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Gag grouperClosedBay · Florida
Pintail Creek
28.59°N · 80.60°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker65
- Atlantic tarpon65
- Red drum64
- Southern flounder64
- Spot63
- Crevalle jack62
- Common snook61
- King mackerel59
- Summer flounder58
- Spotted seatrout56
- Gray snapper55
- Black drum53
- Mahi-mahi51
- Wahoo50
- Florida pompano49
- Spanish mackerel48
- Weakfish48
- Black sea bass47
- Little tunny47
- Cobia46
- Gray triggerfish46
- Red snapper46
- Red grouper45
- Sheepshead43
- Greater amberjack40
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 PM · Gag grouper
- Now
- 2012 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
Notify me when Pintail Creek 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
37Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Gag grouper
Species seasonality
46Closed 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
Pintail Creek
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Pintail Creek
Pintail Creek is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for black drum, mahi-mahi, wahoo and Florida pompano. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. Red drum peak from August through November.
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.
- 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
- Jack Davis Cut68
Channel · 1.0 mi
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
- Barge Channel68
Channel · 1.5 mi
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
- Bluebill Creek65
Bay · 0.6 mi
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
- Pepper Flats65
Bay · 0.8 mi
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
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.