Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutRetention open

Bar · Florida

Black Ledge

25.59°N · 80.25°W · Bar · Biscayne Bay

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spotted seatrout

77/100Great
Now
3012 AM EDT
Best window
5-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.8 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Nov 12 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score48Good
Tide1.0 ft ▲Flooding
Wind3 kn NNEgusts 6 · steady
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherClear14% cloud
Water83°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

Spotted seatrout

Retention open
Daily limit
3 per day
Possession
Not published
Size
Slot 15 to 19 in, total length. One fish over 19 inches per vessel, or per person when fishing from shore, counted in the bag limit.
Season
No closed season on file
Annual quota
Not published
Other
Must stay whole until landed ashore. For-hire captain and crew may not keep a bag limit. Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line or cast net only. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round. Regional rules apply in inland, state and adjacent federal waters. New regional rules took effect April 1, 2026.

From FWC Recreational Regulations: Spotted Seatrout, read Sep 13

Other species here

  • Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (3 per day)
  • Bonefish Catch & release (No retention)
  • Cobia Retention open (1 per day)
  • Crevalle jack Retention open
  • Florida pompano Retention open (6 per day)
  • Gag grouper Closed (No retention)
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
  • Red snapper Check regulations
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • Snook Retention open (1 per day)
  • Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open (50 per day)
  • Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
  • Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
  • Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)

Source: FWC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 4 more weeks at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 4 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Florida →

Spot profile

Black Ledge

Depth
6-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Black Ledge

Black Ledge is a bar in Biscayne Bay, Florida. Depth is 6-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are common snook, king mackerel and gray snapper. It is peak season now for common snook, king mackerel, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for gray snapper, red grouper, Florida pompano and Atlantic tarpon. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through November. King mackerel peak from November through March. Gray snapper peak from May through August.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Common snook
Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Biscayne Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    71
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 71
    • Crevalle jack 66
    • Red drum 64

    4 kt EH 1:29 AM · 2.2 ftL 8:15 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Deering Bay Channel

    Channel · 3.5 mi

    70
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 70
    • Crevalle jack 63
    • Red drum 62

    8 kt EH 1:49 AM · 2.6 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Shoal Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    64
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 64
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt EH 1:49 AM · 2.6 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Paradise Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    64
    Top: Common snookPeak season
    • Common snook 64
    • Crevalle jack 58
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt EH 1:49 AM · 2.6 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.7 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with FWC before you keep a fish.