Florida fishing reports
562 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Snook and sailfish heat up as red snapper season hits a snag
Seas are laying down along Florida's Atlantic Coast, with NOAA buoy 41009 reading 1.3-foot swells and buoy 41008 near flat at 1 foot under light 2-3 m/s wind, prime conditions for inshore trips. Per Snook Nook (FL) in Stuart, the St. Lucie Inlet snook bite has picked back up now that a dredging project has paused, with anglers marking large schools on side scan around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall; live croakers and pilchards are getting the bites, though snook remain catch-and-release only, with the season typically closed into late summer in this area. Offshore, Team Snook Nook took first place in the Small Boat Division of the 2026 One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, going 7 of 9 on bites. Meanwhile CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction has blocked the South Atlantic red snapper pilot season just as it was set to open, leaving that fishery in limbo for now.
Snapper Bite Stays Red Hot Across the Florida Keys
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are "practically jumping in the boat" this month, according to ALL IN Key West, whose captain calls the May-through-July stretch some of the best fishing he's seen in 16 years working out of Key West. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada echoes the pattern in its Early Summer Fishing Report, noting warm water, calm seas, and abundant bait are pulling gamefish from the shallow flats out to the Gulf Stream, with tarpon stacking on the bridges and mahi showing well offshore near the reef. On the Gulf side, ALL IN Key West also reports grouper, cobia, and kingfish mixing into the action. One cloud on the horizon: CCA Florida notes a federal court injunction has paused the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot program just as Florida's Atlantic-side season was set to open, so check current guidance before targeting snapper there.
Summer heat pushes Okeechobee, St. Johns bass into the shade
Tactical Bassin's latest summer coverage has bass across the Southeast pulling into shade and deeper cover as July heat builds, with the better bite working shallow cover at dawn and dusk before the sun gets high. That seasonal pattern is the best guide available for Lake Okeechobee and the St. Johns River this cycle: no NOAA buoy or USGS gauge data came through, and this week's angler-intel feeds carried no Florida-specific freshwater reports. Largemouth bass remain the headline species on both waters this time of year. Field & Stream's current jig-fishing rundown backs the same shift-baits-with-conditions approach anglers lean on through the hottest stretch of summer. Bream and bluegill typically stay catchable through summer mornings on Okeechobee and the St. Johns, while crappie usually slide deeper and get tougher to tempt until temperatures ease later in the year. Check state regs before harvesting, and plan around early and late windows outperforming midday through this stretch.
Seatrout bite turns aggressive on Sarasota Bay flats
Spotted seatrout are aggressively biting in Sarasota Bay this week, with Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting the peak summer bite is fully on across inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes. Redfish are cooperating too — Capt. Chuck Cress worked an oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay and found steady action with mullet and bait stacked up, landing reds along with an incidental bluefish. Tarpon remain a solid target as well: Capt. Rick Grassett's July forecast notes fish are still around and more aggressive than earlier in the season, with spin anglers drifting live bait under floats in travel lanes and fly anglers staking out bar edges. Shark activity — bull, blacktip, and the occasional migratory species — continues to run through Sarasota Bay and nearshore Gulf waters per Naeve's reports. No live buoy or gauge readings were available for this cycle, so plan around water clarity and bait presence on the day.
Red snapper season peaks for Destin-Pensacola anglers
Mid-July has Destin and Pensacola anglers deep into peak red snapper season, with offshore Gulf structure holding strong bites through the summer heat. Florida Sea Grant's scalloping guidance is also active right now, a reminder that Panhandle bay-scallop season (Steinhatchee north through the Big Bend into Gulf County waters) is in full swing for anyone splitting time between hook-and-line trips and snorkel outings. We didn't pull direct on-the-water reports for Destin or Pensacola specifically this cycle - the available shop and captain intel skewed toward South Florida's Atlantic side (Pompano Beach kingfish and wahoo, Biscayne Bay mutton snapper), which isn't a stand-in for Gulf-side Panhandle conditions. Expect the typical July pattern here: red snapper and king mackerel working nearshore wrecks and reefs, mahi mahi showing up on longer offshore runs, and redfish and speckled trout holding in the bay systems during cooler tide swings. Check current state season dates before planning a trip.
Tarpon and permit carry over as Gulf Coast scallop season kicks in
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has been running a two-species game plan through the recent stretch, working the tarpon migration each morning before switching to sight-fishing permit in the afternoon, with kingfish, cobia, and amberjack mixed in as bonus catches. That late-spring pattern is the freshest charter intel available for the Gulf Coast and it typically bleeds into the early summer as the tarpon push continues and permit settle onto structure. Kingfish have been eating plugs and flies steadily per the same reports, a good sign for anglers working nearshore structure or drifting bait pods this week. Separately, Florida Sea Grant's scalloping tools are live right now, a nod to the Gulf Coast's signature July activity, bay scallop season, with the usual reminder to harvest sustainably. No buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so lean on a typical mid-July Gulf water-temperature range and check the marine forecast before running offshore.
