Best red drum (redfish) lakes in Florida
6 Florida waters hold red drum (redfish), 6 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The copper flats brawler of the Atlantic and Gulf — tailing in inches of water over grass and oysters, schooling at the passes in fall.
- Indian River — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- Choctawhatchee Bay — 39 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- Santa Rosa Sound — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- Pensacola Bay — 66 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- East Bay — 18 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
- Escambia Bay — 13 ft max · survey depth data · Red Drum (Redfish), Spotted Seatrout, Southern Flounder, Sheepshead
When to fish red drum (redfish) in Florida
- Spring 1–8 ft — Warming water pulls reds onto grass flats and oyster bars — sight-fish the flood tide, work bar edges on the drop.
- Summer 2–12 ft — Early and late over grass; midday fish slide to channel edges and shaded docks. A gold spoon never stops working.
- Fall 3–20 ft — The season — bull reds stage at inlets and passes on the mullet run, slot fish gorge on the flats.
- Winter 3–15 ft — Clear-water schools pod up in deep holes and dark-bottom flats that soak up sun — slow, small, quiet.
Also in Florida: best largemouth bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best white bass & hybrids lakes · best spotted seatrout lakes · best southern flounder lakes · best sheepshead lakes
Red Drum (Redfish) elsewhere: Texas