Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Cape · Florida

French Cape

29.91°N · 81.28°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Gray triggerfish

79/100Great
Now
431 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.2 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 · 80

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score43Fair
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward N
Wind3 kn Ngusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 6 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherClear11% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray triggerfish

Retention open
Daily limit
10 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 12 in, fork length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open year-round.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Gray Triggerfish, 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 snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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 Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Florida →

Spot profile

French Cape

Depth
5-30 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish

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 French Cape

French Cape is a cape in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

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 spot, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and red snapper. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Red drum peak from August through November.

Tackle & technique

Gray triggerfish
Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Saint Augustine Inlet

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Southern flounder 63

    3 kt NH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ftL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Devils Elbow

    Bend · 12 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 71
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Red drum 63

    3 kt NEL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:31 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Murat Point

    Cape · 9.5 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 70
    • Atlantic croaker 66
    • Red drum 64

    3 kt NEL 1:35 AM · 1.1 ftH 7:31 AM · 4.3 ft

  • Vilano Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Red drum 62

    3 kt NH 6:37 AM · 4.4 ftL 12:35 PM · 0.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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.