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Red snapperRetention openBay · Florida
Pig Bayou
29.70°N · 85.37°W · Bay · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Red drum68
- Gray snapper63
- Crevalle jack60
- Spanish mackerel60
- Gag grouper59
- Southern flounder59
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Florida pompano56
- Gray triggerfish56
- King mackerel56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Black drum54
- Cobia54
- Greater amberjack51
- Permit50
- Spotted seatrout47
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Sailfish43
- Mahi-mahi41
- Wahoo40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 AM · Red snapper
- Now
- 5612 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Pig Bayou 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 7 kt EPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Red snapper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Red snapper(private recreational)
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 16 in, total length
- Season
- Sep 1 to Oct 4, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Oct 5
- Other
- Applies to private recreational vessels in Florida Gulf state and federal waters, and to for-hire vessels without a federal permit in Gulf state waters only. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC sets this 2026 Gulf private recreational season for both Gulf state waters and Gulf federal waters off Florida.
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 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))
- 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 Red snapper is best here
Shoulder season for Red snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Pig Bayou
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Outer · Semi-exposedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed 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 Pig Bayou
Pig Bayou is a bay in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel, gag grouper and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- Red snapper
- Red snapper school over rigs, wrecks, artificial reefs and natural ledges, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Anchor or drift over the structure, chum, and drop cut or live cigar minnows, sardines or squid on circle hooks, using as little weight as the current allows. Federal rules require circle hooks with natural bait in the Gulf and a descending device or venting tool on board.
- 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
- Lighthouse Bayou69
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 68
- Gray snapper 63
7 kt EL 6:27 PM · 0.7 ftH 12:00 AM · 1.2 ft
- Cape San Blas69
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 67
- Gray snapper 63
7 kt EL 6:27 PM · 0.7 ftH 12:00 AM · 1.2 ft
- Cape San Blas Shoals56
Bar · 3.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Red drum 54
- Gray snapper 51
7 kt EH 1:55 PM · 1.3 ftL 8:59 PM · 0.5 ft
- Bay San Blas56
Bay · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 56
- Red drum 55
- Florida pompano 51
7 kt EH 1:55 PM · 1.3 ftL 8:59 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.