Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutRetention open

Channel · Florida

Two Mile Channel

29.69°N · 85.01°W · Channel · Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM

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Best score today · 7 PM · Spotted seatrout

76/100Great
Now
461 PM EDT
Best window
1-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score46Good
Tide1.8 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.8 knmodeled · toward W
Wind8 kn ENEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp86°Hot
WeatherClear39% chance of rain
Water87°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
Changes
Closed from Feb 1
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 March 1 through January 31. Closed in February. 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 Retention open (1 per day)
  • 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)

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

Two Mile Channel

Depth
About 7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · 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 Two Mile Channel

Two Mile Channel is a channel in Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is about 7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Florida pompano and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Spanish mackerel, Atlantic tarpon and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September 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.
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

  • Apalachicola Bay

    Bay · 2.5 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Florida pompano 64
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt ENEL 8:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 3:30 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Little Bay

    Bay · 3.8 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Red drum 66
    • Florida pompano 64

    8 kt ENEH 1:56 PM · 1.9 ftL 9:28 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Saint Vincent Point

    Cape · 3.9 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Florida pompano 63
    • Red drum 55

    8 kt ENEH 1:29 PM · 1.6 ftL 9:01 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Sheepshead Bayou

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    67
    Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season
    • Atlantic croaker 67
    • Florida pompano 61
    • Red drum 58

    8 kt ENEH 1:29 PM · 1.6 ftL 9:01 PM · 0.4 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.