When is grouper season in the Keys?

Black and red grouper have a spring closure and open in May; gag has had additional closures by executive order. The rule card on this page shows the current dates and the source.

Do I need a reef fish survey designation?

From a private boat, yes: the free State Reef Fish Angler designation, renewed annually. Charter customers are covered by the boat.

Grouper (black & red) fishing in Islamorada: season, spots, bait & rules

Grouper (black & red) fishing in Islamorada

Also called black grouper, red grouper, gag.

Black grouper, red grouper and gag live on the reef, the patch reefs and the wrecks off Islamorada, and a big black grouper off the edge is as strong a fish as the reef holds. Seasons and limits are strict and change (the rule card is current), so the fishing is as much about the calendar as the technique.

Harvest allowedSkill: IntermediateCharter a boatBring your own boat

Where to find grouper

Reds on the patch reefs and the rubble bottom in 20–60 ft; blacks on the reef edge, the deep ledges and the wrecks in 60–200 ft; gags around the bridge-span reefs and wrecks in winter and spring. Any hole or ledge with current running across it can hold a grouper.

Eagle wreck · Wrecks
Reef line off Islamorada · Reef
Channel Two fishing bridge · Piers & catwalks
Long Key Viaduct fishing bridge · Piers & catwalks
Crocker Wall · Reef
Pickles Reef · Reef
Islamorada Hump · Offshore

When to go

Open season starts in May (check the card for the current dates) and the best fishing is in the cooler months of autumn and early winter, when the fish move shallower. A moving tide in daylight is best; grouper feed by sight.

Best window on the day: The day's solunar major and minor periods between an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset. Today's window and score are on the conditions page.

May: Season opens May 1 on the reef (check the rule card).
October: Peak as the water cools and fish move shallower.
December: Last month before the winter closure.

How to catch them

Fish a live pinfish, pilchard or grunt on a knocker rig with just enough lead, or a big bucktail jig tipped with a strip, right on the structure, and lock the drag: the first few seconds decide whether the fish reaches its hole. Heavy braid and fluorocarbon leader; reef fish gear rules apply.

Bait & tackle

Bait: Live pinfish, grunts, blue runners or pilchards; whole or cut ballyhoo, mackerel or bonito
Lures: 4–8 oz bucktail and vertical jigs
Tackle: Short, stout 50–80 lb conventional outfit with 65–80 lb braid and the drag locked down
Rig: 4–6 ft of 80–100 lb fluorocarbon; 7/0–9/0 non-stainless circle hook; 4–16 oz sliding sinker

pinfish pilchard squid bonito chunk bucktail jig Tackle setup →

Tips for your level

The season and the limits change every year: read the rule card before you keep one.
Keep the rod tip up and crank hard the moment the fish bites; a grouper that reaches the rocks is usually gone.
A fish that comes up with its stomach everted needs a descending device to go back down; the law requires one on board.

Keeping one

Excellent: firm, white, mild. The best grouper sandwich in the Keys starts on a reef off Islamorada, but only in season.

Keep only what you will eat, within the limit, and release the rest in the water where you can.

Questions anglers ask

When is grouper season in the Keys?: Black and red grouper have a spring closure and open in May; gag has had additional closures by executive order. The rule card on this page shows the current dates and the source.
Do I need a reef fish survey designation?: From a private boat, yes: the free State Reef Fish Angler designation, renewed annually. Charter customers are covered by the boat.