Florida fishing reports
556 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Snook Bite Stays Strong on Treasure Coast Ahead of Sept. Reopener
Snook fishing has been excellent over the past few weeks around the St. Lucie Inlet, with anglers landing steady numbers of quality fish, including many in the 40-inch-plus range, according to Snook Nook's August report. Live croakers and threadfins fished around the inlet and along the beach have been the top producers; when the inlet bite slows, a dead threadfin worked on bottom is drawing bites too, though Snook Nook notes some bycatch mixed in. Florida's Atlantic Coast snook season is typically closed through August and reopens September 1, so current action is catch-and-release only, per Snook Nook. Offshore, Snook Nook Charters took first place in the small-boat division of the One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, going 7-for-9 on sailfish bites, a good sign for bluewater action. Red snapper remains in regulatory limbo after a federal court blocked the South Atlantic EFP pilot program, per CCA Florida, with a proposed fall season still pending public comment.
Summer heat pushes Okeechobee bass to dawn patterns
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, and this week's angler-intel feeds skewed toward saltwater and out-of-state fisheries rather than Central Florida bass water. With nothing region-specific to report, we're leaning on typical mid-August patterns for these two fisheries: largemouth bass sliding onto matted vegetation and grass-line edges for a short window at dawn and dusk before the heat pushes them into deeper, shaded water; bluegill and shellcracker staying active around shallow bedding pockets; and black crappie going quiet as water temps sit well above their comfort range this time of year. Catfish remain a dependable after-dark option through the hottest stretch of summer. Expect typical late-summer heat, humidity, and frequent afternoon thunderstorms, with stained-to-off-color water common on both systems from seasonal rainfall. Treat this as a seasonal baseline rather than a live report until fresh buoy, gauge, or shop intel comes back online for this region.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper keep the Keys bite alive
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are still the story on the reef, with ALL IN Key West describing "huge yellow tails" and "tons and tons of mutton snappers" feeding aggressively on recent trips, a stretch the captain called some of the best fishing he's seen in 16 years working out of Key West. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada Fishing Marina's early-summer report backs the pattern, noting tarpon still working the bridges and mahi mahi turning up on offshore runs to the Gulf Stream edge. ALL IN Key West also flagged cobia, king mackerel, and sailfish mixed into a hot live-bait bite closer to the reef. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat timing as a seasonal read rather than a today-exact forecast. The moon sits in a waxing crescent, past the full-moon mutton aggregations these reports describe, so expect a steadier, less concentrated bite than that peak spawn window.
Sarasota Bay trout bite peaks as tarpon linger inshore
Spotted seatrout are stealing the show in Sarasota Bay right now, with Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) reporting a 27-inch speck landed this past week and describing the peak summer trout bite as fully underway across inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes. Redfish are cooperating too — Capt. Chuck Cress, also with CB's, put a client on several reds on a rising morning tide using a popping cork and live shrimp, with a few small snook mixed in and released. Per Capt. Rick Grassett's August forecast, juvenile tarpon are still working the coastal Gulf early in the month on flies, DOA Baitbusters, and DOA Shrimp before shifting to bridges and deep grass flats as they thin out along area beaches. We're seeing a classic late-summer Tampa Bay/Sarasota pattern: trout and reds shallow at first and last light, tarpon transitioning to inside water as the month wears on.
Permit and gag grouper keep Naples anglers busy as snook reopener nears
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has been sight-fishing large permit through the summer stretch and still working the tail end of a tarpon push moving through Southwest Florida's passes. Further up the coast, Sport Fishing Mag notes trollers working nearshore rock piles for gag grouper during the fishery's short late-summer window, with mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, kingfish, cobia, and amberjack showing up as bonus catches on the same trips. Inshore, snook stay catch-and-release only until the Gulf coast's typical September 1 reopener, which Coastal Angler Magazine flags as coming up fast and worth building a trip around. CCA Florida has also raised concerns about a proposed cruise port near Tampa Bay's seagrass flats, a reminder that habitat quality underpins these fisheries. No fresh buoy or gauge data came through for this update, so check a local marine forecast and tide chart before heading out this week.
Panhandle anglers eye the Gulf gag grouper opener as pelagics hold
Sport Fishing Mag's look at Gulf gag grouper trolling sets the tone for late-August Panhandle prep: Florida's west coast gag season runs short and close to shore, and boats are already working structure ahead of it. Coastal Angler Magazine's note that gag season is around the corner, out of Hernando Beach, echoes that buildup on the Gulf side, a good signal for Destin and Pensacola bottom anglers as September nears. Farther south, O-Sea-D Fishing out of Pompano Beach reports kingfish still working live bait and trolled baits over structure, plus scattered wahoo behind planers, a pattern that typically holds across Florida's warm-water pelagics into fall even though that report comes from the Atlantic side. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Destin/Pensacola stretch today, so treat water temps and swell as unconfirmed and check a local source before running offshore. Inshore, redfish and Spanish mackerel remain the steady late-summer bet around passes and grass flats.
