Snook stay hot on the Treasure Coast as the mullet run builds

What's biting

What's next

Expect the inshore story over the next several days to stay centered on the mullet run finishing its build. Snook Nook's September update notes finger mullet haven't fully shown up yet, but larger mullet schools are already moving down the beaches and pushing inshore — when the smaller finger mullet arrive behind them, that typically triggers the most reliable snook feeding window of the year around the St. Lucie Inlet, the detached jetty, and Hole in the Wall. Anglers working live bait or mullet-imitating swimbaits in those areas should be well positioned as that transition plays out.

Offshore, this is prime timing for South Florida's second mahi season, which Saltwater Sportsman notes typically runs from mid-September through the following weeks as fish push back through after the spring migration tapers off — worth watching for over the next couple weekends for boats running out past the reefs. Sailfish activity also looks to be building along the Treasure Coast; between Snook Nook's tournament placement and Coastal Angler Magazine's report of a first sailfish caught off Stuart, conditions are lining up for the fall sail run that typically strengthens through September and into October.

Bottom fishing offshore of St. Lucie County should keep producing red grouper, per Coastal Angler Magazine's recent report, and that pattern is worth checking on calmer weather windows this week.

On the regulatory side, red snapper anglers on the Atlantic side should keep an eye on developments — CCA Florida has been tracking a court injunction against this year's South Atlantic red snapper exempted-fishing-permit pilot programs, which affects season structure for FL, GA, SC, and NC. Anyone planning a red snapper trip should check current state and federal guidance before heading out, since the season framework is actively in flux.

No live buoy or gauge readings were available for this report, so plan tide timing around the standard outgoing-tide feeding windows near inlets and jetties rather than a specific reading, and check the local marine forecast for wind and sea state before running offshore for mahi, sailfish, or grouper.

Context

Snook Nook's own reporting gives the clearest comparative signal available here: the shop notes that this year's mullet-run timing has trended later than usual, attributing it to a cooler winter, with finger mullet schools still building offshore as of mid-September rather than being fully established. That puts the inshore snook pattern slightly behind a typical year, though the shop still describes summer and early-fall snook fishing as excellent, with steady numbers of quality fish including many in the 40-inch-plus range.

Offshore, the timing looks more on-schedule: Saltwater Sportsman describes South Florida's second mahi season as typically materializing around mid-September and running through the following stretch, which lines up with today's date. The sailfish signals — Snook Nook's tournament placement and Coastal Angler Magazine's report of an early-season catch off Stuart — are also consistent with the fall sail run beginning to build along the Southeast Florida coast, a pattern that typically strengthens as the season progresses into cooler months.

The regulatory backdrop is more unsettled than typical. CCA Florida's coverage of the court injunction against the South Atlantic red snapper exempted-fishing-permit pilot programs represents an active disruption to what anglers expected this year's season structure to look like, following earlier permit approvals. Beyond those specific threads, there isn't enough comparative data in this update to characterize the broader saltwater season as unusually early or late — mostly on-schedule with one confirmed later-than-normal element in the mullet run.