Gag Grouper in Southeast Florida
Trolling plugs and bottom fishing live baits on hard bottom and ledges. Gags push shallow in cooler months. Seasons differ by coast and by state versus federal water.
Next three days
| Day | Bite | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, Sep 13 | 10 | New Moon feeding boost. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky. Strong tide swing 2.7 ft. Harvest closed in: Atlantic (catch and release) |
| Mon, Sep 14 | 8 | Light wind. Heat, fish early or late. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky. Strong tide swing 2.5 ft. Harvest closed in: Atlantic (catch and release) |
| Tue, Sep 15 | 7 | Rain likely 75%. Heat, fish early or late. Storms possible, fish early and watch the sky. Strong tide swing 2.3 ft. Harvest closed in: Atlantic (catch and release) |
Seasonal pattern
Editorial baseline for Florida. Green months are prime, yellow fair, red slow. Preferred water temperature 60–80°F.
Regulations that apply here
Applies to: state and adjacent federal waters · Licenses: State Reef Fish Survey participation is mandatory to fish for grouper in Florida waters. Goliath Grouper requires a permit for harvest.
| Species / zone | Season | Size | Bag | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gag Grouper Atlantic boundarystate and federal waters unless specified, including all state waters of Monroe County; Atlantic state waters are from shore to 3 miles | closed now State and Federal: Open May 1 - August 1 | 24” TL | State: 1 gag or black within the 3 grouper aggregate Federal: 1 gag or black within the 3 grouper aggregate Vessel Limit: 2 gag per vessel per day, not to exceed the daily bag limit, whichever is more restrictive | Reef fish gear requirements apply and must be landed with head and fins intact. For-hire captain and crew retention prohibited |
- Gulf Aggregate Bag Limit: May only possess/harvest no more than a total combination of 4 grouper species per person/per day.
- Atlantic Aggregate Bag Limit: May only possess/harvest no more than a total combination of 3 grouper/tilefish species per person/per day.
- Several species of Gulf grouper (red, black, scamp, yellowfin and yellowmouth) are closed Feb. 1-March 31 seaward of the 20-fathom break.
- Several species of Atlantic grouper (red, black, yellowfin, yellowmouth, scamp, rock hind, red hind, coney and graysby) are closed Jan. 1 - April 30 in all state and federal waters of the Atlantic including all state waters off Monroe County (Atlantic and Gulf sides).
- During the Monroe County closure, anglers can harvest grouper in open federal waters of the Gulf and return to port in Monroe County by traveling through closed state waters of the Atlantic as long as the vessel proceeds directly to port without stopping to fish.
Source: FWC, extracted 2026-09-12. Review flags: The page lists 'Gag Grouper Season Open Sept. 1-30, 2026' in the header, but the detailed Gulf regulation section also states 'Open September 1-30, 2026'. The Atlantic section states 'Open May 1 - August 1' but the header mentions a closure starting August 2. The JSON reflects the detailed section text for seasons, with the header closure noted in closed_periods for Atlantic Gag.; For Gulf Gag Grouper, the header states 'Harvest will be closed on Oct. 1 for the remainder of the year', which is reflected in the closed_periods.; For Atlantic Gag Grouper, the header states 'closes August 2', which is reflected in the closed_periods, although the detailed section says 'Open May 1 - August 1'.; The 'Aggregate bag limit' is a combined limit across species, not a per-species limit, but is represented in the bag_text for each species to ensure the constraint is visible.