Florida fishing reports
568 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Offshore Pelagics Moving Into Range Off Destin
NOAA buoy 42039 recorded 77°F water temperatures south of Destin early Thursday, with buoy 42012 reading 73°F closer to the Pensacola area — warm, consistent conditions signaling the Panhandle's offshore season is fully underway. Three-foot seas and 13-mph winds off Destin leave most runs manageable, though the Pensacola area is running a touch choppier at 18 mph (buoy 42012). No charter or tackle-shop reports for the Destin/Pensacola corridor populated this intel cycle, so species assessments below draw on seasonal norms at these water temperatures rather than confirmed catches. At 73–77°F in early May, cobia traditionally move along nearshore structure and the beach corridor — the textbook migration timing for the Panhandle. Spanish mackerel and king mackerel typically occupy nearshore reefs in 20–60 feet, and amberjack stack on deeper live-bottom. Inshore, speckled trout and redfish hold on grass flats near bay passes through morning. The Waning Gibbous moon supports pre-dawn bite windows through the weekend.
Jack Crevalle Schools Active in Sarasota Bay
Water temps at NOAA buoys 42036 and 42013 are holding at 76°F with just 1-foot wave heights and light 4 m/s winds — near-ideal inshore conditions for early May. Capt. Brandon Naeve out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) reports jack crevalle are stealing the show right now in Sarasota Bay, schooling near the surface and hammering baitfish around oyster bars, seawalls, and inlets. Early morning topwater and popper action has been most productive — follow the diving birds and you'll find the fish. Snook are also building toward their summer peak; CB's Saltwater Outfitters logged a full inshore slam — trout, redfish, and snook — out of Boca Grande recently, and Snook Nook (FL) confirms the statewide snook bite is heating up as fish prepare to stage for the spawn. Spotted sea trout and redfish remain reliable on the shallow grass flats with paddletails or live bait presentations.
Mutton Snapper Spawn Peaks in the Keys as May Full Moon Fires the Bite
Mutton snapper fishing is at a full-season high in the Florida Keys right now, with ALL IN Key West reporting fish "chewing like crazy" in the days surrounding the recent full moon spawn aggregation. Yellowtail snapper are also firing — captains describe them as nearly jumping into the boat on the reef. A recent Gulf-side run out of Key West turned up groupers, snappers, cobia, barracudas, and kingfish in a single trip, signaling that the broader summer offshore pattern is firmly in place. Live bait has been the top producer: ALL IN Key West notes king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish have all been responding well to live presentations near the reef edges. Water temps were holding at 78°F per NOAA buoy 41114 as of late April — a comfortable range for the species mix now showing. Winds at NOAA buoys SMKF1 (Sombrero Key) and SANF1 (Sand Key) are running 11–15 mph, which is workable for most offshore runs. The waning gibbous moon still carries residual tidal pull from the full, keeping snapper aggregations active through the early part of the week.
Post-Spawn Bass Bite Heats Up on St. Johns
With the St. Johns River reporting 132 cfs at USGS gauge 02232000 as of early May 7, both Okeechobee and the St. Johns system are in the heart of the post-spawn largemouth transition — historically one of Florida's most reliable freshwater windows. Tactical Bassin's early-May breakdown documents bass now splitting between shallow cover and open water as spawn recovery winds down, with topwater, finesse, and swimbait patterns all logging bites simultaneously. Morning flat edges and grass-line perimeters are the priority zones; the Karashi-style finesse bite excels on pressured fish mid-day, and swimbaits skipped around woody structure have also been productive, per Tactical Bassin. Field & Stream points to the buzzbait as a durable shallow-cover option worth keeping rigged through early morning. Water temperature is not currently reporting at the gauge. Crappie and bluegill remain seasonally predictable bites through May on both systems, though no region-specific reports are in this week's feed. The waning gibbous moon favors pre-dawn and evening feeding windows.