Treasure Coast snook bite stays red-hot through the summer closure
Snook fishing has been excellent the past few weeks on Florida's Treasure Coast, per Snook Nook's August report out of Stuart — anglers are putting up steady numbers of quality fish, including plenty in the 40-inch-plus range, with the best action coming from the St. Lucie Inlet and the adjacent beach on live croakers and threadfins. Atlantic-coast snook season is typically closed this time of year (Snook Nook notes the local closure runs June 1 through September 1), so plan on catch-and-release until it reopens. Offshore, red snapper access stays unsettled: CCA Florida reports a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot programs just hours before the season opener, and Saltwater Sportsman notes Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are now pushing a fallback October 1-31 season, with public comment open through August 25. Offshore trollers are still finding mahi-mahi action per Florida Insider Fishing Report.
Low-light weed bite carries the bass pattern on Okeechobee, St. Johns
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River today, so this update leans on regional technique intel and typical August patterns rather than on-the-water numbers. On The Water's recent coverage of low-light summer largemouth describes bass sliding onto shoreline shallows and weed flats to feed on wakebaits and swimbaits once the sun drops, a pattern that tracks well for Okeechobee's grass flats and the St. Johns' vegetated banks this time of year. Tactical Bassin's latest "summer junk fishing" notes add that bass are grouping tightly in the heat, rewarding anglers who cover water and rotate baits through likely cover rather than parking on one spot. Expect typical Florida August conditions otherwise: warm surface water, bass and panfish pushed toward dawn and dusk feeding windows, and catfish staying active after dark. Check state regs before harvesting anything you keep.
Snapper Bite Carries Into Late-Summer Keys Season
Yellowtail and mutton snapper have been the story of the Keys this season, with ALL IN Key West reporting "huge yellow tails" and mutton snappers "chewing like crazy" during the spring spawn push, a pattern that typically holds fish active on the reef well into late summer. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada early-summer report pegged June and early July as prime time, with tarpon working the bridges and mahi mahi showing offshore in the Gulf Stream. Regulatory news is also front and center right now: Saltwater Sportsman reports Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are pushing for a month-long October red snapper season after a court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic pilot program, with a public-comment window open through NOAA Fisheries until Aug. 25, per CCA Florida. No fresh buoy or gauge readings are available for this update, so check a local source before running offshore.
Trout bite peaks in Sarasota Bay as tarpon linger along the Gulf
Spotted seatrout are the story in Sarasota Bay right now, with Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting anglers landing keeper-class trout up to 27 inches on the bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes as the peak summer bite holds — CB's calls Sarasota Bay one of the state's best speckled trout fisheries, with sunrise and sunset feeding windows producing the most consistent action. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress hooked multiple reds on a rising morning tide using popping corks and live shrimp, with a handful of undersized snook mixed in and released. Offshore of the immediate bay, Capt. Rick Grassett's August outlook has coastal Gulf tarpon still around early in the month on flies and DOA Baitbusters/Shrimp before they push inside to bridges and deep grass flats, feeding alongside surface-schooling ladyfish. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so lean on the bite reports above for on-the-water conditions.
Gulf Coast anglers beat the summer slump as snook, gag season near
Salt Strong's weekly regional game plan tracks the Florida Gulf Coast as one of its zones, and this stretch's midsummer note is blunt: the redfish, snook, and trout bite that was rolling a few weeks back has cooled as water temperatures climbed into the upper 80s and 90s, per Salt Strong (articles). Their fix is timing, not location — sliding trips toward dawn, dusk, or low-light tide changes to find fish still feeding through the heat. Coastal Angler Magazine flags both snook season and gag grouper season as 'around the corner,' a seasonal marker Gulf Coast anglers watch closely this time of year. Earlier-season dispatches from Naples Offshore Fishing Charters described a strong permit-and-tarpon push mixing with cobia, amberjack, and kingfish on reefs and structure, a reminder of the variety this fishery holds once the heat eases. Check current state regulations before targeting or harvesting any of these species.
Snook Bite Stays Hot on the Treasure Coast as Snapper Season Stalls
Snook fishing has been excellent up and down the Treasure Coast over the past few weeks, per Snook Nook (FL), with steady numbers of quality fish including many in the 40-inch-plus range coming from anglers working the St. Lucie Inlet and running the beach on live croakers and threadfins; when the inlet bite slows, a dead threadfin fished on bottom has also produced. Remember snook season stays closed through August, reopening September 1, so it's catch-and-release only for now. Offshore, red snapper is stuck in limbo: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs just hours before Florida's season was set to open, and Saltwater Sportsman notes Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are now pushing NOAA for a fallback Oct. 1-31 season. Closer to the beach, sailfish showed up too, with a Snook Nook-led crew going 7-for-9 on bites at the One More Bite Sailfish Challenge.