Waterlands

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Red grouperRetention open

Bar · Florida

Pierce Shoal

27.36°N · 80.20°W · Bar · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm

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Best score today · 11 AM · Red grouper

73/100Great
Now
443 PM EDT
Best window
4-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.1 ft

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Thu · 74

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score44Fair
Tide0.1 ftLow
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind5 kn Egusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 7 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherOvercast97% chance of rain
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Red grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Pierce Shoal

Depth
40-45 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · 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 Pierce Shoal

Pierce Shoal is a bar in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 40-45 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic tarpon, summer flounder and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for Atlantic tarpon, summer flounder, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for black drum, Spanish mackerel, black sea bass and wahoo. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Summer flounder peak from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August 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 tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Little Mud Creek

    Gut · 3.7 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 69
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Common snook 64

    5 kt EH 9:06 PM · 1.5 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Middle Cove

    Bay · 4.9 mi

    62
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 62
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Atlantic tarpon 61

    5 kt EH 9:06 PM · 1.5 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Herman Bay

    Bay · 3.1 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Crevalle jack 60
    • Atlantic tarpon 60

    5 kt EH 9:06 PM · 1.5 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Herman Bay Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    58
    Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season
    • Atlantic tarpon 58
    • Common snook 57
    • Atlantic croaker 53

    5 kt EH 9:06 PM · 1.5 ftL 3:40 AM · 0.2 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.