Gulf Permit Running Strong as Spring Offshore Mix Heats Up

What's Biting

What's Next

With Gulf water temperatures locked at 78°F and overnight winds running just 2–6 m/s (NOAA buoys 42036 and 42039), the next several days should offer favorable conditions for both offshore and inshore anglers along Florida's Gulf Coast.

**Permit and offshore variety:** Naples Offshore Fishing Charters describes this period as producing permit sight-fishing 'as good as it gets,' with large fish consistently available on the flats. The 78°F water temps are right in the permit's preferred late-spring range. Light winds open up critical early-morning sight windows — plan departures before afternoon sea breezes build. Cobia and amberjacks continue to show up on offshore runs per Naples Offshore; cobia in particular follow a predictable northward spring migration along the Gulf Coast through May, so anglers from Naples through the Panhandle should work bridge pilings, channel markers, and offshore structure over the coming weeks.

**King mackerel:** Kings remain active, with Naples Offshore reporting steady action on plugs and flies. King mackerel track bait schools northward in May, meaning the bite corridor will push progressively toward Tampa Bay and the Panhandle through the rest of the month. Trolling live bait or throwing plugs around offshore color changes and structure are the go-to approaches for that push.

**Inshore trout:** Captain Rick Murphy (FL Insider) called the seatrout bite 'ON across Florida' in his most recent report. With Gulf temps at 78°F, spotted seatrout should remain active on Gulf grass flats through daylight hours, with the best bite typically falling in the early morning before heat builds. Live pilchards are the bait to have now — Naples Offshore confirmed the shrimp-to-pilchard transition occurred earlier this spring as waters warmed, and that upgrade remains in effect.

**Timing windows:** The waning crescent moon phase typically produces moderate tidal swings and can favor dawn and dusk feeding windows for both inshore and nearshore species. Plan inshore moves around those low-light edges for the best shot at trout and cobia near structure.

**Tampa Bay note:** CCA Florida has raised an alert about a proposed cruise port development near Rattlesnake Key in South Tampa Bay that would involve dredging waters adjacent to thriving seagrass beds and game fish habitat. No regulatory changes are imminent, but public comment opportunities exist. Always verify the offshore forecast before committing to a run — Gulf spring weather can change quickly.

Context

The 78°F water temperatures recorded across the Gulf Coast in mid-May are right on schedule for this region. Florida's Gulf shallow-water shelves typically warm into the upper 70s by the second week of May, triggering the kind of multi-species overlap that makes late spring one of the most productive periods of the Gulf year.

Naples Offshore Fishing Charters frames the current season favorably, describing the simultaneous availability of permit, kingfish, cobia, and amberjack as characteristic of this window — when winter patterns have cleared and summer pelagics are beginning to establish. That multi-species dynamism is typical for May on the Gulf, not an outlier, and the charters' tone suggests 2026 is tracking at or above the norm for variety and activity.

The spotted seatrout picture tells the same seasonal story. Captain Rick Murphy's call of a statewide trout bite 'ON' aligns with the historical pattern of seatrout feeding aggressively as Gulf inshore waters push through the mid-to-upper 70s and live pilchards displace shrimp as the primary bait — a transition Naples Offshore confirmed earlier this spring.

Saltwater Sportsman's coverage of Tampa Bay's hogfish fishery reflects a multi-year evolution on the Gulf: as effective rod-and-reel techniques for this traditionally spear-caught wrasse have spread among inshore anglers, May's stable water temps and calmer weather windows have become a recognized productive period for targeting hogfish on Gulf reef structure. It remains a niche pursuit relative to trout or redfish, but awareness and participation are growing.

On the regulatory front, there has been significant media coverage — including from CCA Florida — of expanded red snapper seasons under new exempted fishing permits for 2026. It is important to note that this expansion applies specifically to the South Atlantic coast (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina Atlantic-side waters). Gulf of Mexico red snapper season dates are managed separately through federal Gulf Council processes and are not affected by this announcement. Gulf anglers should check directly with federal regulators for current Gulf snapper season dates and bag limits before targeting them — no Gulf season announcement appears in the current intel feeds.

Overall, mid-May 2026 on Florida's Gulf Coast is tracking on schedule, with activity running at or slightly above the typical late-spring baseline.