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Black drumRetention openBay · Florida
Michael Creek
27.76°N · 80.41°W · Bay · Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot69
- Red drum63
- Southern flounder63
- Crevalle jack61
- Atlantic tarpon60
- Common snook60
- Summer flounder60
- King mackerel57
- Gray snapper55
- Florida pompano54
- Spotted seatrout51
- Weakfish51
- Spanish mackerel49
- Wahoo48
- Black drum46
- Black sea bass46
- Little tunny46
- Cobia43
- Gray triggerfish43
- Red grouper43
- Red snapper43
- Mahi-mahi42
- Sheepshead40
- Greater amberjack38
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 6 PM · Black drum
- Now
- 468 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Michael 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
49Tide: FloodingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 3 kt SWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
63Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Black drum
Species seasonality
48Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: Retention open
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Black drum
Retention open- Daily limit
- 5 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 14 to 24 in, total length. One fish over 24 inches allowed, counted in the bag limit.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Special rules apply in Biscayne National Park. Hook and line, cast net, seine, spear or gig. No multiple hooks with natural bait. No snatching. Open year-round.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Black Drum, read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 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)
- 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 yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black drum is best here
Shoulder season for Black drum · 18 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Michael Creek
- Depth
- 5-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack 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 Michael Creek
Michael Creek is a bay in Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 5-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, red drum and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, weakfish, Spanish mackerel and wahoo. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Red drum peak from August through November.
Tackle & technique
- Black drum
- Black drum root along the bottom around oyster reefs, bridge and pier pilings, channel edges and shallow mud flats. TPWD notes they rarely take artificials, so fish peeled shrimp, crab, clams or sand fleas on a bottom rig and let the fish load the rod before setting the hook. Big spawning schools gather near passes and bay mouths in late winter and spring, and in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay the large fish show up on the shoals from April into June.
- 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 Channel75
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 70
- Atlantic tarpon 68
3 kt SWH 9:04 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- Pine Island Bay71
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 69
- Crevalle jack 61
3 kt SWH 9:04 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- South Point66
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 64
- Common snook 60
3 kt SWH 9:04 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:05 PM · 0.3 ft
- Duck Point66
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 64
- Common snook 60
3 kt SWH 9:04 AM · 0.4 ftL 4:05 PM · 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.