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Spotted seatroutRetention openGut · Florida
Kingsley Creek
30.62°N · 81.49°W · Gut · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker64
- Crevalle jack62
- Red drum60
- Summer flounder60
- Spot59
- Atlantic tarpon58
- King mackerel58
- Southern flounder58
- Florida pompano57
- Gray snapper57
- Black drum53
- Black sea bass53
- Spanish mackerel51
- Spotted seatrout50
- Weakfish48
- Gray triggerfish46
- Sheepshead46
- Cobia45
- Red grouper45
- Red snapper45
- Little tunny43
- Greater amberjack41
- Mahi-mahi40
- Sailfish35
- Wahoo35
- Bluefish34
- Yellowfin tuna33
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 502 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Kingsley 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
62Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
48Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
16Water temp: 84°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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 today
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
Kingsley Creek
- Depth
- 3-10 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 Kingsley Creek
Kingsley Creek is a gut in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 3-10 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 red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, black sea bass and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Red drum peak from August 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.
- 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
- Rayonier Reach67
Channel · 3.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Crevalle jack 63
- Spot 62
11 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- City Front Reach67
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Crevalle jack 63
- Spot 62
11 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- Seaboard Reach67
Channel · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Crevalle jack 64
- Spot 62
11 kt NEH 7:17 PM · 6.7 ftL 1:21 AM · 1.1 ft
- Seymour Point55
Cape · 3.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 55
- Crevalle jack 54
- Spot 52
10 kt NEH 7:36 PM · 4.8 ftL 2:17 AM · 0.8 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.