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Gray triggerfishRetention openBar · Florida
Dog Island Reef
29.82°N · 84.51°W · Bar · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Gray snapper61
- Red drum60
- Atlantic croaker58
- Atlantic tarpon55
- Red snapper54
- Gag grouper53
- Black drum50
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red grouper50
- Spanish mackerel49
- Permit47
- Southern flounder47
- Crevalle jack46
- King mackerel46
- Greater amberjack45
- Yellowfin tuna44
- Florida pompano43
- Sailfish42
- Spotted seatrout40
- Cobia39
- Mahi-mahi35
- Sheepshead35
- Wahoo35
Best score today · 6 PM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 506 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dog Island Reef 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 · 6 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
49Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 4 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Dog Island Reef
- Depth
- 9-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · 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 Dog Island Reef
Dog Island Reef is a bar in Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 9-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, red snapper, gag grouper and black drum. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Peninsula Point66
Cape · 7.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Southern flounder 57
4 kt NEL 6:59 AM · 1.2 ftH 12:48 PM · 2.7 ft
- Alligator Harbor66
Bay · 9.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Gray snapper 62
4 kt NEL 6:59 AM · 1.2 ftH 12:48 PM · 2.7 ft
- Turkey Point62
Cape · 6.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Gray snapper 57
4 kt NEL 7:08 AM · 1.6 ftH 12:44 PM · 2.9 ft
- Southwest Cape62
Cape · 9.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 62
- Atlantic croaker 61
- Gray snapper 56
4 kt NEL 6:59 AM · 1.2 ftH 12:48 PM · 2.7 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.