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Red grouperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout78
- Red drum74
- Common snook72
- Black drum70
- Spanish mackerel69
- Sheepshead66
- Gray snapper64
- King mackerel63
- Gray triggerfish61
- Red grouper61
- Florida pompano60
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Red grouper
- Now
- 6111 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Garrison Channel 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
Tuesday, Nov 10 · 12 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 7 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Red grouper
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
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 Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
- 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 Closed (No retention)
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Red grouper · 21 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Garrison Channel
- Depth
- Up to 35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- 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 Garrison Channel
Garrison Channel is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, red drum and common snook. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, sheepshead and gray snapper. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. 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.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
- 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
- Hillsboro River Channel (historical)78
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 78
- Red drum 74
- Common snook 72
9 kt EL 3:46 PM · 0.3 ftH 11:16 PM · 2.1 ft
- Ybor Channel78
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 78
- Red drum 74
- Common snook 72
9 kt EL 3:15 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:19 PM · 2.3 ft
- Seddon Channel78
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 78
- Red drum 74
- Common snook 72
9 kt EL 3:07 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:18 PM · 2.3 ft
- Sparkman Channel75
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 75
- Red drum 74
- Common snook 72
9 kt EL 3:15 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:19 PM · 2.3 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.