St. Lucie Inlet Snook Rebound as Red Snapper Season Hangs in Limbo
Snook Nook's July fishing report out of Stuart flags a turnaround at the St. Lucie Inlet: after dredging work slowed the summer snook bite, numbers built back up around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall as soon as the project paused, with live baits like croakers and pilchards drawing the most strikes. Remember snook season stays closed on Florida's Atlantic coast through August, so it's catch, photo, and release territory until the September 1 reopener. Down south, Sport Fishing Mag flags mutton snapper as worth targeting around Biscayne Bay right now, with anchored live chumming on pilchards the go-to approach in the shallow finger channels. The bigger story for FL Atlantic anglers this week is regulatory, not biological: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper exempted fishing permit pilot programs just as the season was set to open, so check current status before planning a snapper trip.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper bite stays red-hot in the Keys
ALL IN Key West reports the summer snapper bite has been "as good as I've seen" in 16 years of guiding, with anglers boating huge yellowtails and tons of mutton snappers plus steady action on grouper, cobia, and kingfish through May and June. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada echoes the pattern, calling June and early July "prime time" thanks to warm water, calm seas, and abundant bait supporting tarpon around the bridges, mahi mahi offshore, and yellowtail on the reef. Sport Fishing Mag notes nearby Biscayne Bay mutton snapper respond best to live chumming with pilchards and small-mesh chum bags, a technique that lines up with what Keys captains are running now. Live bait trips have also produced king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish per ALL IN Key West, though that mix typically thins as summer heat builds. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida is tracking a court injunction affecting South Atlantic red snapper pilot programs worth checking before targeting that species.
Okeechobee and St. Johns bass slide into shade-and-structure mode
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, and none of today's angler intel named these waters directly, so this update leans on general seasonal patterns plus national technique reporting relevant to Florida's warmwater largemouth fishery. Tactical Bassin's latest summer coverage highlights jig-and-minnow "strolling" and slow-rolled jigs as go-to approaches once the heat sets bass tight to shade, cover, and deeper break lines through the middle of the day. Field & Stream's midsummer big-bass piece echoes the same theme: committing to heavier cover and staying patient through slow stretches out-produces chasing scattered bites. On Okeechobee and the St. Johns, expect largemouth to feed hardest in the low-light hours, with panfish and catfish staying more consistently active through the heat. Check state regs before harvesting, and verify local conditions before you launch.
Sarasota Bay seatrout bite stays red-hot as summer tarpon fade
Spotted Seatrout are "aggressively biting" across Sarasota Bay right now, according to Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, who reports the peak summer bite is on, with inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes producing the best action in the bay's warm water. Tarpon remain a viable target too. Capt. Rick Grassett's July forecast notes fish are thinning out as the season progresses but are typically more aggressive than earlier in the summer, with spin anglers doing best drifting live baits under floats in travel lanes and fly anglers staking out bar edges. Shark activity, per Capt. Naeve, is in its seasonal peak (late spring through fall), with Blacktips, Bull Sharks, and occasional Lemon Sharks showing in the bay and nearshore Gulf. Capt. Chuck Cress also pulled a redfish off an upper-bay oyster bar this past week, with mullet and bait stacked up in the same area. No fresh buoy or gauge readings were available for this cycle.
Panhandle anglers eye red snapper and kingfish as summer heat settles in
No fresh buoy readings or shop/charter reports came in out of Destin or Pensacola this cycle, and a new moon sits overhead, so this update leans on the Panhandle's well-established July pattern until local intel refreshes. Gulf water temperatures typically run at their warmest of the year by mid-July, pushing red snapper onto 60-150 foot bottom structure and putting king mackerel on the troll around nearshore reefs and wrecks. Inshore, redfish and speckled trout tend to bite best in the low-light hours before afternoon heat shuts the bite down, a seasonal expectation rather than a confirmed local report this week. Elsewhere in the state, Field & Stream flagged a push toward state-level red snapper management on Florida's Atlantic coast, a reminder that snapper regs are actively in motion this summer, though that specific proposal targets the Atlantic zone, not the Gulf season Panhandle anglers fish. Check current federal Gulf snapper dates before planning a bottom trip.
Seatrout and snook dial in as Gulf Coast summer pattern holds
Calm, hot weather has settled over Florida's Gulf Coast flats, and that's turning seatrout into the most consistent bite of the moment — Salt Strong's latest case study calls topwater drifts over grass flats "the easiest way to catch seatrout" even on a weak tide. The same crew's Homosassa report has redfish and snook mixed in on Smart Fishing Spots drift patterns, with snook pushing onto structure as anglers dial in quieter presentations to avoid spooking fish in the glassy conditions. Earlier in the season, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters had tarpon migrating through and snook keying on live pilchards along the inshore edges as water warmed — a pattern that typically holds through summer on this coast. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat sky and water-temp expectations as seasonal norms until a local check confirms them on the water.