Florida fishing reports
790 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Florida Keys anglers eye fall turn as summer heat finally breaks
Water temperatures held at 86.5°F and 88°F across two NOAA CO-OPS stations in the Florida Keys this evening, still firmly in late-summer range. ALL IN Key West reports the season's heat is finally starting to break after taking September off, with the captain back on the water and looking ahead to fall and winter trips.
Panhandle Gulf holds summer warmth as fall transition builds
Gulf water along the Destin-Pensacola corridor is still carrying late-summer warmth into the second week of October, with NOAA CO-OPS readings of 78.8°F at station 8729108 and 77.5°F at both station 8729840 and station 8728690 as of October 10. That's warm enough to keep the summer pattern in play even as the calendar turns toward fall. A new moon this week is driving bigger tidal swings than normal, running extra water across the Panhandle's grass flats, bayous, and marsh edges, the kind of structure redfish typically stage around as the fall transition builds.
Snook lock into fall pattern as Sarasota Bay bite heats up
Water temps are holding right around 82 to 83°F across Tampa Bay and Sarasota per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8726520 and 8726724, and that warmth is keeping snook locked into an active fall pattern. Capt. Brandon Naeve at CB's Saltwater Outfitters says the fall snook season "is here," pointing to the warm water as the driver behind an aggressive bite running from Sarasota south toward Fort Myers. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, fishing Sarasota Bay out of CB's this past week, reports an active inshore bite that includes snook and redfish, landing a solid redfish on a recent trip. Per Capt. Rick Grassett's October forecast, snook are moving off the passes and staging around docks and bridges in the ICW, with live shrimp and pilchards producing around structure and smaller lures and flies working the shallow flats.
Florida Keys fishing turns the seasonal corner as fall settles in
Water temps in the Keys are still running summer-warm, with NOAA CO-OPS buoys reading 86.2°F at Key West (station 8724580) and 87.3°F at Vaca Key (station 8723970) this morning. ALL IN Key West reports the season is turning, with the captain noting the heat of summer is "finally starting to break" after taking September off the water. That cooler-air shift typically nudges Keys gamefish into more consistent feeding windows as the water column cools from the surface down.
Keys fishing turns toward fall as summer heat finally breaks
Water temperatures are still running summer-warm across the Florida Keys, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8724580 reading 86.7°F in Key West and station 8723970 at 88.2°F on the bay side, both logged this morning. ALL IN Key West reports the heat of summer is finally starting to let up after a slow September spent on boat upgrades, a signal the fishery is turning toward its stronger fall and winter run.
Redfish hold near structure as Gulf Coast water starts its fall cool-down
Water on Florida's Gulf Coast is still running warm for early October: NOAA CO-OPS buoy 8725520 off Fort Myers read 84.7°F and the Cedar Key station (8727520) read 77.5°F this morning, a spread that reflects how much cooler water already sits up in the Big Bend versus the southwest coast. That lag matters for how the fall transition plays out here. CCA Florida's ongoing coverage of red snapper management and allocation data continues to dominate the policy conversation for Gulf anglers, a reminder that the biggest story in Florida saltwater fishing right now is regulatory as much as biological. On the water, redfish remain part of the mix for Florida anglers, with a catch highlighted by Fin & Fly Charters underscoring that reds stay active around inshore structure as water starts to cool. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports steady charter demand blending nearshore and offshore trips as the seasonal shift gets underway.
Warm Gulf water lingers across the Panhandle as fall's transition builds
Three NOAA CO-OPS stations spanning the Pensacola-to-Destin corridor are reading water temperatures between 77.4°F and 80.2°F this morning, still squarely in late-summer territory even as the calendar turns toward fall. Station 8729108 shows the next low tide arriving at 3:17pm local, and station 8728690 shows a high tide landing almost simultaneously at 3:14pm, a reminder that tide timing shifts meaningfully across just a few miles of this coastline. Today's new moon amplifies that swing, pushing tidal range toward the stronger end of the monthly cycle. Saltwater Sportsman's coverage of the fall baitfish push through Gulf of Mexico bays and estuaries lines up with where the Panhandle sits on the calendar right now: forage is on the move, and that movement is the signal worth tracking into the back half of October.
