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Gray snapperRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum70
- Atlantic croaker68
- Common snook67
- Atlantic tarpon64
- Gray snapper63
- Black drum58
- Southern flounder58
- Permit56
- Spotted seatrout54
- Crevalle jack50
- Red snapper50
- Gag grouper49
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red grouper46
- Spanish mackerel45
- Florida pompano43
- King mackerel42
- Greater amberjack41
- Cobia39
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 2 PM · Gray snapper
- Now
- 6312 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-4 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Pine Key Cutoff 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
51Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 4 kt ENEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
71Water temp: 88°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Gray snapper
Species seasonality
85Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Gray snapper
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day (10 snapper combined)
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 10 in, total length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Open year-round in Gulf and Atlantic state waters. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Counts toward the 10-snapper aggregate per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Federal waters have a 12-inch minimum and a 10-fish bag.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Snappers, 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 triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Gray snapper is best here
Peak season for Gray snapper · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Pine Key Cutoff
- Depth
- Up to 2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonGray snapper
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 Pine Key Cutoff
Pine Key Cutoff is a channel in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and common snook. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker, common snook and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, southern flounder and permit. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
- 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
- Pass-a-Grille Channel73
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 61
- Common snook 60
4 kt ENEL 2:56 AM · 1.6 ftH 8:43 AM · 2.0 ft
- Dents Channel73
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 61
- Common snook 60
4 kt ENEL 2:56 AM · 1.6 ftH 8:43 AM · 2.0 ft
- Main Channel68
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 68
- Common snook 67
- Red drum 66
4 kt ENEH 8:47 AM · 2.3 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.6 ft
- Middle Ground62
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 62
- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 59
4 kt ENEH 8:47 AM · 2.3 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.6 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.