Know your target

Spotted seatrout fishing around Tampa Bay

Spotted seatrout hold over Tampa Bay grass flats, picking off shrimp and small baitfish above the vegetation. Shore anglers can reach them with a popping cork or light jig from causeway banks and piers adjoining flats.

Also known as: Speckled trout

Harvest status today: Open (as of Oct 26, 2026)

Season: Tampa Bay region: open year-roundSlot: Not less than 15" or more than 19" total length; fishing from shore, one fish over 19" per person may be kept (counts toward bag)Bag: 3 fish per person per day (Tampa Bay region)

Spotted seatrout, side view — Photo: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Reference Standard Sequence Library) · Public domain (U.S. government work) · Source

FWC regulations (Tampa Bay region)

Season	Tampa Bay region: open year-round
Slot/size limit	Not less than 15" or more than 19" total length; fishing from shore, one fish over 19" per person may be kept (counts toward bag)
Bag limit	3 fish per person per day (Tampa Bay region)
Special rules	Region covers Pinellas waters south of Fred Howard Park Causeway and all Hillsborough waters Hook and line or cast net only; no multiple hooks with natural bait; snatching prohibited Must remain in whole condition until landed ashore

Source: FWC: Spotted Seatrout · Checked Oct 2026

“Checked” is the dataset reference date.

Regulations change; always confirm with FWC.

Fishing license: who needs one

When they're biting

Best months and baits are general guidance, not official.

JanGood

FebGood

MarPeak

AprPeak

MayPeak

JunGood

JulFair

AugFair

SepGood

OctPeakThis month

NovPeak

DecGood

Swipe or scroll the table to see all months. General guidance: 0 = Rare, 1 = Fair, 2 = Good, 3 = Peak. Current month: Oct. Harvest status as of 2026-10-26 (America/New_York), at build time.

Month-by-month shore fishing guide
Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	OctThis month	Nov	Dec
Spotted seatrout	Good	Good	Peak	Peak	Peak	Good	Fair	Fair	Good	Peak	Peak	Good

winter: Retrieve suspending lures slowly along the deeper edge of reachable flats, shifting shallower on sunny afternoons.
spring: Suspend live shrimp just above grass and cover flats with soft plastics as trout feed in warming water.
summer: Fish the outer flats at first light and let a light jig sink deeper once the sun heats the shallows.
fall: Work shrimp under a cork across grass and adjacent open patches as cooler water improves daytime feeding.

Top baits

Best months and baits are general guidance, not official.

live

Live shrimp
Small scaled sardines (whitebait)

cut

artificial

3 inch paddletail on a 1/8 oz jighead
Suspending twitchbait
Shrimp imitation

Image credits

How to catch

General guidance; adapt tackle to conditions and follow current rules.

Hook: 1/0 inline circle hook
Leader: 15-20 lb fluorocarbon
Weight: Unweighted hook (0 oz); optional 1/16 oz split shot below cork
Rig: Popping cork rig: hang a shrimp on a 2-3 foot leader below the cork, adjusting depth to keep the bait above grass.
Technique: Pop the cork once or twice, then pause long enough for the shrimp to settle. With a paddletail, use a slow swim with pauses rather than dragging through grass.
Best tide: Moderate incoming or outgoing flow across flats; avoid dead slack
Time of day: Dawn in hot weather; late morning through afternoon on cool days

Shorten the cork leader if the hook collects grass.
Use a soft landing net and wet hands to protect the skin.
Avoid squeezing the belly or touching gills when unhooking.

Where to go

Habitat suggestions, subject to access. Check each spot's status before going.

Fort De Soto Bay Pier Grass flats in calmer bay water suit shrimp suspended just above vegetation for trout. Call ahead
Courtney Campbell Causeway — Clearwater Trail Shoreline Shallow upper-bay flats offer casting room to fan a light paddletail for trout. Call ahead
Weedon Island Preserve Fishing Pier The flats beside mangrove habitat provide a place to drift a cork across trout feeding water. Open
Boca Ciega Millennium Park Shoreline Boca Ciega flats suit slow twitchbait retrieves during cooler spring and fall conditions. Open
Picnic Island Park Fishing Pier Near the Port Tampa channel; jacks and ladyfish push bait along the edges while the pier pilings hold sheepshead. Call ahead
Safety Harbor — Fire Marshal Dick Brock Memorial Pier Rebuilt pier over upper Old Tampa Bay flats; ladyfish and trout chase bait on moving tides, sheepshead hang on pilings in winter. Open
Gulfport Williams Pier Long pier into Boca Ciega Bay; lights draw bait and trout at night, pilings hold sheepshead in winter. Open
Philippe Park Shoreline Old Tampa Bay shoreline with oyster bars and seawall; reds and black drum feed along the bars on a rising tide. Open
E.G. Simmons Conservation Park Shoreline Mangrove canals and shoreline meet open bay; drift shrimp along mangrove edges for snook and reds as the tide floods. Open
Honeymoon Island State Park — Beaches and Pass Gulf surf and Hurricane Pass on the north end; pompano and whiting run the trough, snook cruise the beach in summer. Open
Dunedin Causeway Causeway bridges over St. Joseph Sound; sheepshead on the bridge pilings in winter, trout and reds on the grass flats beside the roadway. Open
Fred Howard Park — Causeway and Beach Causeway rock and grass flats to the Gulf beach; wade the flats for trout and reds, fish the causeway rocks for sheepshead. Open
Wall Springs Park Pier Pier over the St. Joseph Sound backwater flats where trout and reds feed on the tide. Open
Fort De Soto Park — East Beach Bay-side beach facing lower Tampa Bay grass flats; wade for trout and reds on a moving tide. Call ahead
Park Boulevard Boat Ramp Fishing Piers Piers by the Park Blvd drawbridge on the Intracoastal; pilings hold sheepshead and snapper, snook feed near the bridge after dark. Open
Redington Shores Nature Park Fishing Dock Small dock on the Intracoastal side of the barrier island; fish the dock pilings and nearby seawalls for sheepshead and trout. Open
Bay Vista Park Pier Pier at the south tip of St. Petersburg facing lower Tampa Bay flats; trout and ladyfish on moving tides. Call ahead
Jungle Prada Park Pier Pier into Boca Ciega Bay grass flats; trout and reds feed near the pier edges on incoming tides. Call ahead
R.E. Olds Park Fishing Pier Pier at the very top of Old Tampa Bay; shallow brackish flats where ladyfish, trout and snook feed when the tide is moving. Open
Clearwater Harbor Marina Fishing Pier Marina docks and the Memorial Causeway bridge area hold sheepshead and snapper around pilings in cooler months. Open
Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park Mangrove creek mouths and bay banks; County calls these banks some of its best saltwater shore fishing for snook, redfish and trout. Open
Ruskin Commongood Park Pier Small pier on the Ruskin Inlet near the Little Manatee River; snook and reds use the mangrove and dock edges. Call ahead
Domino Park Fishing Pier (Little Manatee River) Pier on Mill Bayou off the Little Manatee River; snook and reds move through the tidal river shallows. Open