Permit, kings, and cobia fire offshore as SW Florida spring peaks

What's Biting

What's Next

With light winds already in place across both buoy stations, the immediate outlook for the southwest Florida Gulf Coast looks favorable for both offshore and inshore angling over the next several days.

Offshore, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters describes current conditions as "as good as it gets for this time of year" — a multi-species spread that includes permit, kingfish, cobia, and amberjack all working at once. This convergence is the defining characteristic of May offshore fishing in southwest Florida: baitfish are near the surface, pelagics are actively feeding, and conditions reward anglers willing to mix tactics. Sight-casting for large permit on shallow reefs should remain productive while winds hold light and water clarity is good. Kingfish continue to respond well to plugs and flies; cobia and amberjacks are filling out the box on the same offshore trips.

Inshore, the trout bite flagged by Captain Rick Murphy's Florida Insider Report as "on across Florida" is worth prioritizing before summer heat sets in. On Gulf Coast grass flats, spotted seatrout tend to feed most aggressively during low-light windows — dawn and dusk — and the current waning crescent moon phase provides extra darkness in early-morning hours that can keep fish active longer in the shallows. Work topwater in first light, then transition to soft plastics on a light jig head as the sun climbs.

Cobia deserve special attention this week. May is the peak sight-casting window for cobia along the Gulf Coast, when these fish cruise shallow water following rays, sharks, and channel edges. Keep a rod rigged with a heavy jig or live pinfish ready for any cobia spotted near the surface around the passes and nearshore structure.

If winds remain light and stable, the coming days set up as a strong multi-species window across the board. Time inshore sessions around incoming tides, which push baitfish onto the grass flats and trigger the most aggressive feeding from trout and redfish.

Context

May is one of the most celebrated months on Florida's Gulf Coast, and the current bite aligns closely with what seasoned anglers expect at this point in the season. The multi-species offshore spread — permit, kingfish, cobia, and amberjack appearing simultaneously — is a textbook May pattern for southwest Florida, where warming Gulf water draws migratory species up from deeper winter haunts and onto nearshore structure. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters frames the current action as exceptional even by seasonal standards, consistent with the region's well-established reputation for peak offshore variety in late spring.

Spotted seatrout returning to the flats in force, as noted by Captain Rick Murphy's Florida Insider, is also right on the seasonal calendar. Gulf Coast trout typically stage aggressively on grass flats from May into early June before summer heat shifts them slightly deeper during midday hours.

One broader storyline worth tracking is the evolving red snapper management picture. CCA Florida and Saltwater Sportsman have both covered the federal approval of Exempted Fishing Permits for South Atlantic states, and Coastal Angler Magazine reports that Florida's 2026 Atlantic red snapper season has expanded to 39 days — the longest since 2010. Gulf red snapper seasons operate under separate federal frameworks, but the state-led pilot programs reflect a broader management trend Gulf anglers have been following closely. Check current state regulations before targeting snapper, as season dates can shift with little notice.

Saltwater Sportsman's recent feature on the hogfish fishery centered around Tampa Bay underscores the quiet diversification of the Gulf inshore scene over the past decade. Once primarily a spearfishing target, hogfish are now a legitimate rod-and-reel pursuit, and May's warm, clear water puts them in accessible depths around structure for anglers willing to work bottom rigs.

Overall, spring 2026 on the FL Gulf Coast is running on schedule and, by captain accounts, delivering above-average offshore variety.