Waterlands

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Gray snapperRetention open

Bay · Florida

Indian Lagoon

29.69°N · 85.24°W · Bay · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM

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Best score today · 12 AM · Gray snapper

73/100Great
Now
5610 AM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score56Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward SSE
Wind7 kn ENEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherClear18% cloud
Water87°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray snapper

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day (10 snapper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 10 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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 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 Gray snapper is best here

Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak

Gray snapper season by week of the year. Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray snapper in Florida

Spot profile

Indian Lagoon

Depth
2-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonGray snapper

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 Indian Lagoon

Indian Lagoon is a bay in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, permit and Spanish mackerel. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.

Tackle & technique

Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
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.
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

  • Indian Pass

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Red drum 62
    • Gray snapper 61

    7 kt ENEL 11:38 AM · 1.2 ftH 1:55 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Bay San Blas

    Bay · 3.7 mi

    61
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 61
    • Atlantic croaker 60
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    7 kt ENEL 11:38 AM · 1.2 ftH 1:55 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Big Bayou

    Bay · 6.5 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Gray snapper 52

    7 kt ENEH 3:04 PM · 1.6 ftL 10:55 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Saint Vincent Sound

    Bay · 7.1 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Atlantic croaker 58
    • Gray snapper 52

    8 kt ENEH 3:04 PM · 1.6 ftL 10:55 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.