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Gag grouperClosedChannel · Florida
Matanzas Inlet
29.71°N · 81.23°W · Channel · Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack72
- Atlantic croaker70
- King mackerel67
- Summer flounder66
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Florida pompano65
- Spot65
- Gray snapper64
- Red drum62
- Spanish mackerel62
- Black sea bass60
- Black drum57
- Southern flounder55
- Little tunny54
- Weakfish54
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red snapper53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Red grouper52
- Sheepshead52
- Cobia51
- Wahoo50
- Mahi-mahi49
- Greater amberjack48
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 202 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Matanzas Inlet 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
81Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
48Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Closed
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Gag grouper
Closed- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Aug 2 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- FWC closed Atlantic gag grouper, including all state waters off Monroe County, for the rest of the 2026 season (Executive Order 26-10). The 2027 season has not been announced.
From FWC news release, May 13, 2026: Atlantic gag grouper closes August 2 (EO 26-10), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (10 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
- Red snapper Check regulations
- 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 (50 per day)
- 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 Gag grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Matanzas Inlet
- Depth
- 1-10 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · ExposedInlet · slope
- 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 Matanzas Inlet
Matanzas Inlet is a channel in Coastal waters from St. Augustine to Flagler Beach FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and black drum. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October.
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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
- 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
- Fox Cut77
Channel · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Crevalle jack 72
- Spot 72
10 kt NEL 5:42 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:50 PM · 1.0 ft
- French Cape67
Cape · 14 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
- King mackerel 65
7 kt NEH 7:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- Devils Elbow62
Bend · 2.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 62
- Crevalle jack 61
- King mackerel 58
10 kt NEH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ftL 2:22 AM · 0.9 ft
- Murat Point59
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 59
- Atlantic croaker 57
- King mackerel 56
10 kt NEH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ftL 2:22 AM · 0.9 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.
