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Gag grouperRetention openGut · Florida
Doghead Gap
28.96°N · 82.76°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Common snook71
- Gray snapper71
- Red drum71
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Southern flounder65
- Florida pompano64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Black drum63
- Crevalle jack62
- Gag grouper60
- Permit59
- King mackerel58
- Gray triggerfish56
- Red grouper56
- Red snapper56
- Spotted seatrout55
- Cobia52
- Greater amberjack50
- Yellowfin tuna49
- Sailfish48
- Wahoo43
- Mahi-mahi42
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 608 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Doghead 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
92Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 5 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.3 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
Doghead Gap
- Depth
- About 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 Doghead Gap
Doghead Gap is a gut in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is about 7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tin Pan Gap75
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 71
- Gray snapper 71
5 kt NNEH 12:05 PM · 4.0 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ft
- Demory Gap73
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Common snook 71
- Gray snapper 71
5 kt NNEH 12:05 PM · 4.0 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ft
- Buckford Creek73
Gut · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 72
- Common snook 70
5 kt NNEH 12:05 PM · 4.0 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ft
- Long Point72
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Common snook 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
5 kt NNEH 12:05 PM · 4.0 ftL 7:34 PM · 0.7 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.