Florida fishing reports
562 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Tarpon and permit keep Naples' Gulf Coast bite rolling
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports the tarpon migration in full swing along the Gulf Coast, with mornings spent jumping and hooking quality fish as they push through the area. Once the tarpon bite eases, captains are switching gears in the afternoons to sight fish large permit, a pairing the shop calls one of the best one-two punches of the season. Kingfish are adding steady action on trolled and cast plugs and flies, while cobia and amberjack continue showing up as welcome bonus species around structure and bait pods. With a full moon overhead, expect stronger tide swings to push bait and predators alike. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so treat water temp as seasonally warm and typical for late-summer Gulf Coast Florida, and check a local forecast before running offshore.
Panhandle anglers eye peak summer bite under a full moon
A full moon lands over the Panhandle this week right at the height of Gulf summer season, though direct on-the-water reports out of Destin and Pensacola were thin in this data cycle. Salt Strong's weekly Regional Weekend Game Plan continues to track a dedicated "Florida Panhandle & Big Bend" zone as one of its active regional briefings, a sign the area remains a watched pattern even when specific bite details stayed behind their insider link this week. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings available for Destin/Pensacola either, this report leans on typical late-July Gulf patterns: red snapper and king mackerel working structure and bait schools offshore, mahi showing on weed lines further out, and speckled trout and redfish holding on inshore grass flats during the cooler low-light hours. Treat species notes below as seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed local bite until we get fresh regional intel in. Check local forecasts and structure reports before committing to a run this week.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper keep Keys anglers busy through summer
Yellowtail snapper are "practically jumping in the boat" and mutton snapper are "chewing like crazy," according to ALL IN Key West, whose captain calls the recent stretch some of the best fishing he's seen in 16 years working out of Key West. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada Fishing Marina echoes the same pattern for early summer into July, pointing to warm water, calm seas, and abundant bait as the drivers, with tarpon holding under the bridges and mahi mahi showing up offshore along the Gulf Stream edge. Sport Fishing Mag notes mutton snapper around Biscayne Bay respond well to live chumming with pilchards and block chum when conditions line up. On the Gulf side, ALL IN Key West also reported a strong mixed bag of grouper, snapper, cobia, and kingfish. On the regulatory front, CCA Florida reports a federal court just issued a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot program hours before Florida's Atlantic season was set to open, so anglers targeting that species on the Atlantic side should confirm current status before heading out.
Full moon bream bite heats up as Okeechobee bass go deep
No buoy or gauge readings came back for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, and none of today's angler-intel feeds filed a direct report from either fishery, so this update leans on the seasonal pattern anglers count on every late July: a full moon typically triggers a fresh round of bluegill and shellcracker bedding in the shallows, drawing bank and cane-pole anglers out at first light before the sun pushes temperatures up. Largemouth bass tend to follow the same summer script, sliding onto deeper grass edges and structure as the day warms, with the best window right at dawn. Field & Stream's roundup of top bass lures points to walk-the-dog topwater (Zara Spook-style retrieve) for explosive low-light strikes and slow-wobbling minnow patterns when fish get finicky. Black crappie typically go quiet in the heat while catfish pick up after dark. Treat this as general seasonal guidance until a fresh state or charter report comes in for either fishery.
Speckled trout bite peaks in Sarasota Bay as summer tarpon linger
Spotted seatrout are aggressively biting across Sarasota Bay, with CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting a peak summer bite on inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes — Capt. Brandon Naeve's crew released a 27-inch trout this past week, with another quality fish boated in the same waters days later. Best action is coming on sunrise and sunset feeding windows as water stays warm through the heart of summer. Tarpon remain a solid target too: per Capt. Rick Grassett's July forecast, silver kings are still around and more aggressive than earlier in the season, though numbers should start thinning as summer wears on. Shark activity — bull, blacktip, and lemon sharks — is also running strong in Sarasota Bay and nearby Gulf waters, a pattern typical from late spring through fall, with occasional larger migratory sharks mixed in. Under this week's full moon, expect stronger tidal movement to sharpen bites in the passes.
Tarpon push continues off Naples as permit action holds strong
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports steady tarpon action this stretch, intercepting migrating fish each morning before shifting to sight-fishing large permit in the afternoons, a pairing the captains call one of the best combos of the season. Kingfish, cobia, and amberjack have been mixed into the offshore bite as well, per the same reports. Down toward Venice, Coastal Angler Magazine logged a 25-inch mangrove snapper taken on cut bait, a solid mid-summer benchmark for that species along the Gulf side. CCA Florida continues to flag Gulf red snapper as a pressure point, with Gulf-state senators pushing NOAA on illegal foreign harvest even as the fishery stays a hot topic among anglers. Salt Strong's weekly regional game plan lists the Florida Gulf Coast among its active coverage areas this week, a sign the bite is drawing enough attention to warrant dedicated reports. Expect the tarpon-to-permit rotation to remain the go-to pattern through the coming days.
