Waterlands

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Red grouperRetention open

Cape · Florida

Howard Point

27.93°N · 82.83°W · Cape · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 5 PM · Red grouper

76/100Great
Now
5610 AM EST
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.7 ft ▼

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 79

24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 5 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score63Good
Tide2.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward S
Wind3 kn ESEgusts 6 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy46% cloud
Water76°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

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

Red grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red grouper · 21 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Howard Point

Depth
4-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Howard Point

Howard Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 4-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, king mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, red drum, spotted seatrout and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for king mackerel, common snook, gray snapper and gray triggerfish. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. King mackerel peak in May and in October. Red drum peak from September through November.

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.
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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Clearwater Pass

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    75
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 75
    • King mackerel 68
    • Common snook 67

    12 kt ESEL 1:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:10 PM · 2.4 ft

  • Point Pleasant

    Cape · 0.0 mi

    66
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 66
    • King mackerel 62
    • Red drum 62

    12 kt ESEL 2:16 PM · 0.5 ftH 8:38 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Shell Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    61
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 61
    • Florida pompano 59
    • Common snook 57

    12 kt ESEL 2:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 9:29 PM · 2.2 ft

  • McKay Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    61
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 61
    • Florida pompano 59
    • Common snook 57

    12 kt ESEL 2:58 PM · 0.5 ftH 9:29 PM · 2.2 ft

Open in the tide map

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.