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Red drumCatch & releaseBay · Florida
Gaines Slough
28.89°N · 80.82°W · Bay · Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker77
- Spot75
- Crevalle jack73
- Red drum73
- Atlantic tarpon72
- King mackerel70
- Common snook69
- Southern flounder69
- Summer flounder68
- Gray snapper65
- Black drum64
- Spotted seatrout63
- Gray triggerfish60
- Black sea bass59
- Red snapper58
- Cobia57
- Red grouper57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Little tunny56
- Sheepshead56
- Weakfish56
- Mahi-mahi55
- Florida pompano53
- Greater amberjack52
- Wahoo51
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 7 AM · Red drum
- Now
- 7312 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gaines 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
78Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 6 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 82°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · Red drum
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Red drum
Catch & release- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Hook and line or cast net only. No spearing, gigging, bowfishing, snatch hooking, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Catch-and-release only in the Indian River Lagoon region.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Red Drum (Redfish), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (3 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 Closed (No retention)
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (10 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- King mackerel Retention open (2 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (5 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (3 per day (3 Atlantic grouper and tilefish combined))
- Red snapper Check regulations
- 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 (50 per day)
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (2 per day)
- 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 Red drum is best here
Peak season for Red drum · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Gaines Slough
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonRed drum
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 Gaines Slough
Gaines Slough is a bay in Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and red drum, and shoulder season for black drum, gray triggerfish, black sea bass and red snapper. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
Tackle & technique
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- 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.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- East Channel82
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 82
- Common snook 78
- Spot 78
6 kt NNEL 4:22 PM · 0.0 ftH 9:51 PM · 0.4 ft
- Bittersweet Cove76
Bay · 3.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 73
6 kt NNEL 2:38 PM · 0.1 ftH 8:35 PM · 1.1 ft
- Brickhouse Cove76
Bay · 3.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 73
6 kt NNEL 2:38 PM · 0.1 ftH 8:35 PM · 1.1 ft
- Blue Hole76
Bay · 4.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 73
6 kt NNEL 2:38 PM · 0.1 ftH 8:35 PM · 1.1 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.