Redfish and Jacks Lighting Up Sarasota Bay in Prime Late-Spring Window

What's Biting

What's Next

**Conditions look favorable through the weekend.** Light winds around 2 m/s and calm 1.6-foot seas, per NOAA buoy 42036, point to continued comfortable access to upper-bay flats and nearshore passes. Water temps in the 77–78°F range sit squarely in the preferred feeding window for all three primary inshore targets — trout, redfish, and snook — so no major disruption to the bite is expected unless a frontal passage moves through.

**Jack Crevalle action should remain strong into next week.** Capt. Brandon Naeve at CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) flags April and May as classically prime time for jacks in Sarasota Bay, with schools keying on baitfish near seawalls, oyster bars, and inlet mouths. Bird activity overhead remains the best locator. The Last Quarter moon phase this week can temper surface blowup intensity somewhat compared to full or new moon tides, but feeding schools are present and aggressive enough to reward early-morning topwater runs. Plan to be on the water at or before first light.

**Redfish and trout windows are tightening with rising heat.** Capt. Chuck Cress's recent hauls through CB's Saltwater Outfitters show upper-slot reds are on the flats and feeding. As we push deeper into May and temps trend toward the low 80s, expect both redfish and trout to concentrate their activity into the first two hours after sunrise and the last two before dark, seeking shade on dock pilings and deeper grass edges during the midday heat. Paddletail plastics and live bait worked along grass-flat edges remain reliable producers.

**Snook are staging for the pre-spawn push.** May is traditionally when Gulf Coast snook begin moving toward passes, beaches, and inlet structure ahead of the summer spawn, which typically ramps up in June. Now is an excellent window to target them before pressure builds. Statewide, Snook Nook (FL) notes late spring as one of the best snook windows of the year as fish grow more active and begin congregating in numbers. Always check current Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regulations before harvesting — snook seasons and slot limits vary by region and closures can apply.

Context

May is broadly regarded as one of the peak months for inshore fishing across Tampa Bay and the Sarasota coast, and current conditions appear to be tracking right on schedule. The 77–78°F water temps recorded by NOAA buoys 42036 and 42013 are typical for mid-May on the central Gulf Coast, where surface temps generally climb from the low 70s in March through the upper 70s by late May and push into the low 80s by June.

The on-water reports from CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) are consistent with what anglers should expect at this point in the calendar: redfish in upper-slot sizes on the flats, sea trout active on grass edges, and Jack Crevalle schooling aggressively at the surface — all standard late-spring hallmarks for the Sarasota area. Capt. Brandon Naeve specifically identifies April and May as prime time for jacks in Sarasota Bay, aligning with the well-established seasonal pattern of baitfish-driven surface schools that define the transition from spring to summer.

Snook, though not yet at their summer-spawn peak, are moving into position. Statewide reporting from Snook Nook (FL) confirms that late spring has historically been one of the best snook windows of the year, with catch rates building through May as fish become more active ahead of the spawn.

No prior-year buoy comparison data or state agency survey results for this specific region appear in this cycle's intel feeds, so a precise early-vs.-late-season assessment cannot be made with confidence. What the on-water reports do indicate is that this spring is unfolding at a normal pace — no unusual cold snaps, no anomalous temperature spikes, and all three primary inshore species behaving according to their typical late-spring playbooks. For Tampa Bay and Sarasota, conditions this week represent the seasonal sweet spot before summer heat begins to push fish deeper and shift prime feeding windows to lower-light periods.