Snook Rebound in the St. Lucie Inlet as Dredging Pause Pays Off
Snook Nook's July report out of Stuart shows the St. Lucie Inlet snook bite rebounding now that the area dredging project has paused, with side-scan marking large schools around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall; live croakers and pilchards are drawing the bites. Sport Fishing Mag's mutton snapper feature confirms the same live-chumming pattern is holding around Biscayne Bay's channels. Reader catches shared through Coastal Angler Magazine back it up: a mangrove snapper out of Venice and a mutton snapper taken on cut bonito off Dania Beach. Tarpon remain a headline target too, with Sport Fishing Mag's Islamorada feature marking the season's storied bridge fishery. The bigger story for FL Atlantic anglers is regulatory: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction just blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot season only hours before it was set to open, so check current regulations before targeting that species.
Blackwater Bay reds keep firing as summer heat holds over Pensacola
Redfish are the standout story out of Pensacola right now. One angler on the Pensacola Fishing Forum logged 16 slot-or-bigger reds out of Blackwater Bay across July, including a 31-incher landed July 21 as storm surge pushed extra water in from the Gulf ahead of a squall, working a soft swimbait rig alongside a topwater Wake lure. Speckled trout are holding up too, with dock-light sessions producing the best bite in the pre-dawn and after-dark hours as summer heat pushes fish to seek shade and moving current, per the same forum's Santa Rosa County reports. Offshore is tougher going: a July 25 trip out toward the edge came home with a full box but disappointing mingo (vermilion snapper) size, plus dirty water and grass mostly missing from the usual spots. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings logged today, lean on the tide table and a direct marine forecast check before running out into typical late-July Gulf chop.
Snapper bite stays lights-out across the Florida Keys
Yellowtail and mutton snapper fishing remains outstanding across the Keys right now. ALL IN Key West reports "huge yellowtails" and mutton snappers "chewing like crazy," calling the recent stretch some of the best fishing the captain has seen in 16 years running out of Key West, with plenty of open July dates. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada Fishing Marina backs up the pattern in its Early Summer Fishing Report, pointing to warm water, calm seas, and abundant bait supporting tarpon around the bridges, mahi offshore, and yellowtail on the reef. Sport Fishing Mag adds nearby Biscayne Bay as a strong mutton snapper option, with live chumming and pilchards under a chum bag doing the work. ALL IN Key West also logged solid grouper, cobia, and kingfish action on a recent Gulf-side run. One regulatory note: CCA Florida reports a federal court has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot program, so confirm current rules before targeting that species.
Summer heat pushes Okeechobee, St. Johns bass into early bite windows
No buoy or gauge readings came in for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, and this week's regional intel feed didn't carry a direct report from either fishery, so this update leans on seasonal pattern and general technique intel. Late July has both waters deep into their summer stretch, with largemouth bass, bluegill, and black crappie holding to typical warm water positioning: bass tucked into shade and deeper cover through midday, feeding hardest at dawn and dusk. Tactical Bassin's latest summer roundup highlights dropshot rigging and jig and minnow "strolling" as two techniques producing through the heat, plus working shallow weed edges early before the sun climbs, patterns that translate directly to Okeechobee and St. Johns largemouth this time of year. Panfish should stay steady around deeper structure and weedlines. Check state regs before harvesting, and expect a slow midday bite to give way to better action in the first and last light hours.
Sarasota Bay seatrout bite heats up as summer tarpon run continues
Spotted seatrout are biting aggressively across Sarasota Bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes, with the peak summer trout bite fully underway per Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters. Redfish are also showing on Sarasota Bay's oyster bars, per Capt. Chuck Cress, who found solid action working a small oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay. Tarpon remain a strong target through July, with Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast (CB's Saltwater Outfitters) noting spin anglers scoring by drifting live baits under floats in travel lanes and staying ready to sight cast, while fly anglers do best staked out on bar edges as fish grow more aggressive through the month. Shark activity, including bull, blacktip, and lemon sharks, continues in Sarasota Bay and nearshore Gulf waters, a pattern that typically runs from late spring through fall. No fresh buoy or gauge readings were available for this cycle, so check local conditions before heading out.
Tarpon and Permit Still Turning Heads on FL's Gulf Coast
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' most recent reports describe a strong tarpon-and-permit combo working the passes and nearshore structure, with captains splitting mornings intercepting migrating tarpon and afternoons sight-casting permit, calling the pairing one of the best one-two punches on Florida's Gulf Coast this stretch of the season. Kingfish have stayed a consistent producer on trolled plugs and flies, with cobia and amberjack mixing in as bonus fish on the same trips. Regionally, Salt Strong's Weekend Game Plan is running Florida Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle & Big Bend as active insider regions for the July 24-26 window, a sign the bite is holding enough local attention to earn dedicated coverage. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida continues flagging Gulf senators' concern over illegal, unreported red snapper harvest by foreign vessels, worth a reminder to double-check current federal Gulf season dates before targeting snapper. With the moon waxing toward full, look for stronger tide swings to keep bait moving over the next few days.