Treasure Coast snook fire up as the mullet run builds

What's biting

What's next

The mullet run is the story to watch over the next 1–2 weeks. Snook Nook's September report describes schools of larger mullet already inshore and pods working down the beaches, but notes the finger mullet — the smaller bait that really triggers snook, tarpon, and jack activity in the passes — hasn't shown in force yet. Expect that to build through the rest of September; as more bait funnels through the St. Lucie Inlet and along the beachfront, snook fishing that was already "excellent" per the shop's August numbers should tighten up around structure and current seams near the inlet and detached jetty.

With the Atlantic snook season back open since September 1, this is the window serious snook anglers plan around — live croakers, pilchards, and threadfins fished on the bottom or under current have been the producers, and shifting to imitation mullet patterns (swimbaits, large plugs) makes sense as the real bait thickens up.

Offshore, Saltwater Sportsman's read on the second mahi season puts the window running from roughly mid-September through the following weeks, so troll days over structure and weed lines should start turning up more consistent dolphin action for boats running out of South Florida Atlantic ports. Sailfish should stay in the mix in the same time frame — Coastal Angler Magazine's West Palm catch and the Snook Nook team's tournament result both point to fish already being around; expect that to hold or build as cooler fronts start moving through later in the fall and push bait, and sailfish with it, closer to the beach.

Kingfish are flagged as the next arrival — Coastal Angler Magazine's "Fall Kingfish Migration Is Coming" piece suggests anglers should start rigging for kings but that the push hasn't fully landed yet; that's typically a late-September into October event on this coast.

On the regulatory side, keep an eye on red snapper. CCA Florida's reporting shows the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs currently blocked by a federal injunction just as the season window would have opened, with a separate Coastal Angler Magazine piece suggesting an October reopening is possible. Nothing is settled — check FWC guidance before targeting or retaining red snapper this month.

Context

A mullet run that's running a little behind schedule lines up with what Snook Nook described directly: their September report attributes the late timing to a cooler winter earlier in the year, which pushed several seasonal patterns back. That's a modest, not dramatic, delay — the mullet are moving, just not yet in the dense finger-mullet waves that typically flood the inlets by early-to-mid September in a normal year.

The snook season structure itself is standard for this stretch of the Treasure Coast: a summer closure (June 1–August 31) protecting spawning fish, reopening September 1 right as the mullet run ramps up — historically one of the more reliable one-two punches on this coast, since predators keyed on migrating bait tend to include the season's biggest snook. Snook Nook's June report noted trophy-class fish (40"+) staging for the spawn heading into the closure, and the August numbers they're now reporting suggest that class of fish carried through the closed season in good shape.

The second mahi season Saltwater Sportsman describes (mid-September onward) is a recognized annual pattern for South Florida's Atlantic side, not a one-off; it follows the spring push that tapers by July.

The more unusual thread this year is on the regulatory side — the South Atlantic red snapper EFP pilot programs represent a real attempt at a expanded state-managed season, and their being enjoined right at launch is a notable disruption to what anglers were expecting for 2026. Beyond that, there's no strong signal in this feed of the broader season running unusually hot or cold compared to typical years — mostly on-schedule, with a short bait-timing lag.