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Black drumRetention openBay · Florida
Indian River Lagoon
28.26°N · 80.61°W · Bay · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker76
- Spot74
- Crevalle jack73
- Common snook70
- King mackerel70
- Atlantic tarpon68
- Summer flounder67
- Gray snapper66
- Red drum65
- Southern flounder65
- Spanish mackerel59
- Spotted seatrout59
- Black sea bass58
- Gray triggerfish58
- Weakfish58
- Black drum57
- Little tunny57
- Red snapper57
- Red grouper56
- Cobia55
- Sheepshead54
- Mahi-mahi52
- Greater amberjack51
- Wahoo50
- Florida pompano47
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 6 PM · Black drum
- Now
- 579 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Indian River Lagoon 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
84Wind: 1 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
73Water temp: 83°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 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
Indian River Lagoon
- Depth
- 9-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Indian River Lagoon
Indian River Lagoon is a bay in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 9-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and crevalle jack. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, crevalle jack and common snook, and shoulder season for Spanish mackerel, black sea bass, gray triggerfish and weakfish. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Crevalle jack peak from July through October.
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
- Shortys Pocket76
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 76
- Spot 74
- Crevalle jack 73
1 kt NWL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Sprig Point74
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 74
- Southern flounder 73
- Atlantic tarpon 73
1 kt NWL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Shortys Banks71
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Common snook 70
- King mackerel 69
1 kt NWL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Cape Cod71
Cape · 3.2 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Common snook 70
- King mackerel 70
1 kt NWL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 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.