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Gag grouperClosedSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Spotted seatrout72
- Florida pompano68
- Red drum68
- Common snook67
- Black drum64
- Spanish mackerel64
- Sheepshead57
- Gray snapper56
- King mackerel56
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 209 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.5 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
Wednesday, Nov 11 · 11 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
26Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
75Closed season · capped at 20Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Gag grouper
Closed- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Closed for the rest of 2026 (Executive Order 26-26). The 2027 season has not been announced.
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)
- 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 grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- 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 Gag grouper is best here
Peak season for Gag grouper · 8 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Garrison Channel
- Depth
- Up to 35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonGag 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, Florida pompano and red drum. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, Florida pompano, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for common snook, black drum, sheepshead and gray snapper. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November.
Tackle & technique
- Gag grouper
- Gag hold on ledges, rock piles and wrecks, from 15 to 40 feet in the fall on Florida's Gulf coast out to 250 feet the rest of the year. Troll deep-diving plugs to find productive rocks, then anchor and drop or freeline live pinfish or pigfish on a strong circle hook. Keep the drag tight and turn the fish in the first few seconds or it will reach the rocks.
- 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.
- Florida pompano
- Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Seddon Channel77
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 77
- Red drum 73
- Common snook 72
9 kt ENEL 3:07 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:18 PM · 2.3 ft
- Ybor Channel76
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 76
- Red drum 72
- Common snook 71
9 kt ENEL 3:15 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:19 PM · 2.3 ft
- Sparkman Channel74
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 74
- Red drum 72
- Common snook 71
9 kt ENEL 3:15 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:19 PM · 2.3 ft
- Hillsboro River Channel (historical)72
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 72
- Florida pompano 68
- Red drum 68
9 kt ENEL 3:46 PM · 0.3 ftH 11:16 PM · 2.1 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.