Snook Bite Builds With Fall Mullet Run on Florida's Treasure Coast
Snook are locking into their fall pattern along Florida's Atlantic coast, with Snook Nook in Stuart reporting excellent fishing over the past several weeks, including plenty of quality fish in the 40-inch class around the St. Lucie Inlet. Live croakers and threadfins fished along the beach and around the inlet have produced the most consistent bites; when action slows, a dead threadfin worked on bottom will draw strikes too, though expect some bycatch. Water remains warm for late September: NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670 logged 87.8°F this afternoon, with station 8720218 reading 84.6°F to the north. Sport Fishing Mag notes snook are beginning their seasonal push toward winter holding areas as days shorten, with swimbaits such as Z-Man's Mulletron or Diezel MinnowZ working on aggressive fish. Snook Nook also flags this year's mullet run building later than usual, with the first schools of larger mullet showing inshore and along the beaches ahead of the smaller finger mullet expected in the coming weeks.
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Expect the snook bite to hold steady over the next few days with water temperatures staying in the mid-to-upper 80s. The high tide at station 8722670 near Lake Worth falls around 4:17 PM local this afternoon, with the Mayport-area high at station 8720218 trending near 4:48 PM. Plan inlet and beach sessions around the last two hours of the incoming tide into the turn, the window Snook Nook credits with the most consistent croaker and threadfin bites.
With the moon in its First Quarter phase, tidal swings stay moderate rather than the exaggerated flows of a full or new moon, so current-dependent spots should fish fairly consistently through the weekend. Watch the mullet run closely: Snook Nook reports the finger mullet haven't fully arrived yet, and once they do, the beach and inlet bite Sport Fishing Mag calls one of the season's best windows should intensify as snook stage on bait ahead of their move toward winter holding water.
Context
Late September sits at the front edge of Florida's Atlantic Coast fall transition, the handoff between summer's inshore snook fishing and the migratory pushes that build through October and November. Snook Nook has flagged this year's mullet run as running later than normal following a cooler winter, consistent with a broader late shift along the coast this season. Water temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s remain typical for this point in September, before the coast begins its gradual cooldown; snook fishing from the Treasure Coast up through the Jacksonville area typically stays productive well into the mullet run before deeper cold fronts start pushing temperatures down in November.
Synthesized from real-time NOAA buoy data, USGS stream gauges, and current reports across regional fishing blogs, captain updates, and angler forums. Check local regulations before keeping fish. Never trust a single source for a trip decision.
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