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Spotted seatroutRetention openChannel · Florida
Saint Augustine Inlet
29.91°N · 81.29°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Crevalle jack63
- Atlantic croaker62
- King mackerel59
- Summer flounder59
- Atlantic tarpon58
- Florida pompano57
- Spot57
- Gray snapper55
- Red drum55
- Spanish mackerel55
- Black drum51
- Black sea bass51
- Southern flounder49
- Wahoo47
- Gray triggerfish46
- Mahi-mahi46
- Spotted seatrout46
- Weakfish46
- Little tunny45
- Red snapper45
- Cobia44
- Red grouper44
- Sheepshead44
- Greater amberjack40
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 461 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Saint Augustine Inlet 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
41Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
43Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
37Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.8 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 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
Saint Augustine Inlet
- Depth
- 6-35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Inlet · Outer · Semi-exposedInlet · slope
- 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 Saint Augustine Inlet
Saint Augustine Inlet is a channel in Coastal waters from Fernandina Beach to St. Augustine FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 6-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads inlet, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 28 species here; the best right now are crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel. It is peak season now for crevalle jack, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, black drum and black sea bass. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. King mackerel peak in 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Devils Elbow67
Bend · 12 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Crevalle jack 65
- Spot 62
10 kt NEL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- Murat Point64
Cape · 9.6 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 64
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Spot 61
10 kt NEL 1:42 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:57 PM · 4.8 ft
- Vilano Point59
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 59
- King mackerel 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
8 kt NEH 7:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- French Cape59
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Crevalle jackPeak season- Crevalle jack 59
- King mackerel 59
- Atlantic croaker 58
8 kt NEH 7:01 PM · 4.9 ftL 1:15 AM · 0.9 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.