Waterlands

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Gray triggerfishRetention open

Cape · Florida

Nelson Point

30.50°N · 86.45°W · Cape · Western Choctawhatchee Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Gray triggerfish

71/100Great
Now
439 PM CDT
Best window
9-10 PMNight bite
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Sep 24 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score58Good
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind6 kn ENEgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water87°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

Nelson Point

Depth
10-20 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Nelson Point

Nelson Point is a cape in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth in the nearest water is 10-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, black drum, southern flounder and red snapper. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September.

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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Rocky Bayou

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Southern flounder 56

    2 kt ENEL 10:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:41 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Ward Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Gray snapper 60

    2 kt ENEL 10:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:41 AM · 0.9 ft

  • John Bayou

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Southern flounder 54

    2 kt ENEL 10:00 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:41 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Shirk Bayou

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Atlantic croaker 57
    • Southern flounder 54

    2 kt ENEL 9:50 PM · 0.4 ftH 10:02 AM · 0.9 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.