Best Times to Catch Grouper in Florida (Complete Guide)
Grouper are one of the most popular gamefish in Florida coastal waters. Knowing the best time to come visit Florida and chase these moster brawlers can make all the difference in the world.
Generally speaking, the best time to catch grouper is from May to October. You’ll have the best chances fishing either in the early morning or late afternoon as these are the best times of the day for grouper in Florida.
With so many opportunities to catch this tasty fish, the question arises what is the best time to catch grouper? In this article we are going to answer that question by breaking down each of the major Florida regions where grouper can be found, as well as each season, and look at what time of day is best for catching grouper.
Best Time to Fish for Grouper in Florida
Grouper fishing in Florida is great most all year round and seems to peak in the Spring. Spring brings with it the opening of the grouper season which allows for the catch and harvest of grouper.
Outside of this open season, usually between January and February, Florida closes grouper season to allow the fish to spawn for species continuity.
That doesn’t mean, however, that you aren’t able to fish for grouper, it just means you aren’t able to harvest them.
The downfall is the period of spawning is when these fish are the most active all year round; that says something about their activity level during spawning as they are incredibly active fish all year round.
Seasonal Breakdown for Grouper in Florida
Grouper are popular in almost all of the waters around the state of Florida. In this section we are going to break down the four major regions in Florida and when grouper fishing is best in each.
Keep in mind that the grouper is a heavily regulated species in both state and federal waters. On the Gulf Coast, state waters go from the shore to 9 nautical miles while the state waters on the Atlantic side extend only to 3 nautical miles from the shore.
Atlantic Coast
The Atlantic coast sees its fair share of grouper action all year round. The Gulf Stream comes almost to the shore on the southeastern side of the state bringing with it warmer waters and bigger fish.
The peak season tends to start earlier on this side of the state because of that. On the Atlantic side, peak groper season tends to start in later winter immediately following the opening of the season.
During this time, right after the spawn, the fish are in a feeding frenzy and seeking out warmer waters where prey fish seem to go.
As the waters warm, you can even find the larger fish coming up to shallower waters during the early morning hours. If fishing in the afternoon, head offshore to deeper waters for the best luck.
Gulf Coast
Grouper are popular up and down the Gulf coast with the most popular species of grouper being the Gag grouper. They are known to hit the bait hard and dive straight back to cover, giving even the most experienced angler a run for their money.
The best time to fish for grouper along the Gulf Coast is from late spring into early summer, depending on which section of the Coast you are heading. If you’re going towards Clearwater, early to late spring will be when the grouper fishing really takes off.
You can expect destinations such as Destin and around the Panhandle to be a couple of weeks behind as the waters warm up.
South Florida
Where Florida’s two main bodies of water meet, the Gulf and the Atlantic, the grouper fishing in on all year round. The warmer climate in South Florida keeps the waters comfortable for the fish during most of the year.
Plus, there are major ocean currents that come along the southern tip of Florida bringing warm water and plenty of baitfish.
The deeper waters around the everglades are a great place to start the hunt for grouper in South Florida. The peak time in south Florida is early spring all the way into late fall, with not much let up.
For a complete breakdown of the best seasons to fish Miami, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Fort Lauderdale, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
Florida Keys
The season for grouper in the Florida Keys opens up May 1st and goes all the way into December, and it is great the entire time.
In the Keys, you are likely to experience scamp grouper, not popular in other waters around Florida. The peak season for grouper in the Florida Keys is between May and October.
One other species that makes more of an appearance in the Keys than anywhere else is the Goliath Grouper.
The problem with this is often anglers aren’t set up for this monster so they are resigned to simply watching the goliath steal any other fish which may be on their hook.
To learn the best time to Florida for all species of fish, please check out this helpful article I wrote. If you want to learn what are the best fighting fish to catch to include saltwater and freshwater, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
Recommended Fishing Charters for Grouper in Florida
These Florida-based charters that target grouper and other popular gamefish have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.
- Tail Gator Charters (Key Largo, FL)
- Blue Dream Charters (Key West, FL)
- Lucky Strike Fishing Charter (Naples, FL)
- Southern Comfort IV Charters (Hypoluxo, FL)
- Reel Funds Fishing Charters (Naples, FL)
- Pura Vida Charters Offshore Fishing (St. Petersburg, FL)
- Neptune Charters Enterprise Inc (Sarasota, FL)
Best Time & Tide of Day to Catch Grouper
Though not as much as other species, the tide still plays a part and has an effect on grouper fishing. The major role the tides play revolves more around the baitfish than the grouper themselves.
Grouper are bottom dwellers, so they aren’t as affected by the shallower waters of the low tide because they don’t live in the flats and shallows.
However, as the tides change, the water movement gets their prey fish moving. During the tidal changes, you’ll likely find grouper hanging out just below structure waiting to ambush their prey.
The best time of day to fish for grouper in Florida is the morning hours, as the tide change and breaking sunlight is bringing the dormant waters to life. Grouper will use this reduced light to hunt and live bait is best during this time.
