UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black drumRetention openSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Black drum
- Now
- 636 PM CDT
- Best window
- 6-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Jones 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, Sep 25 · 3 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: WeakWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 2 kt NNEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
59Water temp: 86°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Black drum
Species seasonality
62Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
Gulf state waters (Escambia through Collier 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
- 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
- Spotted seatrout Retention open (3 per day)
- Summer flounder Retention open (5 per day)
- Tarpon Catch & release (No retention)
- Wahoo Retention open (2 per day)
Source: FWC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black drum is best here
Shoulder season for Black drum · 19 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Jones Bayou
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · 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 Jones Bayou
Jones Bayou is a bay in Western Choctawhatchee Bay, Florida. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 19 species here; the best right now are red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper. It is peak season now for red drum, Atlantic croaker and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Atlantic tarpon, crevalle jack, black drum and gag grouper. Red drum peak from September through November. Atlantic croaker peak from July through September. Gray snapper peak from June through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Marler Bayou81
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 81
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 71
5 kt ENEH 3:23 AM · 0.8 ftL 3:55 PM · 0.1 ft
- Joes Bayou79
Bay · 2.9 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 79
- Atlantic croaker 74
- Gray snapper 71
5 kt ENEH 3:23 AM · 0.8 ftL 3:55 PM · 0.1 ft
- Destin Harbor77
Bay · 3.7 mi
Top: Gray snapperPeak season- Gray snapper 77
- Atlantic croaker 75
- Red drum 72
5 kt ENEH 3:23 AM · 0.8 ftL 3:55 PM · 0.1 ft
- Cobbs Point72
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Gray snapper 71
- Atlantic croaker 68
5 kt ENEH 3:23 AM · 0.8 ftL 3:55 PM · 0.1 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.