Florida fishing reports
562 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Snook bite stays hot on Treasure Coast as red snapper rules shift
Snook fishing has been excellent along the Treasure Coast this month, with anglers landing steady numbers including many fish in the 40 inch plus range, per Snook Nook's August report. The better bites are coming from around the St. Lucie Inlet and along the beach, with live croakers and threadfins producing best; a dead threadfin on bottom works when the bite slows. Atlantic side snook season stays closed to harvest through August, so this is catch and release action only until it reopens September 1, so check state regs before keeping any fish. The South Atlantic red snapper picture, meanwhile, is unsettled: CCA Florida reports a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs just hours before Florida's season was set to open. Elsewhere on the Atlantic side, Sport Fishing Mag notes mutton snapper action around Biscayne Bay on live pilchards and tarpon still holding around Islamorada's bridges.
Tarpon and permit still working the Naples flats
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' latest report has Gulf Coast anglers splitting mornings on migrating tarpon and afternoons sight-casting big permit, calling the pairing "as good as it gets for this time of year." Kingfish are holding steady on plugs and flies, with cobia, amberjack, and other offshore species mixing into the bite for variety. That's the freshest on-water intel available for this stretch of Florida's Gulf Coast right now, and it points to a fishery still riding its spring-into-summer transition rather than settling into peak-summer patterns. On the policy side, CCA Florida continues tracking Gulf red snapper management, including ongoing pushes against illegal harvest by foreign vessels, a reminder that Gulf regs stay in flux this season. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so plan around typical early-August Gulf Coast water temps and always check the forecast before running offshore. Moon's in its last quarter, favoring smaller tide swings.
Panhandle bite holds steady on snapper and pelagics
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, and this week's angler-intel sweep didn't turn up a direct fishing report out of Destin or Pensacola waters, so we're leaning on seasonal patterns rather than a confirmed catch report. Early August in the Panhandle typically keeps red snapper the headline species over nearshore wrecks and reefs, with king mackerel and mahi mahi showing up on trolled baits as Gulf waters hold their summer warmth. Inshore, redfish and speckled trout remain the standard grass-flat and marsh-edge targets this time of year. Sport Fishing Mag's guidance on picking offshore days flags moon phase and barometric pressure as key timing levers, worth weighing against today's Last Quarter moon. We'll flag it plainly: without a corroborated local report this cycle, treat the species status below as a seasonal baseline rather than a confirmed bite, and check current conditions before running offshore.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper keep the Keys reef bite red-hot
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are stacked up on the reef and around Key West structure, with ALL IN Key West calling this stretch some of the best snapper action the shop has seen in 16 years guiding out of Key West — big yellowtails and mutton snapper feeding aggressively in numbers. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada reports the same early-summer pattern holding: warm water, abundant bait, tarpon working the bridges, and mahi mahi showing on the reef edge and offshore. Sport Fishing Mag notes live chumming with pilchards and block chum is the key producer for mutton snapper working Biscayne Bay's finger channels. ALL IN Key West also reports grouper, cobia, and kingfish mixed in on Gulf-side trips, plus an early sailfish push riding a strong Gulf Stream current. With the South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit program tied up in litigation per CCA Florida, most anglers are staying focused on the reliable reef species instead.
Okeechobee and St. Johns bass slide deep as August heat peaks
Wired2Fish's national August lure roundup this week describes bass as "full-blown post-spawn" and sitting "as deep as they'll get all year," with water temps topping 100°F in the hottest regions — a pattern that tracks with what's typical on Lake Okeechobee and the St. Johns River once peak Florida summer heat sets in. No buoy or gauge readings came through for either water body this cycle, and this week's shop, charter, and agency feeds didn't carry an Okeechobee- or St. Johns-specific dispatch, so treat this as seasonal general knowledge rather than a fresh on-the-water report. Largemouth bass remain the headline species on both waters and typically pull onto deeper structure, mats, and shade once midday temps climb. Black crappie (speck) action usually slows through the heat, while catfish and bluegill stay comparatively steady, especially after dark. Check current Florida fishing regulations before harvesting, and lean on early-morning and after-dark windows over midday through the rest of August.
Sarasota trout bite stays red-hot as tarpon linger in the Gulf
Spotted seatrout are aggressively biting across Sarasota Bay's grass flats and mangrove shorelines right now, with Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters landing and releasing a 27-inch trout this past week and calling the peak summer bite fully on. Sunrise and sunset feeding windows are producing the most consistent action, with the mid-day August heat typically pushing fish deeper. Offshore, Capt. Rick Grassett's August forecast (also via CB's Saltwater Outfitters) notes tarpon are still holding along the coastal Gulf beaches early in the month, with flies, DOA Baitbusters, and DOA Shrimp working in shallow water. As beach tarpon thin out through August, expect that bite to shift toward bridges and deep grass flats inshore, where schools of ladyfish will hold their attention. No live buoy or gauge data came through for this update, so treat water temp and tide as unknowns and plan trips around the reported dawn/dusk windows instead.
