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Gray triggerfishRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum67
- Atlantic croaker65
- Southern flounder63
- Common snook62
- Gray snapper62
- Crevalle jack59
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Permit57
- Gag grouper55
- Spanish mackerel54
- Cobia53
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Red snapper52
- Greater amberjack51
- Black drum50
- King mackerel50
- Spotted seatrout48
- Florida pompano40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 522 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mullet Key Bayou 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.0 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 1 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 88°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.4 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Gray triggerfish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 1 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 15 in, fork length
- Season
- Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Jan 1
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Gulf season is March 1 through May 31 and August 1 through December 31. Federal waters can close early if the quota is met.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Gray Triggerfish, 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- 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 Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray triggerfish is best here
Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 9 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Mullet Key Bayou
- Depth
- 1-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonGray triggerfish
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 Mullet Key Bayou
Mullet Key Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and southern flounder. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for southern flounder, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and permit. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Southern flounder peak from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Gray triggerfish
- Gray triggerfish hover a few feet over reefs, wrecks and ledges, usually in 60 to 200 feet, and often show up while snapper fishing. Use small, strong circle hooks with small pieces of squid or cut bait on a short bottom rig, because they nibble and strip big baits. Keep the bait just off the bottom and reel steadily at the first solid pull.
- 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Soldier Hole72
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 72
- Gray snapper 70
- Atlantic croaker 68
2 kt SWL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ft
- Bunces Pass70
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Gray snapper 68
1 kt EL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ft
- De Soto Point68
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- Gray snapper 66
- Red drum 64
2 kt SWL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 ft
- Mullet Key Shoal67
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 67
- Gray snapper 65
- Atlantic croaker 63
2 kt SWL 5:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 11:48 PM · 1.3 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.