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Gray triggerfishRetention openBay · Florida
Apalachicola Bay
29.67°N · 84.98°W · Bay · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker70
- Red drum70
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Gray snapper66
- Spanish mackerel64
- Crevalle jack63
- Gag grouper60
- King mackerel59
- Gray triggerfish56
- Permit56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Black drum55
- Southern flounder55
- Cobia54
- Florida pompano52
- Greater amberjack52
- Spotted seatrout48
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Wahoo42
- Mahi-mahi41
- Sailfish37
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 PM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 565 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Apalachicola 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 4 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
45Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Gray triggerfish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 15 in, fork length
- Season
- Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Jan 1
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Gulf season is March 1 through May 31 and August 1 through December 31. Federal waters can close early if the quota is met.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Gray Triggerfish, 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 snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- 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 Retention open (1 per day)
- 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray triggerfish is best here
Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Apalachicola Bay
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Apalachicola Bay
Apalachicola Bay is a bay in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, crevalle jack and gag grouper. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
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 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Two Mile Channel74
Channel · 2.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 71
- Red drum 70
4 kt EL 9:28 PM · 0.4 ftH 4:01 AM · 1.7 ft
- Higgins Shoal71
Bar · 3.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Atlantic croaker 70
- Atlantic tarpon 69
4 kt EL 9:03 PM · 0.5 ftH 3:56 AM · 1.7 ft
- All Tides Cove70
Bay · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
4 kt EL 8:20 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:06 AM · 2.2 ft
- Cedar Point70
Cape · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic tarpon 67
4 kt EL 8:20 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:06 AM · 2.2 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.