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Gag grouperClosedBay · Florida
Ballard Cove
27.91°N · 80.48°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker60
- Crevalle jack60
- Atlantic tarpon59
- Common snook58
- Spot58
- Summer flounder57
- Gray snapper53
- King mackerel53
- Red drum51
- Southern flounder50
- Wahoo47
- Weakfish47
- Black sea bass46
- Little tunny46
- Black drum44
- Spanish mackerel44
- Florida pompano43
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red grouper43
- Red snapper43
- Mahi-mahi41
- Cobia40
- Sheepshead40
- Spotted seatrout40
- Greater amberjack37
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 PM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 202 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Low0.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ballard Cove 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 + Open-Meteo Marine
34Tide: Low slackCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
47Closed season · capped at 20Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Closed
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Gag grouper
Closed- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- Aug 2 to Dec 31, 2026
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- FWC closed Atlantic gag grouper, including all state waters off Monroe County, for the rest of the 2026 season (Executive Order 26-10). The 2027 season has not been announced.
From FWC news release, May 13, 2026: Atlantic gag grouper closes August 2 (EO 26-10), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (3 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 (10 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Catch & release (No retention)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
- Red snapper Check regulations
- 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 (50 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (2 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 Gag grouper is best here
Shoulder season for Gag grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Ballard Cove
- Depth
- 4-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Ballard Cove
Ballard Cove is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 4-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and common snook, and shoulder season for wahoo, weakfish, black sea bass and little tunny. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Pepper Cove60
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Crevalle jack 60
- Atlantic tarpon 59
7 kt NEL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 PM · 0.4 ft
- Middle Gap60
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Crevalle jack 60
- Atlantic tarpon 59
7 kt NEL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 PM · 0.4 ft
- Mathers Cove60
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 60
- Crevalle jack 60
- Atlantic tarpon 59
7 kt NEL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 PM · 0.4 ft
- Pepper Point59
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 59
- Common snook 58
- Atlantic croaker 55
7 kt NEL 3:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:27 PM · 0.4 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.
