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Spotted seatroutRetention openBay · Florida
Anclote Anchorage
28.20°N · 82.82°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Common snook69
- Atlantic croaker65
- Gray snapper64
- Red drum63
- Atlantic tarpon62
- Spanish mackerel59
- Crevalle jack57
- Black drum56
- Southern flounder56
- Gag grouper53
- Florida pompano52
- Permit52
- King mackerel51
- Gray triggerfish49
- Red grouper49
- Red snapper49
- Spotted seatrout47
- Yellowfin tuna47
- Cobia46
- Greater amberjack43
- Mahi-mahi41
- Wahoo41
- Sailfish40
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 7 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 475 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Anclote Anchorage 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
51Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
65Wind: 4 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
47Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
70Season: 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
- 5 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
- 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 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
- 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
Anclote Anchorage
- Depth
- About 10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Anclote Anchorage
Anclote Anchorage is a bay in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is about 10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are common snook, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for common snook, Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel, crevalle jack and black drum. Common snook peak from April through May and from September through October. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June 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.
- Common snook
- Snook ambush bait around mangrove shorelines, bridge and dock lights, jetties and the mouths of passes and inlets, generally in 2 to 15 feet of water. Fish moving water, especially the outgoing tide, with a live pilchard, pinfish or shrimp, or a jerkbait or soft plastic swum past the structure. In summer they spawn along beaches and inlets, and in winter they crowd into rivers, canals and deep backcountry creeks where the water stays warmer.
- 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
- North River Point71
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 71
- Atlantic croaker 65
- Red drum 65
4 kt ENEL 5:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:56 PM · 2.9 ft
- Marshy Bayou71
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 71
- Red drum 68
- Atlantic croaker 65
4 kt ENEL 5:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:56 PM · 2.9 ft
- Sand Bay69
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 69
- Red drum 67
- Atlantic croaker 63
4 kt ENEL 5:40 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:37 PM · 3.0 ft
- Piney Point62
Cape · 2.7 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 62
- Red drum 56
- Atlantic croaker 55
4 kt ENEL 5:23 PM · 0.7 ftH 11:31 PM · 2.9 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.