Waterlands

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Gray snapperRetention open

Bar · Florida

Sawa Rock

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

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Best score today · 7 PM · Gray snapper

71/100Great
Now
6110 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score61Good
Tide1.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind3 kn SSEgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 4 s
Air temp82°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy44% chance of rain
Water88°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Monroe County state waters (Florida Keys)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray snapper

Retention open
Daily limit
5 per day (10 snapper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 10 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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 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)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray snapper is best here

Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder

Gray snapper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray snapper · 31 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray snapper in Florida

Spot profile

Sawa Rock

Depth
40-50 ft
Structure
Ledge · Outer · Exposed
Season
Shoulder seasonGray snapper

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 crevalle jack, red grouper and permit. It is peak season now for crevalle jack and common snook, and shoulder season for red grouper, permit, gray snapper and Atlantic tarpon. Crevalle jack peak from April through May and from September through November. Red grouper peak from April through June. Permit peak from March through June.

Tackle & technique

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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
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

  • Bird Key Harbor

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    70
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 70
    • Common snook 68
    • Gray snapper 60

    3 kt SSEL 3:17 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Southeast Channel

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    69
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 69
    • Atlantic tarpon 68
    • Common snook 65

    4 kt SL 3:17 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Bird Key Bank

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    68
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 68
    • Common snook 63
    • Red grouper 61

    3 kt SSEL 3:17 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:38 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Bush Key Shoal

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    64
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 64
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • Atlantic tarpon 60

    3 kt SSEL 3:17 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:38 PM · 1.6 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.