Florida fishing reports
562 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Treasure Coast snook feeding well as inlet dredging halts
The St. Lucie Inlet's snook bite has rebounded now that a channel dredging project has paused, per Snook Nook's July report out of Stuart — anglers with side-scan are marking big schools near the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall, with live croakers and pilchards drawing bites. Florida's snook season stays closed statewide through September 1, so it's catch-and-release only on the Treasure Coast for now. The bigger story for Atlantic-side anglers is red snapper access: CCA Florida reports a federal court just granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, landing hours before Florida's planned Atlantic season opener. Anglers Journal notes the state-management push, including a proposed 39-day season, remains in legal limbo. Tarpon should be moving through inlets and along the beaches as usual for early July, a typical seasonal pattern along this stretch.
Trout bite stays hot on Sarasota grass flats as tarpon linger into July
Spotted seatrout are attacking baits aggressively across Sarasota Bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes right now, according to Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, who called it the peak of the summer trout bite. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress reported clients pulling a red off an upper Sarasota Bay oyster bar amid mullet schools and bluefish. Tarpon haven't checked out yet. Capt. Rick Grassett's July forecast has spin anglers still working travel lanes with live baits under floats, noting July fish tend to fight harder before schools thin out later in the month. Shark action remains a Sarasota Bay staple through summer, with Naeve noting bull, blacktip, and lemon sharks working the bay and nearshore Gulf. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings available today, we're leaning on this week's captain and shop reports rather than raw water data. Check a local forecast before you run out.
Peak-summer bass feeding window arrives on Okeechobee and the St. Johns
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, so this report leans on national bass-fishing intel and seasonal knowledge rather than local sensor data. Tactical Bassin's July rundown, "Top 5 Baits For July Bass Fishing," notes that rising water temperatures this month push largemouth metabolism to its yearly peak, with fish aggressively chasing prey from bank, kayak, and boat alike — a pattern that applies directly to Okeechobee's grass flats and the St. Johns' backwaters. Fishing the Midwest's weedline piece adds a complementary technique note: working emerging weed edges with moving baits has been drawing strikes as the open-water season settles in. Bluegill, crappie, and catfish don't have specific reports in this cycle's feeds, so their status below reflects typical mid-summer Florida patterns rather than direct testimony. Check state regs before harvesting, and expect early morning and late evening windows to outfish the midday heat.
Yellowtail and mutton snappers keep Key West bite red hot
Yellowtail snapper are "practically jumping in the boat" this stretch, according to Key West charter operation ALL IN Key West, which also reports mutton snapper chewing hard during recent spawning aggregations tied to the full moon. The same captain has logged steady grouper, cobia, and barracuda action on Gulf-side trips, plus an early start to sailfish season driven by strong Gulfstream current pushing in close to Key West. Live bait has been the top producer for king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish on recent runs, with bottom rigs holding up despite the current. Separately, anglers chasing red snapper on Florida's Atlantic side should watch the regulatory picture: CCA Florida reports a federal court preliminary injunction has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot programs right as the season was set to open, so check current state guidance before targeting that species. Overall, the Keys reef and flats bite remains strong heading into mid-July, with snapper the standout.
Panhandle summer bite settles into a snapper-and-mackerel rhythm
Early July puts Destin and Pensacola squarely in peak Gulf-summer rhythm, with red snapper, Spanish mackerel, redfish, and speckled trout typically carrying the bite this time of year. This cycle's buoy and gauge feeds came back empty for the Panhandle, and the angler-intel sweep surfaced shop reports from South Florida's Atlantic coast and general national outlets rather than dedicated Destin/Pensacola sources, so there's no fresh, region-specific bite report to cite today. That's worth flagging rather than papering over: until a Panhandle-specific report lands, this update leans on typical seasonal patterns for the northern Gulf. Snapper are usually working deeper rigs, wrecks, and reef structure offshore, mackerel and redfish are holding around passes, bridges, and nearshore bait schools, and speckled trout are tucking into grass flats and deeper holes to dodge the summer heat. Check local shops and state guidance for current bag limits and season windows before heading out.
Tarpon migration keeps Naples anglers busy into summer
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports the Gulf Coast tarpon migration is in full swing, with morning trips consistently jumping and landing quality fish before boats swing over to sight-fishing large permit in the afternoons. That two-species split has been the backbone of the Southwest Florida program through late spring and into early summer, with occasional bonus species rounding out trips. Earlier in the season the same operation was seeing kingfish on plugs and flies, along with cobia and amberjack mixed into the nearshore variety, per their spring update. Water temperatures aren't available from buoy or gauge data this cycle, so anglers should lean on local knowledge and current reports before running offshore. The tarpon push typically holds through summer in this region, and permit remain a reliable target on the flats and nearshore structure as long as water stays clear enough for sight-casting.
