Waterlands

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Gray snapperRetention open

Channel · Florida

Cape Florida Anchorage

25.67°N · 80.16°W · Channel · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Gray snapper

79/100Great
Now
676 PM EST
Best window
6-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 8 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score69Great
Tide2.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.6 kn · toward W
Wind2 kn NNWgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy60% cloud
Water83°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

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 (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)
  • Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 25 more weeks at shoulder

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

Gray snapper in Florida →

Spot profile

Cape Florida Anchorage

Depth
15-20 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 Cape Florida Anchorage

Cape Florida Anchorage is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, king mackerel and common snook. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, common snook and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, gray snapper, Atlantic tarpon and black drum. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. King mackerel peak from November through March. Common snook 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cape Florida Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    77
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 77
    • Common snook 75
    • Red drum 72

    10 kt EL 8:18 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Biscayne Channel

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    77
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 77
    • Common snook 75
    • Red drum 72

    10 kt EL 8:18 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ft

  • South Basin

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    77
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 77
    • Common snook 74
    • Red drum 71

    10 kt EL 9:12 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:52 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Cape Florida

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    74
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 74
    • Crevalle jack 73
    • King mackerel 71

    10 kt EL 8:18 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:19 AM · 2.4 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.