Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bay · Florida

Hogtown Bayou

30.40°N · 86.26°W · Bay · Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay

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Best score today · 12 AM · Gray triggerfish

74/100Great
Now
552 AM CST
Best window
2-6 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Nov 4 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score48Good
Tide0.7 ftHigh
Current0.4 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind7 kn SEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.7 ft · 5 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy88% chance of rain
Water75°FBias corrected

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 Closed (No retention)
  • 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 (3 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 · 3 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 3 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Florida →

Spot profile

Hogtown Bayou

Depth
8-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Hogtown Bayou

Hogtown Bayou is a bay in Eastern Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth is 8-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for red drum, Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout, and shoulder season for king mackerel, gray snapper, black drum and gray triggerfish. Red drum peak from September through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Motes Point

    Cape · 5.6 mi

    78
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 78
    • Spotted seatrout 76
    • Black drum 66

    8 kt ENEH 8:11 AM · 0.8 ftL 6:49 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Horseshoe Bayou

    Bay · 4.4 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Florida pompano 63
    • Spanish mackerel 61

    8 kt ENEH 7:22 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:29 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Choctawhatchee Bay

    Bay · 5.9 mi

    67
    Top: Florida pompanoPeak season
    • Florida pompano 67
    • Red drum 67
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    8 kt ENEH 7:22 AM · 0.7 ftL 10:29 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Live Oak Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Florida pompano 64
    • Spotted seatrout 64

    8 kt ENEH 7:07 AM · 0.8 ftL 9:00 PM · 0.5 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.