Waterlands

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Red grouperRetention open

Channel · Florida

Barge Channel

28.57°N · 80.61°W · Channel · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Red grouper

83/100Great
Now
4512 PM EDT
Best window
2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.9 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: Thu · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score45Good
Tide0.9 ftLow
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward SSE
Wind6 kn NNEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 6 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast53% chance of rain
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

Red grouper

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined)
Possession
Not published
Size
Minimum 20 in, total length
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Changes
Closed from Jan 1
Other
Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. No more than 3 grouper and tilefish combined per person per day. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open May 1 through December 31. Closed January 1 through April 30.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Groupers, 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)
  • Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
  • 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 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)
Always check with FWC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: FWC · synced today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red grouper is best here

Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder

Red grouper season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Red grouper · 5 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Red grouper in Florida →

Spot profile

Barge Channel

Depth
2-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Barge Channel

Barge Channel is a channel in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, common snook and spot, and shoulder season for black drum, black sea bass, weakfish and mahi-mahi. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.

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.
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.
Atlantic tarpon
Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Jack Davis Cut

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Common snook 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    6 kt NNEH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:20 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Tea Creek Cutoff

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 68
    • Common snook 67
    • Atlantic tarpon 67

    6 kt NNEH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:20 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Tea Creek

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Southern flounder 64
    • Spot 63

    6 kt NNEH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:20 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Pintail Creek

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 65
    • Atlantic tarpon 65
    • Red drum 64

    6 kt NNEH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:20 AM · 1.0 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.