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Gag grouperRetention openChannel · Florida
Ranch Bar Gap
29.26°N · 83.18°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker75
- Gray snapper72
- Red drum70
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Florida pompano65
- Spanish mackerel65
- Black drum64
- Crevalle jack64
- Southern flounder62
- Gag grouper61
- Permit61
- King mackerel59
- Gray triggerfish57
- Red grouper57
- Red snapper57
- Spotted seatrout55
- Cobia53
- Greater amberjack51
- Yellowfin tuna49
- Sailfish48
- Wahoo43
- Mahi-mahi42
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 6110 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 AM-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ranch Bar 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.8 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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
Ranch Bar Gap
- Depth
- 6-15 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 Ranch Bar Gap
Ranch Bar Gap is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 6-15 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, gray snapper and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- White Shell Bar Gap75
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Gray snapper 72
- Red drum 70
7 kt NEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Suwannee Reef74
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 74
- Red drum 72
7 kt NEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Halfmoon Reef74
Bar · 2.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 74
- Red drum 72
7 kt NEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 ft
- Suwannee Sound73
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 70
- Gray snapper 67
7 kt NEH 12:14 PM · 3.4 ftL 7:22 PM · 0.8 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.