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Red drumCatch & releaseBar · Florida
Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef
28.32°N · 80.55°W · Bar · Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm
Species here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- King mackerel73
- Gray snapper72
- Atlantic croaker69
- Crevalle jack67
- Summer flounder67
- Atlantic tarpon66
- Gray triggerfish66
- Red snapper66
- Black sea bass65
- Red grouper65
- Red drum64
- Spanish mackerel63
- Common snook62
- Spot61
- Black drum60
- Greater amberjack60
- Sheepshead58
- Southern flounder58
- Little tunny56
- Cobia54
- Weakfish52
- Mahi-mahi51
- Spotted seatrout51
- Florida pompano50
- Wahoo50
- Bluefish35
- Sailfish35
- Yellowfin tuna35
- Gag grouper20
Best score today · 3 PM · Red drum
- Now
- 648 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
74Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
51Wind: 1 kt WPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 83°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Red drum
Species seasonality
73Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: Catch & release
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Atlantic state waters (Nassau through Miami-Dade counties)
Red drum
Catch & release- Daily limit
- No retention
- Possession
- Not published
- Size
- Not published
- Season
- No closed season on file
- Annual quota
- Not published
- Other
- Hook and line or cast net only. No spearing, gigging, bowfishing, snatch hooking, or multiple hooks with natural bait. Catch-and-release only in the Indian River Lagoon region.
From FWC Recreational Regulations: Red Drum (Redfish), read Sep 13
Other species here
- Atlantic croaker Retention open (50 per day)
- Black drum Retention open (5 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 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 Red drum is best here
Peak season for Red drum · 9 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef
- Depth
- 40-45 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonRed 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 Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef
Walter L Hudson, Junior Artificial Reef is a bar in Volusia-Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm, Florida. Depth is 40-45 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 29 species here; the best right now are king mackerel, gray snapper and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for king mackerel, gray snapper, Atlantic croaker and crevalle jack, and shoulder season for gray triggerfish, red snapper, black sea bass and red grouper. King mackerel peak in May and from September through October. Gray snapper peak from June through September. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
- 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
- Shortys Pocket75
Bay · 4.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Spot 73
- Crevalle jack 72
1 kt WL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Sprig Point73
Cape · 4.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 73
- Southern flounder 72
- Atlantic tarpon 72
1 kt WL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Shortys Banks70
Bar · 4.6 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 69
- King mackerel 68
1 kt WL 12:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:09 PM · 4.1 ft
- Shell Point70
Cape · 5.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 70
- Common snook 69
- King mackerel 68
1 kt WL 11:48 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:12 PM · 4.0 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.