Waterlands

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Gag grouperClosed

Channel · Florida

Bear Cut

25.73°N · 80.16°W · Channel · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 7 PM · Gag grouper

79/100Great
Now
202 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Sep 28 · 3 AM

Time3A
Score20Poor
Tide0.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward E
Wind3 kn NWgusts 5 · steady
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherClear1% cloud
Water86°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 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 Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • 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 Gag grouper is best here

Out of season for Gag grouper · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Out of season for Gag grouper · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in Florida

Spot profile

Bear Cut

Depth
7-20 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
Season
Off seasonGag 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 Bear Cut

Bear Cut is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 7-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-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, permit, gray snapper and bonefish. 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

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.
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

  • Fishermans Channel

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    71
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 71
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Crevalle jack 67

    2 kt EH 3:13 PM · 2.2 ftL 9:49 PM · 1.1 ft

  • Miami South Cannel

    Channel · 2.4 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 66
    • Crevalle jack 65

    2 kt EH 3:13 PM · 2.2 ftL 9:49 PM · 1.1 ft

  • West Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    67
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 67
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Atlantic tarpon 62

    2 kt EH 3:23 PM · 2.0 ftL 10:10 PM · 1.1 ft

  • Norris Cut

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    65
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 62
    • Crevalle jack 60

    2 kt EL 8:39 PM · 1.1 ftH 2:41 AM · 2.3 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.