Waterlands

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Gag grouperClosed

Channel · Florida

Cape Florida Anchorage

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

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Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper

78/100Great
Now
2011 PM EST
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 14 · 3 AM

Time3A
Score20Poor
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward E
Wind8 kn Egusts 17 · steady
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherOvercast98% cloud
Water83°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)

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

Cape Florida Anchorage

Depth
15-20 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 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 gray snapper. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, king mackerel, bonefish and common snook, and shoulder season for gray snapper, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and red grouper. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. King mackerel peak from November through March. Gray snapper peak from May through August.

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.
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

    64
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Gray snapper 59
    • King mackerel 56

    6 kt EH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ftL 8:47 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Biscayne Channel

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    64
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Gray snapper 59
    • King mackerel 56

    6 kt EH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ftL 8:47 AM · 0.5 ft

  • South Basin

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    64
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 64
    • Gray snapper 58
    • Florida pompano 56

    6 kt EH 2:52 AM · 2.3 ftL 9:41 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Cape Florida

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    61
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 61
    • Spanish mackerel 59
    • King mackerel 58

    6 kt EH 2:19 AM · 2.4 ftL 8:47 AM · 0.5 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.