Gulf of Mexico · named fishing ground

Flower Garden Banks

Coral-capped salt domes on the Texas/Louisiana shelf edge — snapper and amberjack on the reef, pelagics over the top.

SST 87°F · charted 120 ft · NOAA-designated EFH here
NOAA ENC + BlueTopo seafloor relief — the same layers as pressing Fish in the app. Toggle layers above; tap the map to pan.
Open on the live nautical chart →

What's biting here — right now

Mangrove Snapper identification illustration
Mangrove Snapper63
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F workable (72–86°F prime)
Charted 120 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.
Sailfish identification illustration
Sailfish63
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F workable (75–86°F prime)
Charted 120 ft suits this species (98–656 ft ideal)
No strong temperature break nearby
In NOAA-designated Essential Fish Habitat
Kite-fish live baits on color changes and showering ballyhoo.
Mahi-Mahi identification illustration
Mahi-Mahi53
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F workable (75–86°F prime)
Charted 120 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.
King Mackerel identification illustration
King Mackerel33
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F outside preference (70–84°F prime)
Charted 120 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.
Blackfin Tuna identification illustration
Blackfin Tuna27
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F outside preference (72–84°F prime)
Charted 120 ft suits this species (131–984 ft ideal)
No strong temperature break nearby
Better near humps, wrecks and shrimp-boat culling grounds if you can find it
Small jigs or live pilchards over humps at dawn; chum behind shrimpers.
Cobia identification illustration
Cobia16
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F outside preference (70–84°F prime)
Charted 120 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.
Permit identification illustration
Permit15
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F in the prime band (75–88°F prime)
Charted 120 ft marginal for this species (2–20 ft ideal)
Better near structure or edges if you can find it
Live crabs sight-cast on flats; over wrecks in summer.
Yellowfin Tuna identification illustration
Yellowfin Tuna11
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F outside preference (72–84°F prime)
Charted 120 ft marginal for this species (197–4920 ft ideal)
No strong temperature break nearby
Troll skirted lures on blue-water edges, rips and canyon walls; chunk at night.
Wahoo identification illustration
Wahoo8
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F outside preference (73–84°F prime)
Charted 120 ft marginal for this species (197–6560 ft ideal)
No strong temperature break nearby
High-speed troll (12-16 kt) with weighted lures over ledges and color changes.
Common Snook identification illustration
Common Snook5
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F in the prime band (73–88°F prime)
Charted 120 ft marginal for this species (2–20 ft ideal)
No charted structure within 250 m — scored cautiously (charts don't mark all hard bottom)
Live bait or swimbaits on mangrove edges, dock lights and pass current seams.
Tarpon identification illustration
Tarpon5
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F in the prime band (75–88°F prime)
Charted 120 ft marginal for this species (3–39 ft ideal)
Live crabs or mullet drifted through passes and along beaches on moving tide.
Greater Amberjack identification illustration
Greater Amberjack5
In season (Jul)
SST 87°F outside preference (68–82°F prime)
Charted 120 ft suits this species (82–328 ft ideal)
In NOAA-designated Essential Fish Habitat — expected here even where structure isn't charted
Live bait or big vertical jigs straight over deep wrecks and towers.
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.

Water temperature — last 10 weeks

2026-05-13 → 2026-07-22 · 79–87°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: Yellowfin Tuna, Mahi-Mahi, Wahoo, Swordfish, White Marlin, Blue Marlin, Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Common Snook, Tarpon.
Other grounds in Gulf of Mexico
Florida Middle Grounds
Gag Grouper · Red Grouper · Mangrove Snapper
The Midnight Lump — Venice
Yellowfin Tuna · Wahoo · Blackfin Tuna
Reuse welcome with attribution. Weekly regional report: Gulf of Mexico · Feed: RSS · all US grounds: /fishing.