Waterlands

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Gag grouperClosed

Bar · Florida

Sawa Rock

24.64°N · 82.86°W · Bar · Gulf of America including Dry Tortugas and Rebecca Shoal Channel

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper

69/100Great
Now
204 PM EDT
Best window
5-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 74

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score20Poor
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind4 kn WNWgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy55% chance of rain
Water88°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)

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
  • 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)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Check regulations
  • Permit Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish 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 Catch & release (No retention)
  • 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gag grouper is best here

Out of season for Gag grouper · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Out of season for Gag grouper · shoulder season starts in 2 weeks.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
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Gag grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Sawa Rock

Depth
40-50 ft
Structure
Ledge · Outer · Exposed
Season
Off seasonGag grouper

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 464 m grid. Depths are feet below mean sea level, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Sawa Rock

Sawa Rock is a bar in Gulf of America including Dry Tortugas and Rebecca Shoal Channel, Florida. Depth is 40-50 ft. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 18 species here; the best right now are permit, red grouper and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for crevalle jack and common snook, and shoulder season for permit, red grouper, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper. Permit peak from March through June. Red grouper peak from April through June. Atlantic tarpon peak from March through June.

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.
Permit
Permit cruise flat edges and channels in 2 to 6 feet of water in the Keys and Biscayne Bay, and school over wrecks and reefs in 30 to 120 feet, especially during the spring spawn. A live or artificial crab is the standard bait, cast ahead of a tailing fish on the flats or dropped to a school on a wreck. They spook easily in shallow water, so good light and a long, quiet cast are needed.
Red grouper
Red grouper live on low limestone ledges and potholed live bottom across the West Florida Shelf, mostly in 60 to 250 feet. Drift to find hard bottom, then anchor and fish live pinfish, grunts or squid on the bottom with stout conventional tackle. Reel hard right after the bite, because they dive into holes, and use a descending device on fish released from deep water.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Bird Key Harbor

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    60
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 60
    • Crevalle jack 59
    • Atlantic tarpon 52

    7 kt WSWH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ftL 2:56 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Southeast Channel

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    60
    Top: Atlantic tarponShoulder season
    • Atlantic tarpon 60
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • Common snook 56

    8 kt WSWH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ftL 2:56 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Bird Key Bank

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    57
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 57
    • Common snook 55
    • Red grouper 51

    7 kt WSWH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ftL 2:56 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Bush Key Shoal

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    55
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 55
    • Crevalle jack 52
    • Atlantic tarpon 52

    4 kt WNWH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ftL 2:56 AM · 1.1 ft

Open in the tide map

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.