Gulf Waters Hit 75°F: Trout Running Hot on Florida's Forgotten Coast

What's Biting

What's Next

**Conditions over the next 2–3 days**

With Gulf surface temps sitting at 75°F across both buoy stations and light prevailing winds, the near-term inshore window looks favorable. Expect conditions to remain fishable through the weekend barring any frontal passage — watch local forecasts for afternoon storm cells typical of early May across the Gulf.

**What should turn on**

The 75°F reading puts water temperatures squarely in the prime zone for spotted seatrout on the flats. Sport Fishing Mag notes that 20-inch-plus trout are already a regular catch on the Forgotten Coast working artificials, and those numbers should hold or improve as bait continues to concentrate along marsh edges. If temperatures tick up another degree or two mid-week, look for topwater activity to accelerate in early-morning and late-afternoon windows.

With May underway, Boca Grande Pass enters one of its most productive seasonal stretches. Coastal Angler Magazine's Capt. Dave Stephens points to this month as a standout period for Charlotte Harbor, so anglers targeting the pass and adjacent flats are well positioned heading into the weekend. Typically for early May on the Gulf, this period also sees increased tarpon movement through deeper channel cuts near coastal passes — a productive window for live crabs or large swimbaits drifted through the current.

Snook are seasonally active around mangrove shorelines and pass mouths as water temperatures settle into the mid-70s. Historically, the first week of May marks a reliable uptick in snook catch rates across the Gulf Coast as fish stage near coastal passes ahead of their summer spawn.

**Timing windows to plan around**

The waning gibbous moon is driving moderate tidal movement — enough to push bait through cuts without the extreme swings of a full moon. Plan early-morning outings around outgoing tides at dawn, when trout and redfish tend to stack up on flat drop-offs. Midday heat typically shuts down surface activity; a second productive window opens in the final two hours before sunset, particularly on Forgotten Coast marshes and in the Charlotte Harbor backcountry.

Context

Early May is historically one of the most productive periods on Florida's Gulf Coast, and the current 75°F water temperature reading from our buoy stations is right on schedule — neither unusually warm nor cold for this point in the season.

Sport Fishing Mag characterizes the Forgotten Coast as a region with a "wealth of marsh and undeveloped shoreline" that consistently produces strong inshore action, calling 20-plus-inch trout on artificials a regular benchmark during this stretch. That aligns closely with the typical seasonal pattern for this part of the Gulf: as baitfish push into shallow systems with warming water, predators follow tight behind them.

For Charlotte Harbor and Boca Grande Pass, Coastal Angler Magazine's Capt. Dave Stephens is explicit that May is among the strongest months in the area — a characterization well supported by long-standing regional patterns. The spring window at Boca Grande is one of the Gulf Coast's most recognizable seasonal benchmarks.

No sources in this reporting cycle flagged anomalous conditions, delayed bait arrivals, or unusual species absences, which suggests the 2026 season is tracking close to normal. However, specific catch-rate data outside the Forgotten Coast trout reports is limited for this cycle, so conditions in Tampa Bay, Estero Bay, or the Panhandle's coastal systems may vary. Check with local charter captains or tackle shops before heading out, and verify current regulations — particularly for snook, which carries seasonal closures that can shift by subregion.