Waterlands

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Gag grouperRetention open

Cape · Florida

Little Oyster Bar Point

30.05°N · 85.51°W · Cape · St. Andrews Bay Waterways

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Best score today · 9 AM · Gag grouper

70/100Great
Now
476 PM CDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score47Good
Tide0.5 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward WSW
Wind2 kn SSWgusts 7 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 6 s
Air temp79°Warm
WeatherClear83% chance of rain
Water86°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gag grouper

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 24 in, total length
Season
Sep 1 to Sep 30, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Oct 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero. No more than 4 grouper combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. FWC set the 2026 Gulf state waters gag season to September 1 through 30 by executive order, matching the federal season. Excludes Monroe County.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, 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 Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper 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 Retention open (1 per day)
  • 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)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gag grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 1 more week at shoulder

Gag grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gag grouper in Florida

Spot profile

Little Oyster Bar Point

Depth
1-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder 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 Little Oyster Bar Point

Little Oyster Bar Point is a cape in St. Andrews Bay Waterways, Florida. Depth is 1-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for gray snapper, red drum and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, permit and crevalle jack. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September.

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.
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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Strange Bayou

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    71
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 71
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Gray snapper 65

    2 kt SSWL 7:58 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:33 AM · 1.8 ft

  • 61
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 61
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • Gray snapper 54

    2 kt SSWH 9:14 AM · 1.9 ftL 6:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Richard Bayou

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    61
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 61
    • Atlantic croaker 59
    • Gray snapper 54

    2 kt SSWH 9:14 AM · 1.9 ftL 6:16 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Goose Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    56
    Top: Gray snapperPeak season
    • Gray snapper 56
    • Red drum 56
    • Atlantic croaker 54

    2 kt SSWH 9:14 AM · 1.9 ftL 6:16 PM · 0.6 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.