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Gag grouperClosedSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum69
- Spotted seatrout69
- Florida pompano60
- Black drum57
- Common snook56
- Spanish mackerel53
- Gray snapper46
- King mackerel45
- Sheepshead43
- Gray triggerfish42
- Red grouper42
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 2011 PM EST
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMNight bite
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hells Half Acre 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
Monday, Nov 9 · 3 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
74Closed season · capped at 20Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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 today
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
Hells Half Acre
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Hells Half Acre
Hells Half Acre is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, spotted seatrout and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for red drum, spotted seatrout, Florida pompano and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black drum, common snook, gray snapper and king mackerel. Red drum peak from September through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Southeast Head70
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Spotted seatrout 69
- Florida pompano 61
9 kt EL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ftH 8:00 AM · 2.1 ft
- Clambar Bay70
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Spotted seatrout 69
- Florida pompano 61
9 kt EL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ftH 8:00 AM · 2.1 ft
- Bishop Harbor67
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 67
- Spotted seatrout 67
- Common snook 62
9 kt EL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ftH 8:00 AM · 2.1 ft
- Piney Point61
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 61
- Red drum 61
- Spotted seatrout 61
9 kt EL 1:59 AM · 1.4 ftH 8:00 AM · 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.