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Red grouperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum66
- Atlantic croaker65
- Permit62
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Common snook60
- Southern flounder60
- Gray snapper58
- Black drum56
- Crevalle jack56
- Gag grouper56
- Gray triggerfish53
- Red grouper53
- Red snapper52
- Spotted seatrout50
- Cobia49
- Spanish mackerel49
- Greater amberjack47
- King mackerel47
- Florida pompano36
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 PM · Red grouper
- Now
- 534 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cross 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
98Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 2 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
57Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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)
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Cross Bayou
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Cross Bayou
Cross Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 1 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 permit. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for permit, Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder and black drum. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Permit peak from April through June.
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 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
- Devils Elbow69
Channel · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Common snook 66
- Gray snapper 65
2 kt WNWL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:34 AM · 1.8 ft
- Boca Ciega Bay66
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Common snook 65
- Gray snapper 64
2 kt WNWL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:34 AM · 1.8 ft
- Long Bayou61
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Red drum 61
- Common snook 57
2 kt WNWL 5:00 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:38 PM · 1.9 ft
- Turtlecrawl Point57
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 57
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Gray snapper 54
2 kt WNWL 5:00 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:38 PM · 1.9 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.