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Red grouperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Crevalle jack76
- Spot75
- Atlantic tarpon74
- Common snook73
- Summer flounder72
- Gray snapper70
- King mackerel69
- Red drum67
- Southern flounder66
- Black sea bass62
- Weakfish62
- Little tunny61
- Spanish mackerel60
- Gray triggerfish59
- Red grouper59
- Red snapper59
- Black drum58
- Spotted seatrout57
- Sheepshead56
- Cobia55
- Greater amberjack54
- Wahoo50
- Florida pompano47
- Mahi-mahi45
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 AM · Red grouper
- Now
- 5911 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hooker Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 2 kt SWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
45Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Red grouper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 20 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Jan 1
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. No more than 3 grouper and tilefish combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open May 1 through December 31. Closed January 1 through April 30.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, 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)
- Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
- 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 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 Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open (50 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (2 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 Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hooker Cove
- Depth
- 4-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonRed 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 Hooker Cove
Hooker Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and spot. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, spot and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for black sea bass, weakfish, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Spot peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Hoggs Cove77
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Crevalle jack 76
- Spot 75
2 kt SWL 2:50 PM · 0.1 ftH 8:58 PM · 1.4 ft
- Steele Point74
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Common snook 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
2 kt SWL 1:32 PM · 0.1 ftH 7:51 PM · 1.5 ft
- Sewall Point74
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 74
- Common snook 73
- Atlantic croaker 72
2 kt SWL 1:32 PM · 0.1 ftH 7:51 PM · 1.5 ft
- Baker Point70
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 69
- Atlantic croaker 65
2 kt SWL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:14 PM · 3.5 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.