Spanish Banks

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    9 kt ESEL 6:06 AM · 1.5 ftH 11:33 AM · 4.2 ft

  • Cutoe Bank

    Bar · 2.5 mi

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Atlantic tarpon 59

    9 kt ESEL 6:06 AM · 1.5 ftH 11:33 AM · 4.2 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.