Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Bay · Florida

Destin Harbor

30.39°N · 86.50°W · Bay · Western Choctawhatchee Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Gray triggerfish

77/100Great
Now
5510 AM CDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score55Good
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.1 knmodeled · toward E
Wind4 kn Egusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 5 s
Air temp81°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy28% cloud
Water86°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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • 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 Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • 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
  • Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Gray triggerfish is best here

Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 10 more weeks at shoulder

Gray triggerfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Gray triggerfish · 10 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Gray triggerfish in Florida

Spot profile

Destin Harbor

Depth
6-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Destin Harbor

Destin Harbor is a bay in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth is 6-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel, black drum and southern flounder. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Crevalle jack peak from May through July.

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.
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.
Gray snapper
Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • East Pass

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    72
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 72
    • Gray snapper 69
    • Red drum 66

    4 kt EL 6:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 7:49 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Marler Bayou

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Red drum 69
    • Permit 65

    4 kt EL 6:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 7:49 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Joes Bayou

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Red drum 67
    • Gray snapper 64

    4 kt EL 6:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 7:49 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Cobbs Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    64
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 64
    • Gray snapper 64
    • Red drum 60

    4 kt EL 6:00 PM · 0.1 ftH 7:49 AM · 0.8 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.