Waterlands

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Gag grouperClosed

Bay · Florida

Browns Bay

29.00°N · 80.89°W · Bay · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper

61/100Good
Now
209 AM EST
Best window
5-7 PMDusk
Tide now
Flooding0.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 2 AM

Time2A
Score20Poor
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Wind4 kn Wgusts 6 · steady
Air temp46°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water77°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gag grouper

Closed
Daily limit
No retention
Possession
Not published
Size
Not published
Season
Aug 2 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Other
FWC closed Atlantic gag grouper, including all state waters off Monroe County, for the rest of the 2026 season (Executive Order 26-10). The 2027 season has not been announced.

From FWC news release, May 13, 2026: Atlantic gag grouper closes August 2 (EO 26-10), read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Catch & release (No retention)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • 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 (50 per day)
  • Spotted seatrout Closed (No retention)
  • 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 Gag grouper is best here

Peak season for Gag grouper · 8 more weeks at peak

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Peak season for Gag grouper · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Browns Bay

Depth
Up to 3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak 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 Browns Bay

Browns Bay is a bay in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is up to 3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are wahoo, yellowfin tuna and sailfish. It is peak season now for wahoo, black sea bass, bluefish and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for yellowfin tuna, sailfish, Atlantic croaker and black drum. Wahoo peak from April through May and from October through November. Yellowfin tuna peak from March through May. Sailfish peak from December through January.

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.
Wahoo
Wahoo patrol drop-offs, seamounts, rigs and weed lines where current and temperature breaks meet, usually along the 100 to 600 foot contours. High-speed trolling at 12 to 18 knots with weighted lures covers ground, and slower trolling with ballyhoo or diving plugs works over known structure. Use wire leader, because their teeth cut monofilament.
Yellowfin tuna
Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Snake Creek

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    53
    Top: WahooPeak season
    • Wahoo 53
    • Yellowfin tuna 41
    • Sailfish 37

    11 kt EH 1:53 PM · 2.8 ftL 8:28 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Little Snapper Cut

    Channel · 0.3 mi

    53
    Top: WahooPeak season
    • Wahoo 53
    • Yellowfin tuna 41
    • Sailfish 37

    11 kt EH 1:53 PM · 2.8 ftL 8:28 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Big Snapper Cut

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    53
    Top: WahooPeak season
    • Wahoo 53
    • Yellowfin tuna 41
    • Sailfish 37

    11 kt EH 1:53 PM · 2.8 ftL 8:28 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Indian River North

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    51
    Top: WahooPeak season
    • Wahoo 51
    • Yellowfin tuna 40
    • Sailfish 36

    11 kt EH 3:07 PM · 1.2 ftL 9:57 PM · 0.1 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.