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Spotted seatroutRetention openChannel · Florida
Number Four Channel
29.15°N · 83.08°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Gray snapper67
- Florida pompano66
- Red drum66
- Atlantic tarpon63
- Spanish mackerel62
- Black drum61
- Crevalle jack59
- Permit58
- Southern flounder58
- Gag grouper56
- King mackerel55
- Gray triggerfish52
- Red grouper52
- Red snapper52
- Spotted seatrout51
- Cobia50
- Yellowfin tuna50
- Sailfish48
- Greater amberjack47
- Wahoo44
- Mahi-mahi43
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 5111 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Number Four Channel 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
55Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 7 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
53Water temp: 86°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.6 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
75Season: 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 yesterday
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
Number Four Channel
- Depth
- 8-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Outer · Semi-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 Number Four Channel
Number Four Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM, Florida. Depth is 8-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 23 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and Florida pompano. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, gray snapper and red drum, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, Atlantic tarpon, Spanish mackerel and black drum. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Florida pompano peak from March through May and from October 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Northwest Channel77
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 77
- Gray snapper 68
- Red drum 67
7 kt NEH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ft
- Pelican Reef75
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 70
- Gray snapper 69
7 kt NEH 12:05 PM · 3.9 ftL 6:47 PM · 0.5 ft
- North Bank73
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 67
- Florida pompano 66
7 kt NEH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:04 PM · 0.8 ft
- South Bank73
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Red drum 67
- Florida pompano 66
7 kt NEH 12:08 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:04 PM · 0.8 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.