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Spotted seatroutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum76
- Gray snapper75
- Atlantic croaker74
- Common snook74
- Atlantic tarpon71
- Southern flounder70
- Permit67
- Crevalle jack66
- Black drum63
- Spanish mackerel61
- Gag grouper60
- Spotted seatrout60
- Florida pompano57
- Gray triggerfish57
- King mackerel57
- Red grouper57
- Red snapper57
- Greater amberjack55
- Cobia51
- Sheepshead35
Best score today · 11 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 6010 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Picnic Island 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
62Wind: 3 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 87°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.2 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
77Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Retention open
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 Retention open (2 per day (4 Gulf grouper combined))
- Gray snapper Retention open (5 per day (10 snapper combined))
- Gray triggerfish Retention open (1 per day)
- Greater amberjack Retention open (1 per day)
- 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 Retention open (2 per day (10 snapper combined))
- 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
- 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 Spotted seatrout is best here
Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Picnic Island Creek
- Depth
- Up to 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Picnic Island Creek
Picnic Island Creek is a gut in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for red drum, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and common snook, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, southern flounder, permit and crevalle jack. Red drum peak from September through November. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker 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.
- 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.
- Gray snapper
- Mangrove snapper hold tight to mangrove roots, bridge pilings, jetties and reef ledges, from a few feet deep inshore to 150 feet offshore. Chum to pull them out of cover, then freeline or lightly weight a live shrimp or pilchard on fluorocarbon leader, since they shy away from heavy line in clear water. The bite improves at dusk and after dark.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Port Tampa Channel75
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 72
- Gray snapper 72
3 kt NEH 1:03 PM · 2.8 ftL 8:14 PM · 0.5 ft
- Christmas Pass75
Channel · 3.5 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 75
- Red drum 73
3 kt NEH 1:03 PM · 2.8 ftL 8:14 PM · 0.5 ft
- South Gandy Channel75
Channel · 3.9 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Common snook 72
- Gray snapper 72
3 kt NEH 1:03 PM · 2.8 ftL 8:14 PM · 0.5 ft
- Papys Point73
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Common snook 67
- Atlantic croaker 66
3 kt NEH 1:03 PM · 2.8 ftL 8:14 PM · 0.5 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.