Another alternative to live bait is hooking a dead baitfish on with an artificial lure. This helps to fool the grouper even more.
Best Grouper Fishing By Season
Spring
Spring is the best season to fish for grouper in Florida as they are both active and in season, meaning you are able to harvest them, with the exception of the Goliath Grouper.
For the best chances, you’ll want to find underground structures of some sort, such as wrecks, reefs, and other rock formations. Groupers are bottom-dwelling fish, especially in the springtime when the surface temperature of the water is still cooler.
During the warmer days of Spring, you may even find the grouper moving into the bays and inlets inshore, providing many more opportunities to fish for grouper in Florida.
Don’t expect this to happen often, though, as the shallower waters tend to fluctuate in temperature more often, sending them back to the deeper waters.
I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic to create your combo.
Summer
Summertime is an excellent time to fish for grouper in Florida. You will notice the pressure does build on the fishing in Florida during the summer as it is the busiest vacation time for many parts of the state. That means there will be more competition for the best fishing spots.
But don’t let that deter you from grouper fishing in the summer; some of the biggest grouper have been caught during this season.
You will want to go early in the morning as this is when the groupers are most active because their prey fish are most active.
Grouper prefer the water temperature to be around 70° on average, sometimes even up to 77°, but if it gets warmer than that, they will head to deeper waters. So, the morning time brings them to shallower waters to feed before the water gets too warm.
Fall
Fall brings with it cooler temps and less pressure on the fish, meaning even more opportunities to catch a big one. The fish are still active during this season, though many anglers have the best luck when using fresh bait as opposed to artificial.
The Atlantic side often tends to be more active during the fall season with the warmer waters being pushed in by the Gulf Stream, so head there for the best chance of landing your limit.
Fall is good, too, due to the waters being calmer with less storm activity. Groupers do not like the current as much as other fish might, so rough waters send them deeper than usual.
The fall tends to see them come back up to shallower waters with it not being uncommon to catch juvenile grouper in waters 15 feet deep or more. Though these are less likely to be legal to keep, they do make for some fun fishing excitement.
Winter
Winter can be both the best and worse season to catch groper in Florida and you’ll see many charters will close to grouper fishing during this time. It’s the best season as they are most active in the wintertime due to them spawning during this season.
This is when you’ll find them coming closer to shore and shallower waters. This makes for some exciting times.
It’s also the worse season because Florida regulates grouper heavily and makes all groupers only catch and release during January and February because of the spawn.
If you can find a charter willing to go out, or a pier over 15 feet or more of water, chances are high you can catch a world-record grouper during the winter season.
Chances are also high for a double-digit landing on a single trip, just be prepared to release each one. Many anglers will target the goliath grouper during the winter as it is always catch-and-release but are more active in the winter.
How Does Clear vs Cloudy Skies Impact Grouper Fishing in Florida?
Grouper require on their sight the most when it comes to eating, so a cloudy day can have an impact on where you fish, though it doesn’t mean you won’t catch anything. If the sun is having a hard time penetrating the clouds, chances are it’s not getting too awful deep in the waters either.
However, the grouper aren’t afraid to come to shallower waters to feed, you’ll just need to change where you fish for them.
This is where having and experienced guide makes all the difference. An experienced guide will know which structures to fish on a cloudy day to have the best chances of catching your limit of grouper.
Is Night Fishing for Grouper in Florida Any Good?
While some species may tend to bite the same, or even better, at night, grouper doesn’t seem to be one of them. Grouper rely on their sight to hunt and, while there’s little light during the day at 300+ feet, there’s absolutely none during the night.
Some have tried, with little success, in using artificial dock lights to draw the fish up, but these also have a hard time penetrating that deep.
That being said, the early hours of the morning, right as the sun begins to rise, seem to be the best time to go after grouper.
So, if you find yourself nighttime fishing for another species such as snapper or snook, staying out till morning will allow you to add some grouper to the live well also.
Impacts Storms & Hurricanes have on Grouper Fishing
Though grouper are bottom dwelling fish, they are very sensitive to the water pressure. As the water pressure builds before a storm, they will sense this and head to deeper waters. This is especially true for those smaller groupers who hang out in shallower waters.
Starting a day or two before the storm rolls through, you’ll want to change up your tackle a little and start using heavy tackle that’s easier to control in the drift.
However, you are likely to be hard-pressed to find a charter who will target grouper that close to a storm due to the lower chances of success.
Hurricanes, though, are an entirely different story for grouper fishing in Florida. Hurricanes often leave behind a lasting change in formations at the bottom of the waters where groupers live.
This means hot spots can drastically change following a hurricane where a spot which one was a favorite and sure bet to land a grouper now has none there. Grouper fishing in Florida can sometimes take several days and weeks to return to normal following a severe hurricane.
For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Naples, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best fishing times for St. Petersburg & Tampa, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch sheepshead in Florida, check out this guide. Click here for a breakdown of the best weather for grouper.
