Florida fishing reports
268 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Tarpon Schools Build Along Sarasota Beaches as June Bite Peaks
Capt. Rick Grassett of CB's Saltwater Outfitters forecasts June as one of the strongest tarpon months on the Sarasota coast, with schools growing in size as fish stage in travel lanes along the beach and make offshore spawning runs near moon phases. First light is the prime window; live crabs, baitfish, and DOA Baitbusters are the go-to presentations. Shark action is heating up as well: Capt. Brandon Naeve (CB's Saltwater Outfitters) reports Bull Sharks, Blacktips, and Lemon Sharks active throughout Sarasota Bay and the nearshore Gulf, a pattern that holds from late spring through fall. Inshore, Capt. Chuck Cress (CB's Saltwater Outfitters) has been putting clients on upper slot Redfish (20–25 inches) and Spotted Seatrout on Sarasota Bay oyster bars this week. No buoy readings are currently available — check local forecast before heading out.
Late-Spring Tarpon Run Delivers with Permit and Kingfish on FL Gulf Coast
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports the tarpon migration is fully underway along Florida's Gulf Coast, with captains intercepting fish as they push through the Naples area. The bite is described as going 'exactly how it should,' with mornings dedicated to jumping tarpon and afternoons shifting to sight-fishing large permit on shallow flats. Kingfish have been steady on plugs and flies, and cobia along with amberjacks are appearing as welcome offshore bonuses, per Naples Offshore. Inshore, Salt Strong notes that rising summer water temperatures are positioning redfish, snook, and seatrout predictably around structure, making targeted presentations increasingly effective. The waning crescent moon on June 11 favors darker-night, early-morning feeding windows. No buoy or gauge data was returned for this report cycle, so verify current sea conditions locally before heading offshore. Overall, the FL Gulf Coast fishery appears to be running right on a typical late-spring timeline.
Florida Atlantic Snook Peak Pre-Spawn as Red Snapper Season Stalls
Snook Nook in Stuart reports that June delivers some of the finest trophy snook fishing of the year along the Treasure Coast, even with the harvest season closed June 1 through August 31. Oversized breeder fish, including legitimate shots at 40-inch-plus snook, are staging in the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers ahead of the annual spawn; handle these fish carefully and return them promptly. Offshore, CCA Florida reports that a U.S. District Court preliminary injunction has blocked the South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit program, shutting down what was expected to be a 39-day Atlantic-side recreational season for Florida anglers just before it launched. Inshore, Salt Strong's Florida Atlantic Coast game plan for the June 5-7 weekend highlights summer structure patterns, with redfish, trout, and flounder holding near shade and current breaks as heat builds across the water column.
Panhandle Offshore Picks Up: Amberjack and Kingfish Draw Anglers to Gulf Rigs
Sport Fishing Mag's recent piece on Gulf amberjack describes fish that 'hammer a topwater plug worked quickly over deep-water wrecks' in the northern Gulf -- a technique tailor-made for the structure-rich waters off Destin and Pensacola. The same publication's guide to northern Gulf rig fishing notes the offshore platforms from Mobile Bay westward offer the region's most diverse and abundant fishing opportunity, with amberjack, snapper, and cobia concentrated around this structure. Coastal Angler Magazine offers a timely breakdown of budget kingfish approaches -- live bait and trolled skirts from nearshore Gulf waters -- that align with the summer kingfish run building through June. Salt Strong flagged a Florida Panhandle-specific regional game plan for the June 5-7 weekend, suggesting active inshore and nearshore conditions in the area heading into this week. No buoy readings are on hand today; check local forecast and confirm current federal red snapper season dates before your trip, as annual openings vary.
Post-spawn bass settle into summer patterns on Okeechobee and the St. Johns
USGS gauge 02232000 on the St. Johns River at DeLand logged a slightly negative flow of -34.1 cfs on the morning of June 10, confirming near-stagnant and briefly southward-flowing conditions typical of this bidirectional river in summer. Water temperature was not available from this gauge. Direct angler intel specific to Lake Okeechobee and the St. Johns corridor is limited this cycle; conditions below are grounded in gauge data and established seasonal patterns for early June in central and northeastern Florida. Tactical Bassin notes that early summer is a productive window for bass on swing-head jigs and crankbaits across offshore grass edges and channel structure, techniques that apply well to both systems. The waning crescent moon phase generally softens midday feeding activity, making low-light windows at dawn and dusk the practical targets for anyone looking to put largemouth in the boat before summer's full heat takes hold.
Mutton Snappers on Fire Post-Spawn as Keys Summer Season Heats Up
ALL IN Key West's charter fleet reports mutton snappers are "chewing like crazy" following the May full moon spawn aggregations, with yellowtail snappers described as "practically jumping in the boat" on reef structure throughout the Keys. Now in waning crescent moon phase, post-spawn fish remain stacked on preferred reef and wreck structure from shallow water out to 220 feet. Gulf-side trips are also producing mixed bags of grouper, snapper, cobia, barracuda, and kingfish, per ALL IN Key West captains. Summer mahi-mahi are expected along Gulf Stream weedlines, which typically push close to the reef edge in June. No buoy readings were available this cycle, leaving water temperatures unconfirmed, though mid-June Keys conditions are historically warm and clear. Classic flats targets, including tarpon, permit, and bonefish, are seasonally present, but no specific reports were captured from sources this cycle. Live bait is producing especially well for the reef bite.