Florida Atlantic Coast Snook Hit Peak Form as Sea Trout Pack Fort Pierce Waters
Snook Nook's May 2026 report out of Stuart declares this 'one of the best times of the year for Snook fishing' as fish begin staging for their pre-spawn run in the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers. Slot-sized and over-slot fish are appearing with increasing regularity, per Snook Nook, as warming spring water drives inshore predators into full feeding mode. Coastal Angler Magazine confirms the trout story independently: Fort Pierce is 'full of quality trout right now,' signaling excellent spotted sea trout action across the mid-coast inshore zone. A 31-inch redfish out of Mosquito Lagoon — reported by Coastal Angler Magazine — shows that quality reds remain accessible to kayak and canoe anglers working the lagoon corridors. Offshore, Saltwater Sportsman and Sport Fishing Mag both report that Florida's South Atlantic anglers will see significantly expanded red snapper seasons this summer under newly approved exempted fishing permits. NOAA buoys 41009 and 41008 recorded moderate winds of 12–16 knots and comfortable air temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s°F as of early May 7.
Naples Offshore Firing on All Cylinders: Permit, Kings, and Cobia
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports spring conditions have settled in beautifully, calling this bite "as good as it gets for this time of year." Captains out of Naples are consistently sight-fishing large Permit offshore while racking up steady kingfish on plugs and flies — two marquee species firing simultaneously. Cobia and amberjacks have rounded out the spread, making for what the same charter describes as "a very dynamic fishery." NOAA buoys 42036 and 42039 clocked light winds of 3 and 6 m/s respectively with air temperatures near 75–77°F as of 5:00 AM May 7; no water-temperature readings were available from either station. The waning gibbous moon is generating strong tidal movement that should activate pelagic feeding windows around tidal peaks. Inshore, the seasonal shift from wintertime shrimp presentations to live pilchards is underway, per Naples Offshore Fishing Charters, opening the door to additional nearshore opportunities.
Fort Pierce Sea Trout Firing; Red Snapper Season Expands on FL Atlantic Coast
Coastal Angler Magazine reports Fort Pierce is "full of quality trout right now," with anglers landing solid 20-inch spotted sea trout across the Indian River Lagoon system. Offshore, Fort Lauderdale charter captains posting on Tidal Fish — Florida describe consistent sailfish action along reef lines in 130–160 feet of water, with a wahoo also hitting on a recent morning run. Meanwhile, federal exempted fishing permits have unlocked dramatically expanded red snapper seasons across the South Atlantic for summer 2026 — including Florida's Atlantic coast — per Saltwater Sportsman and Sport Fishing Mag. In Mosquito Lagoon, Coastal Angler Magazine documents a 31-inch redfish taken by canoe, confirming that slot reds are active in the backcountry shallows. NOAA buoys 41009 and 41008 recorded winds of 3–7 m/s and air temps in the 74–80°F range, with no wave height data available to assess offshore sea state.
Gulf Coast Waters Hit 78°F — Hogfish Bite Building Off Tampa Bay Structure
Water temperatures across the Florida Gulf Coast are firmly in late-spring form, with NOAA buoys 42036 and 42039 reading 76°F and 78°F respectively on May 6 — ideal conditions for inshore and nearshore action. Winds are light at 3 m/s at both stations, keeping seas calm and manageable. Saltwater Sportsman spotlights a maturing hogfish fishery centered out of Tampa Bay, noting that rod-and-reel anglers have solved the puzzle on this colorful wrasse over the past decade, working jigs and live shrimp near Gulf ledges and reefs. Unconfirmed forum reports from the Pensacola area describe active redfish and speckled trout in Blackwater Bay today, with reds reportedly reaching 30 inches on jerkbaits — consistent with what the season and water temperatures would suggest, though the report lacks higher-trust corroboration. The waning gibbous moon continues to drive tidal exchange, and snook are approaching their pre-spawn peak along passes and mangrove edges Gulf-wide.
