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Spotted seatroutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker74
- Crevalle jack74
- Atlantic tarpon72
- Spot72
- Common snook70
- Summer flounder70
- Gray snapper67
- King mackerel66
- Red drum64
- Southern flounder63
- Black sea bass60
- Weakfish60
- Little tunny59
- Gray triggerfish57
- Red grouper57
- Red snapper57
- Spanish mackerel57
- Black drum56
- Florida pompano56
- Sheepshead54
- Spotted seatrout54
- Cobia53
- Greater amberjack52
- Wahoo49
- Mahi-mahi43
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish33
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 542 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bessie Cove 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
82Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 5 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
42Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.2 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Spotted seatrout
Retention open- Daily limit
- 2 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 15 to 19 in, total length. May not possess fish larger than 19 inches total length.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Changes
- Closed from Nov 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 January 1 through October 31. Closed November 1 through December 31. 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 (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 drum Catch & release (No retention)
- 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)
- 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
Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Bessie Cove
- Depth
- 2-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak 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 Bessie Cove
Bessie Cove is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 2-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, crevalle jack, Atlantic tarpon and spot, and shoulder season for black sea bass, weakfish, little tunny and gray triggerfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July 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.
- 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.
- Crevalle jack
- Jacks roam in schools through inlets, passes, bays, river mouths and along beaches, pushing bait to the surface, and big fish also hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks. Watch for birds and surface blowups, then cast a popper, a spoon or a bucktail into the school and retrieve fast. Bring heavy spinning tackle, because a jack over 15 pounds runs hard and fights for a long time.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Saint Lucie Inlet79
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 79
- Common snook 76
- Crevalle jack 74
5 kt EH 7:18 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:01 AM · 0.3 ft
- Negro Cove74
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 74
- Crevalle jack 74
- Spot 72
5 kt EH 6:14 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:29 AM · 0.9 ft
- Baker Point72
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 72
- Common snook 70
- Atlantic croaker 69
5 kt EH 6:14 PM · 3.5 ftL 12:29 AM · 0.9 ft
- North Point70
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 70
- Common snook 68
- Atlantic croaker 66
5 kt EH 7:18 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:01 AM · 0.3 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.