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Gray triggerfishRetention openBar · Florida
Chester Shoal
28.59°N · 80.54°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook68
- King mackerel68
- Atlantic croaker67
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Summer flounder65
- Crevalle jack64
- Florida pompano64
- Spot64
- Red drum62
- Gray snapper61
- Spanish mackerel61
- Black drum60
- Southern flounder58
- Black sea bass55
- Gray triggerfish55
- Red snapper54
- Cobia53
- Little tunny53
- Red grouper53
- Spotted seatrout53
- Mahi-mahi52
- Sheepshead50
- Wahoo50
- Weakfish50
- Greater amberjack49
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 PM · Gray triggerfish
- Now
- 551 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chester Shoal 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
75Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Gray triggerfish
Species seasonality
47Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Gray triggerfish
Retention open- Daily limit
- 10 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Minimum 12 in, fork length
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Private-vessel anglers need the State Reef Fish Angler designation. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Reef fish gear rules apply. Land with head and fins intact. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Gray Triggerfish, 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))
- 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 Gray triggerfish is best here
Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Chester Shoal
- Depth
- 20-25 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Outer · ExposedShoal · 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 Chester Shoal
Chester Shoal is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 20-25 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are common snook, king mackerel and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for common snook, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and Atlantic tarpon, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Jack Davis Cut76
Channel · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Common snook 73
- Atlantic tarpon 73
7 kt NNEH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:20 AM · 1.0 ft
- Pintail Creek72
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Red drum 71
- Southern flounder 71
7 kt NNEH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:20 AM · 1.0 ft
- Bluebill Creek72
Bay · 4.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 72
- Southern flounder 71
- Spot 70
7 kt NNEH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:20 AM · 1.0 ft
- False Cape68
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 68
- King mackerel 68
- Atlantic croaker 67
7 kt NNEH 6:07 PM · 4.1 ftL 12:20 AM · 1.0 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.