Full moon tides align with mullet run buildup on FL's Atlantic coast

What's next

Watch the mullet schools Snook Nook flagged this week; as those baitfish pushes consolidate along the beach and inlet mouths, predator activity typically tightens up around them. With a full moon amplifying the tidal range, the pre-dawn low-to-mid-morning-high window at both stations is worth building a trip around heading into the weekend, since moving water on a bigger swing concentrates feeding activity at structure and current breaks.

Separately, CCA Florida reports a 14-day fall red snapper season has moved forward for South Atlantic anglers under an exempted fishing permit, after a court injunction had put the broader pilot program in question. Anglers planning offshore trips around that season should check current state regulations for exact open dates and bag limits before targeting or harvesting, as terms have shifted through the year.

Context

Late September on Florida's Atlantic coast sits at the seasonal hinge between summer's inshore holding patterns and the fall baitfish migration, when mullet runs typically build toward a peak over the following weeks. Water in the low-to-mid 80s is normal for this point in the calendar and hasn't yet turned toward the cooler, clearer water that marks the later fall transition. A slower start to the mullet run, as Snook Nook's report describes, tracks with a cooler winter earlier this year — the current mix of larger mullet inshore with finger mullet still scarce is typical for where a run stands in its early build phase.