Waterlands

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Red grouperRetention open

Channel · Florida

Cape Florida Anchorage

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

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Best score today · 6 PM · Red grouper

79/100Great
Now
595 PM EST
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.7 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
Score59Good
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

Red grouper

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 20 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Jan 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. No more than 3 grouper and tilefish combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open May 1 through December 31. Closed January 1 through April 30.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, 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 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 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 Red grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Red grouper · 21 more weeks at shoulder

Red grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red grouper · 21 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Cape Florida Anchorage

Depth
15-20 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonRed 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 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 gray snapper, Spanish mackerel, 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

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.
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

    75
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 75
    • Common snook 72
    • Red drum 70

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

  • Biscayne Channel

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    75
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 75
    • Common snook 72
    • Red drum 70

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

  • South Basin

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    75
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 75
    • Common snook 71
    • Red drum 69

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

  • Cape Florida

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    71
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 71
    • Crevalle jack 71
    • King mackerel 69

    11 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.