Waterlands

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Gag grouperClosed

Bar · Florida

Black Ledge

25.59°N · 80.25°W · Bar · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper

77/100Great
Now
2012 PM EST
Best window
12-5 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Nov 16 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score20Poor
Tide1.6 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind3 kn NWgusts 15 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water81°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 (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 Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • 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

Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 25 more weeks at shoulder

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 25 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Black Ledge

Depth
6-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder 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 Black Ledge

Black Ledge is a bar in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 6-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, red grouper and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for king mackerel, crevalle jack, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for red grouper, Florida pompano, gray snapper and greater amberjack. King mackerel peak from November through March. Red grouper peak from April 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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
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

  • Deering Bay Channel

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    69
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 69
    • Crevalle jack 67
    • Red drum 61

    8 kt ESEH 4:39 PM · 2.6 ftL 11:20 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Biscayne Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Common snook 65
    • King mackerel 61

    7 kt EH 4:21 PM · 2.3 ftL 11:06 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Shoal Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    63
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 63
    • Crevalle jack 62
    • King mackerel 60

    8 kt ESEH 4:39 PM · 2.6 ftL 11:20 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Paradise Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    63
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 63
    • Crevalle jack 62
    • King mackerel 60

    8 kt ESEH 4:39 PM · 2.6 ftL 11:20 PM · 0.8 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.