Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bay · Florida

Bunker Cove

30.39°N · 86.11°W · Bay · Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Gray triggerfish

82/100Great
Now
526 AM CDT
Best window
3-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Bunker Cove scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score52Good
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind4 kn NEgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 5 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water85°FObserved

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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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 (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 10 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 10 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Florida

Spot profile

Bunker Cove

Depth
2-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Bunker Cove

Bunker Cove is a bay in Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, red drum and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, black drum and crevalle jack. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July.

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.
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

  • Duck Lake

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    79
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Gray snapper 68
    • Red drum 67

    4 kt NEH 6:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 8:20 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Jolly Bay

    Bay · 3.0 mi

    79
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Gray snapper 68
    • Red drum 67

    5 kt NEH 6:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 8:20 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Mallet Bayou

    Bay · 5.0 mi

    79
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 79
    • Red drum 72
    • Permit 67

    5 kt NEH 6:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 8:20 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Wheeler Point

    Cape · 4.4 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Gray snapper 63
    • Red drum 63

    5 kt NEH 6:58 AM · 0.9 ftL 8:20 PM · 0.4 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.