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Gag grouperClosedBay · Florida
Horseshoe Creek
30.44°N · 81.46°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack58
- Atlantic croaker57
- Red drum57
- Southern flounder55
- Spot55
- Florida pompano54
- King mackerel54
- Summer flounder54
- Atlantic tarpon53
- Gray snapper48
- Spanish mackerel48
- Black sea bass45
- Spotted seatrout45
- Gray triggerfish43
- Black drum42
- Cobia42
- Red grouper42
- Red snapper42
- Weakfish41
- Little tunny40
- Mahi-mahi40
- Greater amberjack38
- Sheepshead38
- Sailfish35
- Wahoo34
- Yellowfin tuna33
- Bluefish32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 202 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Horseshoe Creek 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
51Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
92Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
20Water temp: 84°F, hotLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
48Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Closed
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 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)
Source: FWC · synced today
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
Spot profile
Horseshoe Creek
- Depth
- 1-10 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 Horseshoe Creek
Horseshoe Creek is a bay in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and red drum. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and gray triggerfish. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. 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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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
- Hannah Mills Creek62
Gut · 2.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 62
- Red drum 62
- Summer flounder 62
10 kt NEH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:58 AM · 1.0 ft
- Broward Creek60
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Crevalle jack 60
- Red drum 58
10 kt NEH 7:21 PM · 5.6 ftL 1:38 AM · 0.7 ft
- Deep Creek59
Gut · 1.7 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
- Summer flounder 58
10 kt NEH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:58 AM · 1.0 ft
- Fort George River57
Gut · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Crevalle jack 57
- Summer flounder 56
10 kt NEH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.8 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.