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Spotted seatroutRetention openGut · Florida
Deep Creek
30.42°N · 81.45°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker79
- Spot74
- Florida pompano73
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Crevalle jack68
- Red drum67
- Gray snapper66
- Southern flounder65
- Summer flounder65
- King mackerel62
- Spanish mackerel59
- Weakfish57
- Spotted seatrout56
- Black drum53
- Little tunny53
- Black sea bass52
- Cobia49
- Mahi-mahi47
- Sheepshead47
- Gray triggerfish45
- Greater amberjack45
- Red snapper45
- Red grouper44
- Wahoo43
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 5 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 567 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High4.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Deep Creek scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
44Tide: High slackCurrent: 1.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
95Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
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. May not possess fish larger than 19 inches total length.
- 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. Volusia County waters south of Lytle Avenue/South Causeway in New Smyrna Beach, including Mosquito Lagoon, are in the Indian River Lagoon region: 2 fish, closed November and December. 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 (2 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 Retention open (5 per day)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open (50 per day)
- 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
Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Deep Creek
- Depth
- 4-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Deep Creek
Deep Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 4-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, weakfish and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Florida pompano peak from March through April and from October through November.
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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Hannah Mills Creek79
Gut · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Spot 74
- Florida pompano 67
6 kt NNEH 7:22 AM · 4.4 ftL 1:24 PM · 1.0 ft
- Mayport Cut Range79
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 79
- Atlantic tarpon 71
- Spot 70
6 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft
- Fort George River78
Gut · 2.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 78
- Spot 73
- Florida pompano 67
6 kt NNEL 1:15 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:27 PM · 5.3 ft
- Horseshoe Creek73
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 71
- Florida pompano 65
6 kt NNEL 1:15 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:27 PM · 5.3 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.