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Gag grouperClosedSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Florida pompano66
- Spanish mackerel66
- Common snook65
- Spotted seatrout64
- Red drum63
- King mackerel61
- Black drum58
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red grouper55
- Red snapper55
- Gray snapper54
- Sheepshead54
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 203 PM EST
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hooker Point 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 4 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt EPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & 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 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 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
Hooker Point
- Depth
- 3-10 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Hooker Point
Hooker Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel and common snook. It is peak season now for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout and red drum, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Snead Island Cutoff66
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Common snookShoulder season- Common snook 66
- Spotted seatrout 66
- Red drum 64
8 kt ENEH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft
- Champlain Bayou66
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Spotted seatrout 64
- Florida pompano 61
8 kt ENEH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft
- Clambar Bayou66
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Spotted seatrout 64
- Florida pompano 61
8 kt ENEH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 ft
- Bishop Point55
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 55
- Red drum 53
- Spanish mackerel 53
13 kt EH 5:24 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:32 PM · 0.2 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.