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Best score today · 5 AM · Gag grouper

82/100Great

Now: 205 AM EDT
Best window: 5-9 AMHigh slack
Tide now: Flooding3.4 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Mon · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

DRAG OR TAP AN HOUR

Time5ANOW

Score20Poor

Tide3.4 ft ▲Flooding

CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward SSW

Wind4 kn Ngusts 6 · steady

Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 6 s

Air temp76°Warm

WeatherPartly cloudy35% chance of rain

Water84°FObserved

WED · SEP 23

THU · SEP 24

2A

3A

4A

NOW

6A

7A

8A

9A

10A

11A

12P

1P

2P

3P

4P

5P

6P

7P

8P

9P

10P

11P

12A

1A

20

0.4

○0.0

0.3

1.1

1.5

1.3

0.3

○0.1

1.5

2.7

2.4

1.4

0.4

○0.0

0.3

1.1

1.8

0.8

○0.0

0.7

2.4

2.9

2.3

42

52

53

64

85

106

127

157

187

217

218

219

2110

2111

2211

2110

2111

2212

2112

2011

1.4

1.3

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.1

2.2

2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

2.8

2.9

3.0

3.1

3.2

3.3

35%

39%

40%

45%

57%

72%

84%

92%

97%

100%

98%

94%

87%

79%

73%

71%

73%

76%

80%

84°

85°

Hour

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 (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 Retention open (5 per day)
Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
Spot Retention open (50 per day)
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)

Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gag grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Peak
Shoulder
Off
This week

Gag grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Deep Creek

Depth: 4-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure: Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
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 Deep Creek

Deep Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for weakfish, Florida pompano, black drum and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Red drum peak from August 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.
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.
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.

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- Atlantic tarpon 81
- Atlantic croaker 76
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Fort George River
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Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
- Atlantic croaker 78
- Atlantic tarpon 77
- Spot 73
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Hannah Mills Creek
Gut · 1.4 mi
77
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
- Atlantic croaker 77
- Atlantic tarpon 76
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Horseshoe Creek
Bay · 1.7 mi
73
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
- Southern flounder 71
4 kt NH 6:56 AM · 4.8 ftL 1:15 PM · 0.9 ft