Waterlands

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Red grouperRetention open

Cape · Florida

Crooked Point

29.74°N · 83.56°W · Cape · Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM

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Best score today · 6 PM · Red grouper

78/100Great
Now
361 AM EDT
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High3.0 ft

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score36Fair
Tide3.0 ftHigh
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind4 kn Egusts 9 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water86°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Red grouper

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 20 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero in state waters. No more than 4 grouper combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open year-round in Gulf state waters. Federal waters close February 1 through March 31 seaward of 20 fathoms.

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)
  • 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 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Red grouper · 27 more weeks at shoulder

Red grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red grouper · 27 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Crooked Point

Depth
1-3 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Outer · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonRed 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 Crooked Point

Crooked Point is a cape in Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 NM, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, outer water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Red grouper
Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.
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

View all on map →
  • Piney Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Florida pompano 59
    • Red drum 56

    4 kt EL 6:58 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:34 PM · 3.7 ft

  • Hagens Cove

    Bay · 2.5 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Red drum 60
    • Florida pompano 59

    4 kt EL 6:58 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:34 PM · 3.7 ft

  • Sponge Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Florida pompano 59
    • Red drum 56

    4 kt EL 6:58 AM · 1.7 ftH 12:34 PM · 3.7 ft

  • Long Grass Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Florida pompano 58
    • Red drum 55

    4 kt EL 6:46 AM · 1.4 ftH 12:42 PM · 3.3 ft

Open in the tide map

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.