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Gray snapperRetention openBay · Florida
Pumpkin Bay
25.91°N · 81.55°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook78
- Atlantic croaker75
- Red drum71
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Florida pompano68
- Gray snapper66
- Spanish mackerel66
- Crevalle jack64
- King mackerel60
- Permit60
- Gag grouper59
- Black drum58
- Southern flounder58
- Gray triggerfish57
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Cobia55
- Yellowfin tuna53
- Greater amberjack50
- Spotted seatrout50
- Sailfish49
- Mahi-mahi48
- Wahoo45
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 6611 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Pumpkin Bay 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
61Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 3 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
94Water temp: 85°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier 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
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (10 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Catch & release (No retention)
- Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- 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
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Pumpkin Bay
- Depth
- Up to 2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Pumpkin Bay
Pumpkin Bay is a bay in Coastal waters from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and crevalle jack. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak 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.
- 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 croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Dismal Key Pass81
Channel · 2.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 81
- Atlantic croaker 79
- Gray snapper 71
3 kt ESEH 12:17 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:07 PM · 0.4 ft
- Santina Bay78
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 78
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Red drum 71
3 kt ESEH 12:17 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:07 PM · 0.4 ft
- Gator Bay78
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 78
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 74
3 kt ESEH 12:17 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:07 PM · 0.4 ft
- Buttonwood Bay78
Bay · 2.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 78
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 74
3 kt ESEH 12:17 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:07 PM · 0.4 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.