Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bay · Florida

Duck Lake

30.41°N · 86.12°W · Bay · Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Gray triggerfish

75/100Great
Now
557 AM CDT
Best window
7-10 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score55Good
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.0 knmodeled · toward E
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 5 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast96% cloud
Water86°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)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

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

Duck Lake

Depth
2-10 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 Duck Lake

Duck Lake is a bay in Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

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

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bunker Cove

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Gray snapper 67

    4 kt ENEH 9:35 AM · 0.9 ftL 11:17 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Mallet Bayou

    Bay · 3.3 mi

    73
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 73
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Gray snapper 67

    5 kt ENEH 9:35 AM · 0.9 ftL 11:17 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Jolly Bay

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    72
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 72
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Red drum 69

    5 kt ENEH 9:35 AM · 0.9 ftL 11:17 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Wheeler Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Gray snapper 68
    • Red drum 65

    5 kt ENEH 9:35 AM · 0.9 ftL 11:17 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.