Jack Crevalle Schooling as Reds and Trout Hit Peak Form in Sarasota Bay

What's Biting

What's Next

With water temperatures stabilized in the 78–80°F range and light winds holding across the Gulf, conditions look favorable for another strong few days on Tampa Bay and Sarasota's inshore flats. No data in the current feeds signals an approaching front, suggesting the bite patterns we're seeing now should carry through the weekend.

**Jack Crevalle and topwater action** are the headline story right now. Per Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, the jacks are schooling near the surface in Sarasota Bay and will continue to do so through May as baitfish concentrate around oyster bars, seawalls, and inlets. Plan for first light with topwater poppers or walk-the-dog plugs — Salt Strong's Florida Gulf Coast game plan this week underscores that topwater is at its most effective when fish are actively pushing baitfish to the surface. When the surface bite slows mid-morning, pivot to fast-retrieved jigs at mid-column to stay in the action.

**Redfish and trout** will be most responsive during tide transitions — moving water pushes bait into ambush zones and draws both species onto the feed. Paddletail soft plastics and live shrimp are proven producers across the grass flats. Expect bite windows to concentrate toward dawn and dusk as May sunshine heats the flats into the low 80s.

**Snook** are the species to watch over the coming weeks. May is when fish typically begin staging around passes, bridges, and docks ahead of their summer spawning push. Anglers in the Boca Grande area are already connecting, as Capt. Brandon Naeve's recent CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports confirm. Work live pilchards or swimbaits near structure on incoming tides. Snook harvest is typically closed on Florida's Gulf Coast during spawning season — check current state regulations before targeting them for the box.

**Tarpon** are worth a dedicated look in the coming days. With Gulf water already in the 78–80°F sweet spot, Silver Kings should be moving through the passes and along the beaches in earnest — typical for mid-May in Southwest Florida. Dawn presentations near pass mouths give the best odds on a hookup.

The Last Quarter moon means reduced tidal amplitude this week, which can concentrate fish in predictable channels and pot holes on the flats — a useful edge for anglers who read bottom structure and set up early.

Context

Mid-May in Tampa Bay and Sarasota typically marks one of the most productive stretches of the inshore calendar, and 2026 appears to be running squarely on schedule. Water temps in the 78–80°F band are characteristic of this time of year along the Gulf Coast — warm enough to trigger the Jack Crevalle schooling season, keep Redfish active on the flats, and initiate the snook pre-spawn staging that typically peaks through June and July.

Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters specifically frames the Jack Crevalle bite as a reliable seasonal fixture in Sarasota Bay "during April and May," reinforcing that the current action is a recurring pattern rather than an anomaly. The inshore slam — trout, redfish, and snook together — that Capt. Naeve has been producing for clients in recent weeks mirrors what is historically expected from Southwest Florida flats fishing in spring, when all three species overlap on the same grass flat and pass structure.

The statewide trout surge flagged by Captain Rick Murphy (FL Insider) is consistent with what Southwest Florida anglers expect in May: spotted seatrout, having largely retreated to deeper grass flats over winter, re-establish across the shallows as water temps rise. May is widely regarded as the transition month when the trout fishing shifts from steady to excellent, with fish more numerous and widely distributed across the flats.

Snook Nook, reporting from Florida's Treasure Coast, calls May "one of the best months for inshore fishing" statewide — a characterization that aligns with Tampa Bay and Sarasota's seasonal calendar. No signal in this week's feeds suggests conditions are running significantly ahead of or behind the historical norm; the picture is of an on-schedule spring season unfolding across Southwest Florida's inshore waters.