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Spotted seatroutRetention openBay · Florida
East Slough
29.70°N · 84.77°W · Bay · Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker69
- Florida pompano63
- Red drum59
- Gray snapper51
- Spanish mackerel49
- Black drum48
- Crevalle jack48
- Permit48
- Southern flounder48
- Atlantic tarpon46
- Gag grouper46
- King mackerel45
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red grouper43
- Sailfish43
- Yellowfin tuna43
- Cobia42
- Red snapper42
- Greater amberjack39
- Mahi-mahi39
- Spotted seatrout39
- Wahoo38
- Sheepshead33
Best score today · 8 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 3912 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- High2.1 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East Slough 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
30Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 8 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
30Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
77Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
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)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spotted seatrout is best here
Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
East Slough
- Depth
- 2-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 East Slough
East Slough is a bay in Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm, Florida. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
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, black drum and crevalle jack. 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
- Gap Point69
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 63
- Red drum 61
8 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:53 PM · 0.5 ft
- East Cove69
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 63
- Red drum 61
8 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:53 PM · 0.5 ft
- East Pelican Reef69
Bar · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 63
- Gray snapper 62
8 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:53 PM · 0.5 ft
- Rattlesnake Cove69
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 69
- Florida pompano 63
- Red drum 61
8 kt ENEH 12:56 PM · 2.5 ftL 7:53 PM · 0.5 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.