Gulf Panhandle at 76°F: Blue Water Close In as Snapper Season Expands for 2026
NOAA buoy 42039 recorded 76°F water temperatures off the Gulf Panhandle this morning, with companion buoy 42012 showing 73°F further south — readings that confirm early May's offshore season is fully underway. On May 4, anglers posting on the Pensacola Fishing Forum noted blue, clean water pushing close to the Oriskany area, with several amberjack and smaller red snappers to the boat on what they described as a slow day overall. The bigger story for Panhandle boats is regulatory: both Saltwater Sportsman and Sport Fishing Mag confirm that federal exempted fishing permits have unlocked expanded recreational red snapper seasons across Florida for 2026, giving vessels running out of Destin and Pensacola significantly more days than in recent years. With 2-foot seas and winds under 12 knots, offshore access is comfortable. Verify exact season dates and bag limits with federal regulations before launching.
Tampa Bay Passes Light Up at 75°F: Snook Stack as Tarpon Season Peaks
NOAA buoy 42036 clocked 74°F water and 1-foot seas at first light today, with buoy 42013 confirming 76°F closer to the coast — near-perfect conditions for southwest Florida's most sought-after inshore targets. Coastal Angler Magazine's Capt. Dave Stephens, reporting on Boca Grande Pass and Charlotte Harbor's flats this week, calls May 'without a doubt, one of my favorite months to fish Charlotte Harbor,' and the mid-70s readings back him up. Snook are pushing into tidal passes ahead of the summer spawn, and Salt Strong's coverage of big-snook tactics highlights why structure-oriented live-bait presentations are producing at dawn and dusk. Tarpon are arriving on schedule — this is prime timing for rolling fish in Bay channels and along Sarasota's barrier island passes, though no source-confirmed blitz has been reported yet. Coastal Angler Magazine also highlights the seasonal shift toward second-shift angling as daytime heat climbs toward summer, making late-afternoon and overnight sessions increasingly worthwhile.
Keys at 78°F: Tarpon Migration and Expanded Red Snapper Season Arrive
Water temps are holding at 78°F per NOAA buoy 41114 (observed April 26), placing the Florida Keys firmly in prime late-spring territory. The biggest offshore news: South Atlantic red snapper seasons are expanding dramatically for 2026 after federal approval of exempted fishing permits — per both Saltwater Sportsman and Sport Fishing Mag, Florida anglers will see a 39-day Atlantic recreational season divided into two segments, as reported by Anglers Journal following the state's push for expanded access. That opens more legitimate snapper time on nearshore ledges and wrecks. On the flats, no specific charter reports are in hand this cycle, but 78°F water is textbook for the annual tarpon migration that typically peaks through the Keys from late April into June. Permit are in prime feeding mode along sandy edges and bonefish remain a reliable target on turtle grass flats. Waves running at 2.3 feet offshore per NOAA buoy 41114 keep conditions manageable for boats running to the reef line and beyond.
St. Johns at 96.9 cfs as Post-Spawn Bass Transition Takes Hold
The USGS gauge on the St. Johns River (site 02232000) logged 96.9 cfs as of early May 6 — a modest flow for this sprawling blackwater system, signaling that fish are condensing along deeper channel edges and grass-flat transitions rather than spread across flooded shallows. No temperature reading was returned from the gauge this cycle, and no direct on-the-water reports specific to Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns corridor appeared in this edition's angler-intel feeds, so conditions testimony is thin. What the calendar does confirm: early May marks the post-spawn transition for largemouth bass across central Florida, with fish typically relocating off spawning flats onto adjacent grass edges, shell bars, and dock structure. MidCurrent reports that a February settlement clarified the scope of a proposed rock mine in Florida's Everglades Agricultural Area — Army Corps review remains pending — a reminder that water management pressures continue to shadow the broader Lake Okeechobee watershed. Verify current bite conditions locally before launching.