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Spotted seatroutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker61
- Atlantic tarpon61
- Common snook60
- Crevalle jack60
- Spot59
- Summer flounder56
- Gray snapper54
- Red drum54
- King mackerel52
- Southern flounder52
- Little tunny49
- Black drum47
- Black sea bass47
- Spanish mackerel47
- Wahoo46
- Weakfish46
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red grouper43
- Red snapper43
- Spotted seatrout43
- Florida pompano42
- Sheepshead41
- Mahi-mahi40
- Cobia39
- Greater amberjack38
- Bluefish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Sailfish32
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 8 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 432 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
37Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
64Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
37Water temp: 86°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
Big Slough
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-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 Big Slough
Big Slough is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 1-4 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, Atlantic tarpon and common snook. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, Atlantic tarpon, common snook and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for little tunny, black drum, black sea bass and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September. 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.
- Atlantic tarpon
- Tarpon roll along beaches, in passes and channels, and under bridges from late spring through fall, and in South Florida some fish stay through winter in warm canals and backcountry rivers. Live crabs, mullet or pinfish drifted through a pass on the outgoing tide, or a fly or soft plastic cast ahead of a rolling string of fish, are the main approaches. Use a long heavy leader, bow to the jumps, and keep big fish in the water for release.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- South Hole67
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 67
- Red drum 63
- Atlantic croaker 61
6 kt NEL 3:17 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:45 PM · 0.4 ft
- North Hole61
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Common snook 60
6 kt NEL 3:17 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:45 PM · 0.4 ft
- Black Point61
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic tarponPeak season- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Common snook 60
- Atlantic croaker 56
6 kt NEL 3:17 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:45 PM · 0.4 ft
- News Cut61
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 61
- Atlantic tarpon 61
- Common snook 60
6 kt NEL 3:17 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:45 PM · 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.