Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bar · Florida

Suwannee Reef

29.27°N · 83.18°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Gray triggerfish

82/100Great
Now
611 AM EST
Best window
3-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 11 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score63Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind5 kn Ngusts 16 · steady
Air temp54°Cool
WeatherClear6% cloud
Water76°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray triggerfish

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 15 in, fork length
Season
Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Jan 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Gulf season is March 1 through May 31 and August 1 through December 31. Federal waters can close early if the quota is met.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Gray Triggerfish, 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
  • 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 Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (5 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Florida →

Spot profile

Suwannee Reef

Depth
5-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Reef · Outer · Semi-exposedReef · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish

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 Suwannee Reef

Suwannee Reef is a bar in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 5-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, red drum and black drum. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, red drum, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for black drum, king mackerel, red snapper and gray snapper. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Black drum peak from February through April.

Tackle & technique

Gray triggerfish
Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
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

  • Halfmoon Reef

    Bar · 2.0 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Spotted seatrout 68

    9 kt ENEH 5:18 AM · 3.4 ftL 1:10 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Ranch Bar Gap

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    69
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Spotted seatrout 67
    • Black drum 66

    9 kt ENEH 5:18 AM · 3.4 ftL 1:10 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Wadley Pass

    Channel · 2.6 mi

    69
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Spanish mackerel 69
    • Spotted seatrout 67

    9 kt ENEH 5:18 AM · 3.4 ftL 1:10 PM · 0.3 ft

  • White Shell Bar Gap

    Channel · 2.7 mi

    69
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 69
    • Red drum 66
    • Spanish mackerel 66

    9 kt ENEH 5:18 AM · 3.4 ftL 1:10 PM · 0.3 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.