Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Channel · Florida

Devils Elbow

27.76°N · 82.76°W · Channel · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 10 PM · Gray triggerfish

77/100Great
Now
523 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 23 · 11 PM

Time11P
Score55Good
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward N
Wind4 kn NEgusts 8
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp76°Warm
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water87°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Gray triggerfish

Retention open
Daily limit
1 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 15 in, fork length
Season
Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2026
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Jan 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Gulf season is March 1 through May 31 and August 1 through December 31. Federal waters can close early if the quota is met.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Gray Triggerfish, 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))
  • 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 Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Florida

Spot profile

Devils Elbow

Depth
3-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish

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 Devils Elbow

Devils Elbow is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 3-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

Gray triggerfish
Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Blind Pass

    Channel · 0.5 mi

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

    0 kt WNWL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:34 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Long Bayou

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Southern flounder 61

    0 kt WNWL 5:00 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:38 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Boca Ciega Bay

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Common snook 64
    • Gray snapper 64

    0 kt WNWL 6:20 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:34 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Turtlecrawl Point

    Cape · 2.9 mi

    60
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 60
    • Gray snapper 60
    • Atlantic croaker 59

    0 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.