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Spotted seatroutRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Red drum60
- Spanish mackerel60
- Spotted seatrout59
- Common snook56
- Florida pompano54
- King mackerel53
- Black drum52
- Gray triggerfish50
- Red grouper50
- Sheepshead50
- Gray snapper47
- Atlantic croaker35
- Atlantic tarpon35
- Cobia35
- Crevalle jack35
- Permit30
- Gag grouper20
- Greater amberjack20
- Red snapper20
- Southern flounder20
Best score today · 6 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 591 PM EST
- Best window
- 5-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Shell Point 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
Wednesday, Nov 4 · 8 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
94Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 2 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
90Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 0.5 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Shell Point
- Depth
- 1-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Shell Point
Shell Point is a cape in Tampa Bay waters, Florida. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are red drum, Spanish mackerel and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for red drum, Spanish mackerel, spotted seatrout and Florida pompano, and shoulder season for common snook, king mackerel, black drum and gray triggerfish. Red drum peak from September through November. Spanish mackerel peak from April through May and from October through November. Spotted seatrout peak from March 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
- Clearwater Pass65
Channel · 3.3 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 65
- Florida pompano 64
- Red drum 61
10 kt EH 7:42 PM · 2.2 ftL 12:35 AM · 1.6 ft
- McKay Point60
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 60
- Spanish mackerel 60
- Spotted seatrout 59
10 kt EL 2:02 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:01 PM · 2.0 ft
- Point Pleasant54
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 54
- Red drum 53
- Spanish mackerel 52
10 kt EL 1:20 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:10 PM · 2.0 ft
- Howard Point54
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Florida pompanoPeak season- Florida pompano 54
- Red drum 53
- Spanish mackerel 52
10 kt EL 1:20 PM · 0.4 ftH 8:10 PM · 2.0 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.