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Gag grouperClosedSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 205 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-9 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Fishermans Channel scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Monday, Nov 16 · 11 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
35Water temp: 81°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
48Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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 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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Fishermans Channel
- Depth
- 5-45 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Fishermans Channel
Fishermans Channel is a channel in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 5-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for common snook, crevalle jack, red drum and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, gray snapper and Florida pompano. 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
- Norris Cut73
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 73
- Crevalle jack 66
- Atlantic tarpon 66
5 kt EL 9:17 AM · 0.6 ftH 3:51 PM · 2.8 ft
- Meloy Channel72
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 72
- Crevalle jack 65
- Atlantic tarpon 64
5 kt EL 9:14 AM · 0.7 ftH 3:31 PM · 3.0 ft
- Main Channel69
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Atlantic tarpon 62
- Crevalle jack 61
5 kt EL 10:27 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:25 PM · 2.6 ft
- Miami South Cannel69
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Atlantic tarpon 62
- Crevalle jack 61
5 kt EL 10:27 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:25 PM · 2.6 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.
