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Spotted seatroutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all81
- Spotted seatrout81
- Red drum80
- Spanish mackerel68
- Black drum65
- King mackerel64
- Common snook63
- Gray triggerfish59
- Red grouper59
- Sheepshead59
- Florida pompano58
- Gray snapper58
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit35
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 8 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 813 PM EST
- Best window
- 7-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Boat Bayou 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
Friday, Nov 6 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
88Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
75Wind: 5 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
91Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.1 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
98Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier counties)
Spotted seatrout
Retention open- Daily limit
- 3 per day
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Slot 15 to 19 in, total length. One fish over 19 inches per vessel, or per person when fishing from shore, counted in the bag limit.
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- 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 year-round. 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
- Black drum Retention open (5 per day)
- Bluefish Retention open (10 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 (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Closed (No retention)
- King mackerel Retention open (3 per day)
- Mahi-mahi Retention open (10 per day)
- Permit Retention open (2 per day)
- Red drum Retention open (1 per day)
- Red grouper Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Red snapper Closed (No retention)
- Sailfish Retention open (1 per day (1 billfish combined))
- Sheepshead Retention open (8 per day)
- Snook Retention open (1 per day)
- Southern flounder Closed (No retention)
- Spanish mackerel Retention open (15 per day)
- Spot Retention open
- Summer flounder Closed (No retention)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spotted seatrout is best here
Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Boat Bayou
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · 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 Boat Bayou
Boat Bayou is a bay in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, red drum and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, red drum, Spanish mackerel and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for black drum, king mackerel, common snook and gray triggerfish. Spotted seatrout peak from March through May and from October through November. Red drum peak from September through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Mobbly Bay81
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 81
- Red drum 80
- Spanish mackerel 68
9 kt EL 5:58 PM · 0.1 ftH 1:22 AM · 1.2 ft
- Double Branch Bay79
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 79
- Red drum 77
- Spanish mackerel 75
8 kt EL 5:58 PM · 0.1 ftH 1:22 AM · 1.2 ft
- Safety Harbor76
Bay · 2.1 mi
Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season- Spotted seatrout 76
- Spanish mackerel 75
- King mackerel 71
9 kt EL 5:58 PM · 0.1 ftH 1:22 AM · 1.2 ft
- Booth Point71
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 71
- Spotted seatrout 71
- Spanish mackerel 69
9 kt EL 5:58 PM · 0.1 ftH 1:22 AM · 1.2 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.