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Gray snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 635 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-8 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Surprise Waterway 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
Saturday, Nov 7 · 6 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 3 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 82°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
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 (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 Gray snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 25 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Surprise Waterway
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- 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 Surprise Waterway
Surprise Waterway is a gut in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, common snook and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for red drum, common snook, crevalle jack and king mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, gray snapper, black drum and red grouper. Red drum peak from October through February. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. Crevalle jack 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.
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tatum Waterway72
Channel · 2.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Common snook 71
- Crevalle jack 69
6 kt ESEL 9:56 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:03 PM · 2.6 ft
- Biscayne Waterway71
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Common snook 69
- Crevalle jack 68
6 kt ESEL 9:08 AM · 0.6 ftH 3:27 PM · 2.6 ft
- Indian Creek71
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Common snook 69
- Crevalle jack 67
9 kt EL 9:56 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:03 PM · 2.6 ft
- Biscayne Point67
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Common snook 66
- Crevalle jack 64
6 kt ESEL 9:56 AM · 0.5 ftH 4:03 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.