Gulf of Mexico · ChartNav curated ground
Florida Middle Grounds
A limestone reef system off Florida's Big Bend — gag and red grouper, mangrove snapper and amberjack on the ledges.
What's biting here — right now
Prime water for Crevalle Jack & Great Barracuda — 85°F on top, water moving now.
Today's bite
5:55 PM – 10:49 PM · dusk bite
Days ahead
Today
GO
7 kt
Mon
GO
9 kt
Tue
OK
wind 13 kt
Wed
ROUGH
wind 21 kt
Thu
OK
wind 15 kt
In season (Oct)
SST 85°F in the prime band (70–86°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (7–131 ft ideal)
Throw a big topwater into a busting school and hold on — pound for pound the hardest pull inshore.
In season (Oct)
SST 85°F in the prime band (73–86°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (10–164 ft ideal)
Better near wrecks and reef edges if you can find it
A fast tube lure ripped across the flat or the wreck — they will not chase anything slow.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 85°F at 131 ft in the prime band (72–86°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (10–131 ft ideal)
In NOAA-designated Essential Fish Habitat — expected here even where structure isn't charted
Light fluorocarbon and small live baits around any structure; chum heavily.
In season (Oct)
SST 85°F in the prime band (72–86°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (10–197 ft ideal)
No strong temperature break nearby
Cut bait in a slick off the beach or the bar — the one that jumps and spins when it eats.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 85°F at 131 ft in the prime band (70–86°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (20–148 ft ideal)
No charted structure within 250 m — scored cautiously (charts don't mark all hard bottom)
Catch and release only — heavy tackle over wrecks and bridge pilings, and get them back down fast.
In season (Oct)
SST 85°F in the prime band (75–86°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (131–6560 ft ideal)
No strong temperature break nearby
Better near weedlines and floating debris, not bottom structure if you can find it
Run and gun to weedlines, boards and birds; pitch ballyhoo or jigs.
In season (Oct)
SST 85°F workable (70–84°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (39–197 ft ideal)
No strong temperature break nearby
Better near structure or edges if you can find it
Slow-troll live bait over reefs, wrecks and bait schools; wire leader.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 85°F at 131 ft workable (68–84°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (20–131 ft ideal)
No charted structure within 250 m — scored cautiously (charts don't mark all hard bottom)
Small jellyball or clam bits on light tackle right against a wreck, tower or buoy chain.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 85°F at 131 ft workable (72–84°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (26–197 ft ideal)
No charted structure within 250 m — scored cautiously (charts don't mark all hard bottom)
Small baits on light bottom rigs over any hard patch — the reliable filler on a reef trip.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 85°F at 131 ft workable (72–84°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (26–197 ft ideal)
No charted structure within 250 m — scored cautiously (charts don't mark all hard bottom)
Long fluorocarbon leader drifted well back in a chum slick — heavy gear and they simply will not eat.
Cobia83
In season (Oct)
SST 85°F workable (70–84°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (26–131 ft ideal)
Better near structure or edges if you can find it
Sight-cast jigs or eels to fish on buoys, rays, wrecks and channel markers.
In season (Oct)
Bottom temp 85°F at 131 ft workable (72–84°F prime)
Charted 123 ft suits this species (66–262 ft ideal)
No charted structure within 250 m — scored cautiously (charts don't mark all hard bottom)
Live bait or jigs deep over wrecks and reef ledges; they hang in small groups on the up-current side.
Live habitat-envelope scoring at this exact cell — SST, charted depth, charted structure and seabed, NOAA-designated habitat. The same engine and cards as tapping the spot in Fish mode.
Today's bite windows — moving water
Moving water right now — building
5:55 PM – 10:49 PM
peak 8:22 PM · flood
peak 8:22 PM · flood
1:23 AM – 2:47 AM
peak 2:05 AM · ebb
peak 2:05 AM · ebb
4:32 AM – 7:25 AM
peak 5:59 AM · flood
peak 5:59 AM · flood
Derived from the tide at St. George Island, East End — flow peaks near mid-tide, goes slack near high and low. No tidal-current station within 10 nm of this spot. Timing only — it never changes the habitat scores above.
The week ahead — full forecast
Drag the graph for any hour — wind, gusts, seas & period, rain, predicted current. The pale band around the wind line is model disagreement; the day chips carry the verdict and the number that caused it; the moons are real phases.
Sea state right now — every train
Combined
2.4 ft @ 5 s
from S
Wind sea
0.0 ft
Swell 1
2.4 ft @ 5 s
from S
Swell 2
0.3 ft @ 5 s
from WSW
Swell 3
0.0 ft
Buoy check — 42036 (WEST TAMPA - 112 NM WNW of Tampa, 10.8 nm): 5.8 kt observed vs 7 kt forecast, seas 2.6 ft vs 2.4 ft · model agrees with the water
Wind: NBM 2.5km direct (68 h) → GFS 0.25° direct (4 h) → Open-Meteo blend (96 h) · Waves: GFS-Wave 0.16° (12Z cycle), full train decomposition · Confidence band: GEFS ensemble spread · Bite windows: CO-OPS tidal predictions
Water temperature — last 10 weeks
2026-07-25 → 2026-10-03 · 85–87°F
Best months here
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Species in season by month for Gulf of Mexico (from the knowledge base). In season now: Atlantic Croaker, Black Drum, Red Porgy, Southern Flounder, Cobia, Crevalle Jack, Florida Pompano, Permit, Red Drum (Redfish), Common Snook.
Other grounds in Gulf of Mexico
The Midnight Lump — Venice
Yellowfin Tuna · Wahoo · Blackfin Tuna
Flower Garden Banks
Red Snapper · Greater Amberjack · Yellowfin Tuna
Reuse welcome with attribution. Weekly regional report: Gulf of Mexico · Feed: RSS · all US grounds: /fishing.