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Gag grouperRetention openChannel · Florida
Boiler Gap
29.32°N · 83.19°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker72
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Red drum61
- Gray snapper60
- Florida pompano57
- Black drum55
- Southern flounder54
- Permit52
- Spanish mackerel50
- Spotted seatrout49
- Crevalle jack47
- Gag grouper47
- Red snapper47
- King mackerel46
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Cobia43
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red grouper43
- Greater amberjack38
- Mahi-mahi37
- Wahoo36
- Sheepshead35
- Sailfish32
Best score today · 9 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 4712 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 AM-4 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding2.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Boiler Gap 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
54Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
44Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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 (5 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
Boiler Gap
- Depth
- 5-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Boiler Gap
Boiler Gap is a channel in Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, black drum and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Red drum peak from September through November.
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.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Wadley Pass72
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Atlantic tarpon 65
- Red drum 62
5 kt EH 12:55 AM · 2.8 ftL 6:26 AM · 1.7 ft
- Northern Pass72
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Atlantic tarpon 64
- Red drum 61
5 kt EL 6:32 AM · 1.5 ftH 12:01 PM · 3.5 ft
- Suwannee Reef71
Bar · 3.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Red drum 65
- Gray snapper 63
5 kt EH 12:55 AM · 2.8 ftL 6:26 AM · 1.7 ft
- Halfmoon Reef69
Bar · 4.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Red drum 64
- Gray snapper 62
5 kt EH 12:55 AM · 2.8 ftL 6:26 AM · 1.7 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.