Waterlands

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Red grouperRetention open

Cape · Florida

Cabbage Patch Point

27.91°N · 82.66°W · Cape · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 6 PM · Red grouper

75/100Great
Now
555 PM EDT
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.6 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: Sun · 83

24-hour conditions

Monday, Sep 28 · 2 AM

Time2A
Score53Good
Tide2.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.6 kn · toward NNW
Wind2 kn ENEgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 3 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water85°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Red grouper

Retention open
Daily limit
2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 20 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Charter captain and crew bag limit is zero in state waters. No more than 4 grouper combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open year-round in Gulf state waters. Federal waters close February 1 through March 31 seaward of 20 fathoms.

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)
  • Gag grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • 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 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)
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 · 27 more weeks at shoulder

Red grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red grouper · 27 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Cabbage Patch Point

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Cabbage Patch Point

Cabbage Patch Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, common snook, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, permit, southern flounder and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic tarpon peak from May through July. Common snook peak from April through May and 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.
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 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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Big Island Gap

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Common snook 70
    • Red drum 70

    2 kt WNWL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:53 AM · 2.4 ft

  • South Gandy Channel

    Channel · 4.2 mi

    71
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Common snook 71
    • Atlantic tarpon 69

    1 kt NEL 7:43 PM · 0.5 ftH 2:16 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Atlantic tarpon 66
    • Common snook 65

    2 kt WNWL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:53 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Old Tampa Bay

    Bay · 2.8 mi

    68
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 68
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Gray snapper 65

    1 kt WNWL 8:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:51 AM · 2.2 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.