June Tarpon Push Builds Along Sarasota and Tampa Bay Beaches
Capt. Rick Grassett's June 2026 forecast out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters calls for strong tarpon action across the Tampa Bay and Sarasota area, with schools growing in size as fish prepare for offshore spawning runs near new and full moons. Anglers are advised to set up in beach travel lanes at first light using live crabs, baitfish, or DOA Baitbusters, giving other anglers at least several hundred yards of space on the pass. Capt. Chuck Cress reports productive redfish sessions in Sarasota Bay, with clients landing upper-slot fish alongside trout and reds in the 20-to-25-inch range from an oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay. Capt. Brandon Naeve confirms sharks are also showing well, with Bull Sharks, Blacktips, and Lemon Sharks active in Sarasota Bay and nearshore Gulf waters, a pattern that typically holds through fall. With the waning crescent moon approaching the new moon window, tarpon staging conditions look favorable for first-light beach runs over the next several days.
Tarpon Migration at Peak as Permit and Offshore Action Build Along Gulf Coast
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports the tarpon migration is fully underway along the Gulf Coast, with captains intercepting quality fish as they push through the area. Morning sessions are devoted to jumping tarpon, with afternoons pivoting to permit on the flats, a productive two-species combination that has been paying off consistently through late spring into early June. Sight fishing for large permit has been particularly strong. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters also notes kingfish, cobia, and amberjacks in the offshore mix, making for a dynamic and varied fishery. Inshore, Coastal Angler Magazine logs a 23-inch seatrout taken in Naples on a micro jig, confirming trout are active around nearshore structure. Sport Fishing Mag highlights topwater tactics for Gulf amberjack as a peak summer opportunity around deep-water wrecks. No NOAA buoy data is available this cycle; water temps typical for early June in the Gulf favor the ongoing tarpon push.
St. Johns & Okeechobee largemouth move offshore as early-summer sets in
Tactical Bassin's June fishing breakdown points to early-summer largemouth moving off shallow banks to isolated offshore structure, a transition that typically reaches Florida systems by the first weeks of June. USGS gauge 02232000 confirms the St. Johns River at a modest 155 cfs as of June 10, a low-flow pre-rainy-season reading. No direct on-water reports from Okeechobee or the St. Johns corridor came through this week's feeds. Tactical Bassin identifies the wobble-head jig and shaky head worm as the productive two-bait approach for offshore early-summer bass, with shallow-to-mid crankbaits serving as the search bait before dropping down. Water temperature was not available from the gauge this cycle. Florida's wet season typically arrives by mid-June; rising water on both Okeechobee and the St. Johns tends to scatter bass toward newly flooded cover, opening a strong topwater window as the season progresses.
Trophy Snook Prowl the Treasure Coast as June Spawn Season Heats Up
Per Snook Nook's June 2026 report out of Stuart, Florida's Treasure Coast is entering one of its best windows for trophy snook, with big fish staging for their annual spawn. Snook Nook indicates this is the time to target a 40-inch-plus linesider, though the season closed June 1 and remains closed through August 31 per current regulations, so all fish should be carefully released as breeders. Indian and St. Lucie River corridors are producing. Offshore, a significant regulatory development is shaping the summer picture: CCA Florida reports that a federal court injunction has blocked Florida's South Atlantic red snapper EFP pilot program just hours before the 2026 season was set to open, effectively halting recreational snapper harvest on the Atlantic coast for now. Salt Strong's June weekend game plans also note that warming water temperatures are pushing redfish, seatrout, and snook into predictable structure-oriented holding patterns up and down the Florida Atlantic Coast.
Mutton Snapper Spawn Drives Hot Bite Across the Keys
ALL IN Key West reports mutton snappers "chewing like crazy" during the full-moon spawn window, with yellowtail snappers nearly jumping in the boat alongside them. Now in waning crescent phase, the post-spawn bite on both species typically holds strong through mid-June. A recent Gulf-side trip from the same charter loaded up on groupers, snappers, cobia, barracudas, and kingfish, suggesting broad offshore action across the water column. The summer season is fully underway: ALL IN Key West notes May through July as "absolutely lights out" for everything from snappers and groupers to mahi-mahi and sharks. Deep wrecks in 220 feet have been productive for large mutton snappers and oversized white margate on cut bait. With no buoy or gauge data available at press time, exact water temperatures are unavailable; anglers should check with local marinas before heading out. Conditions across the reef and offshore should remain favorable heading into the weekend.
Tarpon schools building and sharks running as Sarasota enters peak summer
Capt. Rick Grassett's June 2026 forecast, via CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota), leads with one clear message: tarpon fishing should be "strong this month" as schools increase in size and numbers and fish prepare to spawn offshore near new and full moons. With the current waning crescent phase, beach travel lanes at first light remain productive, and the incoming new moon will push another wave of spawning activity. Inshore, Capt. Chuck Cress reports solid upper-slot redfish at oyster bars in upper Sarasota Bay, with 20- to 25-inch fish alongside trout and the occasional bluefish. Capt. Brandon Naeve is putting clients on sharks out of Siesta Key — bull sharks, blacktips, and lemon sharks are all showing in Sarasota Bay and nearshore Gulf waters, with late spring through fall being the prime window for these species. Trophy snook are in pre-spawn mode; check current Gulf-side regulations before keeping any fish.