Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bay · Florida

Placido Bayou

27.81°N · 82.62°W · Bay · Tampa Bay waters

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Best score today · 6 PM · Gray triggerfish

81/100Great
Now
6011 AM EST
Best window
5-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Nov 6 · 4 PM

Time4P
Score61Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward S
Wind6 kn WNWgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water78°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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 Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Florida →

Spot profile

Placido Bayou

Depth
Up to 2 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Placido Bayou

Placido Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

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

  • Christmas Pass

    Channel · 2.3 mi

    79
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 79
    • Spanish mackerel 79
    • Spotted seatrout 78

    9 kt EL 3:53 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:56 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Smacks Bayou

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    76
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 76
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Spanish mackerel 70

    9 kt EL 3:04 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:44 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Bayou Grande

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    75
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 75
    • Spotted seatrout 75
    • Red drum 74

    9 kt EL 3:53 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:56 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Mermaid Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    71
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 71
    • Red drum 70
    • Spotted seatrout 70

    9 kt EL 3:53 PM · 0.3 ftH 10:56 PM · 2.0 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.