Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutRetention open

Bay · Florida

Primo Bay

26.67°N · 82.24°W · Bay · Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound

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Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout

84/100Great
Now
4611 AM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
High1.9 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score46Good
Tide1.9 ftHigh
CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward ENE
Wind2 kn NEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 4 s
Air temp83°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy55% cloud
Water83°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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. 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
  • Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
  • Bluefish Retention open (10 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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
  • Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
  • King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
  • Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
  • Permit Retention open (2 per day)
  • Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
  • Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
  • Red snapper Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
  • Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
  • Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
  • Snook Catch & release (No retention)
  • Southern flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
  • Spot Retention open
  • Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
  • 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 · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Florida

Spot profile

Primo Bay

Depth
3-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Primo Bay

Primo Bay is a bay in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound, Florida. Depth is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Florida pompano and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, permit and Atlantic tarpon. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October.

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.
Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Florida pompano
Pompano feed on sand fleas and coquina clams in the trough between the beach and the first sandbar, and around the sandy edges of passes, inlets and bridges. Surf anglers fish a two-hook pompano rig with sand fleas, clams or shrimp, while boat and bridge anglers bounce small jigs along the bottom. The runs follow water temperature, heading north in spring and south in fall as the water cools.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Pelican Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    74
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 74
    • Florida pompano 68
    • Common snook 67

    2 kt NEL 5:53 PM · 0.4 ftH 12:29 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Primo Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Florida pompano 63
    • Common snook 62

    2 kt NEL 5:53 PM · 0.4 ftH 12:29 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Punta Blanca

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Florida pompano 63
    • Common snook 62

    2 kt NEL 5:53 PM · 0.4 ftH 12:29 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Platt Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    69
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 69
    • Florida pompano 59
    • Common snook 58

    2 kt NEL 6:06 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:08 AM · 1.6 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.