Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutRetention open

Gut · Florida

Hannah Mills Creek

30.41°N · 81.47°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 4 AM · Spotted seatrout

79/100Great
Now
6510 AM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Ebbing3.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score65Great
Tide3.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward S
Wind8 kn NNEgusts 19 · steady
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy77% chance of rain
Water84°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 9 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Florida

Spot profile

Hannah Mills Creek

Depth
2-5 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 Hannah Mills Creek

Hannah Mills Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 2-5 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, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and red drum, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black sea bass, weakfish and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.

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.
Crevalle jack
Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Deep Creek

    Gut · 1.4 mi

    78
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 78
    • Gray snapper 75
    • Summer flounder 74

    8 kt NNEL 1:24 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:45 PM · 4.9 ft

  • Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 78
    • Gray snapper 75
    • Atlantic croaker 74

    8 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Mayport Cut Range

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    78
    Top: Crevalle jackPeak season
    • Crevalle jack 78
    • Gray snapper 75
    • Summer flounder 74

    8 kt NNEL 12:39 PM · 1.0 ftH 7:16 PM · 5.2 ft

  • Training Wall Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    76
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 76
    • Crevalle jack 76
    • Atlantic tarpon 73

    8 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:43 PM · 4.5 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.