UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Gray snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum53
- Atlantic croaker52
- Common snook46
- Gray snapper45
- Crevalle jack43
- Gag grouper42
- Gray triggerfish40
- Red grouper40
- Red snapper40
- Southern flounder40
- Atlantic tarpon38
- Black drum37
- Cobia36
- Spanish mackerel36
- Florida pompano35
- King mackerel35
- Permit35
- Greater amberjack34
- Spotted seatrout34
- Sheepshead26
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 453 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.5 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Bayou 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 · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
16Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
72Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper 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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Big Bayou
- Depth
- 5-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonGray snapper
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 Big Bayou
Big Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 5-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for crevalle jack, gag grouper, gray triggerfish and red grouper. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tampa Bay Channel57
Channel · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 57
- Red drum 54
- Gray snapper 52
8 kt NEH 7:00 AM · 2.4 ftL 4:24 PM · 0.5 ft
- Little Bayou53
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 53
- Atlantic croaker 52
- Common snook 46
7 kt NEH 6:38 AM · 2.0 ftL 3:55 PM · 0.4 ft
- Tampa Bay53
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 53
- Red drum 52
- Common snook 50
8 kt NEH 7:00 AM · 2.4 ftL 4:24 PM · 0.5 ft
- Point Pinellas45
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 45
- Red drum 45
- Atlantic croaker 44
7 kt NEH 6:38 AM · 2.0 ftL 3:55 PM · 0.4 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.