Snook rebound at St. Lucie Inlet as dredging pause opens the bite
Snook fishing along the Treasure Coast is finding its rhythm again this week. Per Snook Nook in Stuart, the St. Lucie Inlet dredging project that had slowed early-summer snook action has paused, and anglers running side-scan are marking large schools of fish stacked around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall. Live bait — croakers, pilchards, and similar offerings — remains the key to converting those marks into bites. Keep in mind snook season stays closed to harvest through August and reopens September 1, so it's catch-and-release only for now. Elsewhere on the Atlantic side, red snapper anglers are facing regulatory turbulence: CCA Florida reports a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot just before Florida's season was set to open, so verify current federal guidance before targeting snapper. Redfish and trout remain a steady inshore fallback through the summer stretch.
Trout bite stays red-hot on Sarasota grass flats as tarpon push the beach
Spotted Seatrout are keying in hard on Sarasota Bay's grass flats right now — Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an aggressive peak-summer trout bite on inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes, with clients boating quality fish in the bay's warm water this past week. Tarpon remain the marquee secondary target: Capt. Rick Grassett's July forecast from CB's Saltwater Outfitters calls for continued action along beach travel lanes, with spin anglers drifting live baits under floats and staying ready to sight-cast, and fly anglers working the edges of bars. Inshore, Capt. Chuck Cress found redfish and a bluefish working an oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay, with bait and mullet stacked up. Shark activity, per an earlier CB's Saltwater Outfitters report, typically holds through Sarasota Bay and nearshore Gulf waters into fall. Grass flats and passes are the play this week, and tarpon fishing still rewards an early start.
Okeechobee bass settle into deep summer pattern as heat builds
With NOAA buoy and USGS gauge feeds returning no fresh readings for the Lake Okeechobee and St. Johns River system this cycle, and no state-agency, charter, or shop intel specific to Florida largemouth water surfacing in today's angler-intel sweep, this report leans on established seasonal patterns rather than fresh conditions data. Early July on Okeechobee and the St. Johns typically means largemouth bass sliding to deeper structure and matted vegetation edges as surface temps climb, with the best bite windows shifting to first light and last light, echoing the deep-water transition On The Water describes in its summer bass guide for heat-pushed fish. Bluegill and shellcracker activity typically holds steady through summer along grass lines, while black crappie tend to go quiet in the heat, stacking on deeper brush and channel edges. Treat the above as seasonal expectation, not confirmed local reports, until fresher intel comes in.
Snapper bite stays red-hot across the Florida Keys this summer
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are chewing hard across the Keys right now, with ALL IN Key West reporting huge yellowtails and mutton snappers filling coolers through May and June, a stretch the captain calls among the best he's seen in 16 years fishing out of Key West. Sharks, grouper, and mahi mahi are rounding out mixed-bag trips, and the same operation still has July availability for anglers wanting in on it. On the Gulf side, groupers, snapper, cobia, barracuda, and a few nice kingfish have kept trips lively, per ALL IN Key West, while live bait drifted along the reef edge is producing king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish. Meanwhile, CCA Florida flags a federal court injunction that just blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot program days before Florida's Atlantic season, so anglers targeting red snapper should check current regs before keeping any fish.
Red snapper bite holds strong off Pensacola on calm Gulf swells
A Pensacola-based angler working 30 miles out into deep Gulf water this week broke the ice with a red snapper on the very first drop, per a report on the Pensacola Fishing Forum, describing conditions as an "almost bathtub-smooth" Gulf. The same trip turned up plenty of vermilion snapper (locally called "ruby redlips") stacked up while running and gunning between stops, even as the bigger grouper and amberjack the crew hoped for stayed scarce. King mackerel have also been showing well enough this season to take home tournament hardware, with a local boat reportedly landing first place in the king mackerel division of a Pensacola-area Bud Lite tournament after decades of trying. Inshore, speckled trout and redfish remain the steady early-July targets through the Panhandle's passes and grass flats, though no fresh water-temp or buoy readings came through this cycle to confirm surface conditions. Check current regulations before harvesting any reef species.
Tarpon, Permit Keep Gulf Coast Anglers Busy Into Summer
A Gulf of America run out of Pensacola over the July 4th weekend produced a red snapper on the very first drop about 30 miles offshore in deep water, per a report shared on the Pensacola Fishing Forum, though the captain noted most of the marked fish stayed uncooperative aside from a scattering of vermilion snapper ("ruby redlips"). Farther south, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has been running a tarpon-permit combo through the migration, jumping quality tarpon each morning before switching to sight-casting permit in the afternoon, with kingfish, cobia, and amberjack rounding out the mixed bag on nearshore structure. With water temperatures now solidly in summer range across the Gulf Coast, expect that same morning-tarpon, afternoon-permit rhythm to hold through the coming week, with reef and wreck species providing consistent backup action when the marquee species go quiet. Check state regs before harvesting any snapper species, since Gulf red snapper season windows are tightly limited.