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Gag grouperRetention openBar · Florida
Cape Saint George Shoal
29.55°N · 85.06°W · Bar · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker64
- Red drum64
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Florida pompano58
- Gray snapper58
- Spanish mackerel58
- Black drum55
- Crevalle jack55
- Gag grouper53
- King mackerel53
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red grouper50
- Red snapper50
- Southern flounder49
- Cobia48
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Permit46
- Sailfish46
- Greater amberjack44
- Mahi-mahi41
- Wahoo41
- Spotted seatrout40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 5310 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Saint George Shoal 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
66Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Gag grouper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 24 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Sep 30, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 1
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. No more than 4 grouper combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC set the 2026 Gulf state waters gag season to September 1 through 30 by executive order, matching the federal season. Excludes Monroe County.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, 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)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper 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 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gag grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cape Saint George Shoal
- Depth
- About 15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · 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 Cape Saint George Shoal
Cape Saint George Shoal is a bar in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is about 15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, 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, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.
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 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
- Pilot Cove67
Bay · 3.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 64
- Florida pompano 58
8 kt ENEH 1:37 PM · 1.8 ftL 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Cape Saint George64
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Red drum 64
- Spanish mackerel 61
8 kt ENEH 1:37 PM · 1.8 ftL 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Horseshoe Cove64
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Red drum 64
- Florida pompano 58
8 kt ENEH 1:37 PM · 1.8 ftL 9:03 PM · 0.5 ft
- Higgins Shoal64
Bar · 5.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 64
- Red drum 64
- Florida pompano 58
8 kt ENEH 1:37 PM · 1.8 ftL 9:03 PM · 0.5 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.