Species guide · Florida
Red drum fishing in Florida
Sciaenops ocellatus, an inshore species also called redfish, reds and puppy drum. Listed for the South Florida and the Keys, Eastern Gulf and South Atlantic regions. Shoulder season, about 1 more week.
Right now it scores best in St. Andrews Bay Waterways at 75, one of 31 Florida bay systems where the Waterlands engine is scoring it.
Season now
Shoulder seasonSeason by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
South Florida and the Keys
Shoulder season, about 1 more week- Jan: Peak season
- Feb: Peak season
- Mar: Shoulder season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Off season
- Aug: Off season
- Sep: Shoulder season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Peak season
Peak: Oct to Feb. In season (shoulder or peak): Sep to Jun.
Research notes, South Florida and the Keys region
Everglades backcountry, Florida Bay and Flamingo fish best in the cooler months. Summer water on shallow flats gets too hot and fishing shifts to early morning and deeper edges. Seasonality here is guide consensus, not agency data.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Eastern Gulf
Peak season, about 10 more weeks- Jan: Shoulder season
- Feb: Shoulder season
- Mar: Shoulder season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Shoulder season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Shoulder season
Peak: Sep to Nov. In season (shoulder or peak): all year.
Research notes, Eastern Gulf region
Fall is peak as spawning schools form near passes and inlets from late August to November. Winter low tides push fish into creeks, spring-fed rivers and oyster bar edges. Harvest is prohibited in federal waters.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
South Atlantic
Peak season, about 10 more weeks- Jan: Shoulder season
- Feb: Shoulder season
- Mar: Shoulder season
- Apr: Shoulder season
- May: Shoulder season
- Jun: Shoulder season
- Jul: Shoulder season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Peak season
- Oct: Peak season
- Nov: Peak season
- Dec: Shoulder season
Peak: Aug to Nov. In season (shoulder or peak): all year.
Research notes, South Atlantic region
Resident in Florida east coast lagoons, Georgia and South Carolina marsh year-round, with winter schools on clear low-tide flats. Pamlico Sound bull reds run July through September and the Outer Banks surf peaks in October and November.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 31
Florida bay systems ranked by the Waterlands engine's red drum score this hour.
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (75) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (82) · 79 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (74) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (81) · 46 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (72) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (81) · 24 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (71) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (81) · 131 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (71) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (80) · 23 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (70) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 6 PM (81) · 49 named spots
Best window today 8-10 PM (70) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (79) · 39 named spots
Best window today 8-11 PM (70) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 9 AM (80) · 81 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (70) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 6 PM (77) · 92 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (69) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 6 PM (80) · 20 named spots
Best window today 7 PM-12 AM (73) · Best day Thu, Sep 17 at 5 PM (81) · 13 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (68) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 6 PM (81) · 126 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (65) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (78) · 4 named spots
Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (68) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (79) · 195 named spots
Best window today 9 PM-12 AM (72) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (85) · 22 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (61) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 8 PM (77) · 88 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (56) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 7 AM (72) · 109 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (54) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 1 AM (71) · 199 named spots
Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (58) · Best day Sat, Sep 26 at 1 AM (73) · 82 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (57) · Best day Wed, Sep 23 at 11 PM (71) · 6 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (50) · Best day Fri, Sep 18 at 7 PM (61) · 11 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (48) · Best day Fri, Sep 25 at 12 AM (70)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (48) · Best day Wed, Sep 23 at 11 PM (70)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (44) · Best day Sat, Sep 19 at 8 PM (77) · 21 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (48) · Best day Tue, Sep 29 at 5 PM (62)
Best window today 10 PM-12 AM (47) · Best day Thu, Sep 24 at 7 PM (68) · 16 named spots
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Mon, Sep 21 at 8 AM (55)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 12 AM (63)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Sun, Sep 27 at 1 AM (65)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 9 PM (64)
Best window today 8 PM-12 AM (30) · Best day Tue, Sep 22 at 8 AM (62)
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 52°F to 92°F, best between 65°F and 84°F.
- Water depth
- 1 to 40 ft of water.
- Structure
- Flat, oyster, marsh, grass, channel, pass and surf, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide and outgoing tide, with moderate current.A flooding tide lets reds push onto grass flats and into flooded marsh to feed, where they often tail. A falling tide pulls bait out of creeks, so fish creek mouths, drains and oyster bar points. Very low winter tides concentrate fish in potholes and creek channels.
- Light
- Bites best around dawn and dusk; feeds at night too.
- Pressure
- Tends to feed as pressure falls ahead of weather.
- Wind and sea limits
- 18 kt of wind and 3 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
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.
- Methods
- sight casting, popping cork, bottom fishing, surf fishing, fly fishing, wade fishing
- Lures
- gold spoon, soft plastic paddle tail, soft plastic shrimp, jighead and grub, topwater plug, shallow-running plug, crab or shrimp fly
- Bait
- live shrimp, finger mullet, mud minnow, blue crab, cut mullet, pinfish, Atlantic croaker
Regulations
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Synced with FWC Sep 16, 2026.
No reviewed red drum rule for Florida is on file yet. Check with FWC before you keep one.
Other Florida species
- Atlantic croaker
- Atlantic tarpon
- Common snook
- Crevalle jack
- Gray snapper
- King mackerel
- Southern flounder
- Spot
- Spotted seatrout
- Summer flounder
- Black drum
- Black sea bass
- Bonefish
- Cobia
- Florida pompano
- Gag grouper
- Gray triggerfish
- Greater amberjack
- Little tunny
- Mahi-mahi
- Permit
- Red grouper
- Red snapper
- Sailfish
- Sheepshead
- Spanish mackerel
- Wahoo
- Weakfish
- Yellowfin tuna
- Bluefish
- Striped bass