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Spotted seatroutRetention openBay · Florida
Black Creek
28.84°N · 82.67°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker67
- Florida pompano62
- Common snook59
- Red drum59
- Gray snapper50
- Atlantic tarpon49
- Crevalle jack49
- Permit48
- Spanish mackerel48
- Southern flounder46
- Gag grouper45
- King mackerel45
- Yellowfin tuna45
- Black drum44
- Gray triggerfish41
- Red grouper41
- Red snapper41
- Spotted seatrout41
- Wahoo39
- Cobia38
- Mahi-mahi38
- Sailfish38
- Greater amberjack37
- Sheepshead28
Best score today · 8 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 415 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High0.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Black 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
30Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.4 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
48Wind: 7 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
47Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
76Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of 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
Black Creek
- Depth
- Under 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Black Creek
Black Creek is a bay in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, Florida pompano and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, common snook, red drum and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack and permit. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October through November. Common snook peak from April through 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.
- 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
- Salt Creek70
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: Common snookPeak season- Common snook 70
- Red drum 69
- Atlantic croaker 67
7 kt ENEL 10:06 PM · 0.3 ftH 3:09 AM · 1.2 ft
- Saint Martins River67
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Florida pompano 62
- Common snook 59
7 kt ENEL 12:24 AM · 0.2 ftH 5:10 AM · 0.4 ft
- Fish Creek67
Bay · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 67
- Florida pompano 62
- Common snook 59
7 kt ENEL 12:24 AM · 0.2 ftH 5:10 AM · 0.4 ft
- Greenleaf Bay65
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 65
- Florida pompano 60
- Common snook 58
7 kt ENEL 12:24 AM · 0.2 ftH 5:10 AM · 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.