Trophy snook flood St. Lucie Inlet as red snapper season stalls
Snook are stacked at the St. Lucie Inlet right now, with anglers landing numerous 40-inch-plus fish on live croakers and threadfins, per Snook Nook's August report out of Stuart. Remember Atlantic-coast snook season is closed through August, so it's catch-and-release only until the typical September 1 reopener; when the inlet bite slows, a dead threadfin worked on the bottom has been a solid fallback, though expect some bycatch. Offshore, the red snapper picture is unsettled: CCA Florida reports a federal court just granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot programs for Florida and neighboring states, landing just hours before the season was set to open, so check FWC guidance before targeting them. Further south, Sport Fishing Mag notes mutton snapper responding well to live chumming with pilchards in current around Biscayne Bay. A strong inshore bite overall, with reef-fish rules in flux.
Tarpon-to-permit routine still driving Naples Gulf trips
The most recent word from Naples Offshore Fishing Charters describes tarpon migration as 'fully underway,' with mornings spent intercepting fish and getting them jumping before the crew pivots to sight-fishing permit in the afternoon — a two-species combo the captains call one of their favorite pairings of the year. That report is the freshest angler intel on file for this stretch of the Gulf Coast, though it was filed in late spring, so the pattern it describes is likely aging into a more typical Florida summer setup. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat water temp and flow as unavailable rather than assumed. Earlier in the season the same operation had king mackerel, cobia, and amberjack stacked up between cold fronts, a mix that typically fades as Gulf water warms through summer. Expect tarpon and permit to remain the more dependable summer targets around Naples, with the winter-tier bite on kings and cobia only picking back up once temperatures ease.
Panhandle anglers eye late-summer snapper and king mackerel push
Florida's push toward state management of red snapper season, reported this week by Anglers Journal, keeps snapper rules in the news for Gulf anglers even though the plan targets the Atlantic-coast season structure specifically, not Destin or Pensacola waters. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for the Panhandle this cycle, and no shop or captain reports filed directly from Destin or Pensacola either, so this update leans on typical early-August patterns for the region. Further south, O-Sea-D Fishing's recent reports describe kingfish holding on live bait and trolled baits along Florida's coast, a pattern that commonly tracks north into Panhandle waters as summer progresses. Inshore, grass-flat redfish and speckled trout action is typical for this stretch of the calendar. Check current federal Gulf red snapper season dates and state regs before keeping any snapper, and check a local marine forecast before running offshore this week.
Mutton and yellowtail snapper keep Keys anglers busy
Key West's snapper bite is still locked in, with ALL IN Key West reporting "huge yellowtail" and "tons and tons of mutton snappers" feeding aggressively in big numbers, a stretch the charter calls some of the best action they've seen in 16 years on the water. Up the chain in Islamorada, Bud n' Mary's early-summer report has tarpon still working the bridges, mahi showing offshore, and yellowtail thick on the reef, the classic reef-to-blue-water spread the Keys are known for in warm months. Gulf-side trips are also turning up grouper, cobia, and kingfish per ALL IN Key West. One regulatory note: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction has paused the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot season anglers should confirm current red snapper rules before targeting that species on the Atlantic side. Overall it's a strong, varied bite across flats, bridges, and reef right now.
St. Johns bass push into deep grass as August heat holds
Overnight flow at USGS gauge 02232000 held at 215 cfs as of 2:30 a.m. this morning, a steady late-summer read with no temperature sensor reporting alongside it. No captain, shop, or state report specific to Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River came through this cycle, so today's outlook leans on seasonal pattern rather than fresh, region-specific bite reports. Tactical Bassin's general August notes are useful context here: as summer heat peaks, largemouth typically abandon the bank for deeper submerged vegetation, grass edges, and offshore cover, a pattern that plays out across big Florida grass fisheries like Okeechobee just as it does elsewhere. Expect panfish and crappie to go quiet through the heat of midday, while catfish and bowfin activity typically ticks up after dark in St. Johns backwaters. With a waning gibbous moon overhead, the sharpest windows should be the first and last hour of daylight, before the water fully heats up.
Okeechobee and St. Johns bass push deep as summer heat holds
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Okeechobee/St. Johns corridor this cycle, and this week's angler intel didn't include any Florida-specific freshwater reports. What we do have lines up with the calendar: Tactical Bassin's national August bass coverage this week pushes anglers off the bank, targeting submerged vegetation and offshore cover as largemouth slide deeper to escape surface heat, with jig and swimbait presentations holding up as the midday bite fades. That pattern tracks the typical Okeechobee and St. Johns rhythm for early August, when shallow grass edges that produce at first light go quiet by mid-morning. Bream and speckled perch (black crappie) tend to hold steadier through summer heat than bass, sitting tight to deeper brush and structure most of the day. Catfish stay a reliable overnight option. Check current FWC regulations before harvesting, and plan around the dawn and dusk windows until the heat breaks.