Keys fishery eyes seasonal turn as summer heat finally breaks
Water across the Florida Keys flats and offshore grounds is still running summer-warm, reading 86.2°F and 87.3°F at the two local tide stations tracked this week. ALL IN Key West reports the first real break in the heat is arriving, with cooler air finally moving in after a hot September; the captain is back on the water after taking the month off for boat upgrades, a sign of the fall shift Keys anglers watch for.
Redfish and snook turn on as Gulf anglers ditch the plugs
Gulf Coast water is running warm this week, with the NOAA CO-OPS station at Fort Myers reading 83.8°F this morning and the Cedar Key station several degrees cooler at 76.6°F, a gradient worth watching as it marks where warmer backwater meets a cooling open Gulf. Salt Strong reports a telling trip this week: a spot loaded with bait produced zero bites on plugs until they switched to soft plastic jerk lures, which turned a dead stretch into what they called a quick inshore slam, with redfish and snook both showing up in the same water. That lure-switch lesson is the standout piece of intel right now, a reminder that fish holding tight to structure this time of year often need a subtler presentation before they commit.
Panhandle redfish and snook reward anglers who switch up the lure
Gulf water off the Panhandle is holding in the upper 70s, with NOAA's Pensacola station reading 79.2°F and nearby CO-OPS gauges checking in at 78.8°F and 77.9°F early this morning. Inshore, lure choice is mattering more than location right now. Salt Strong (articles) describes a trip that went from zero bites on topwater plugs to a quick inshore slam, including nice redfish and snook, after switching to soft plastic jerk lures fished through the exact same water. The lesson from that report is simple: when a good-looking spot stays quiet, change presentation before moving on. With water still comfortably in the high 70s and a waning crescent moon overhead, fish remain active and willing, they're just being choosy about what comes past their nose.
Keys anglers find redfish and snook as summer heat eases
Water in the Florida Keys is holding near 86°F this week, per NOAA CO-OPS station 8724580, with a second CO-OPS station nearby (8723970) reading a touch warmer at 87.6°F; the Gulf Stream is still running summer-warm even as the air starts to break. ALL IN Key West reports the summer heat is finally letting up a little, with the captain back on the water full time after a September break and already fielding fall and winter trip requests. Inshore anglers working soft plastics are finding results: Salt Strong documented a quick slam that included redfish and snook after switching off plugs onto soft plastic jerk lures when the bite on an otherwise loaded flat went quiet.
Snook bite heats up as Sarasota flats fish turn on
Water temperatures are holding at 81.5°F across Tampa Bay, and that warmth is keeping the fall snook bite fired up. Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters says the warm water has snook "most active," with the Gulf Coast run from Sarasota south producing some of the best fishing around right now. In Sarasota Bay, Capt. Kelly Kurtz reports an active inshore bite for snook and redfish, with a recent trip landing a solid redfish before release. Capt. Rick Grassett's October forecast adds that snook are shifting off the passes and beaches now, moving toward docks, bridges and shallow flats in the ICW as they stage for winter.
Fishing in Florida
Florida is the fishing trip everyone else plans all year, available every day. Lake Okeechobee and a thousand smaller lakes make it the trophy largemouth capital of the country. The flats from the Keys to Mosquito Lagoon hold tarpon, bonefish, permit, redfish, and snook, and the offshore game runs from sailfish to grouper. There is no closed season on the state as a whole; something is always eating.
When to fish Florida
Trophy largemouth spawn through late winter and spring, the best window for a double-digit fish. Migratory tarpon begin staging along the coasts and the Keys as the water warms.
The tarpon migration peaks early in the season, snook feed around the passes and beaches, and redfish work the flats. Freshwater bass go early-and-late around the heat, and afternoon storms set the schedule.
The fall mullet run pulls snook, tarpon, and jacks into feeding frenzies along the beaches, while oversized redfish school in the lagoons. Offshore, the fall bite builds for kingfish and sailfish.
Cool fronts stack sailfish along the Atlantic side and push trout and redfish onto shallow, sun-warmed flats where sight fishing shines. Bass fishing stays strong through the mild winter.
Waters to know
Wayfinder builds a plan for your exact water and day from live buoys, gauges, tides, and recent reports. Free, about 30 seconds.
Common questions
Do I need a license to fish in Florida?
Most anglers need a Florida license, with separate freshwater and saltwater licenses sold online through the FWC. Several exemptions exist for residents and shore-based anglers, so check the current FWC rules for your situation.
What fish can I catch in Florida?
Largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill in freshwater. Inshore salt offers tarpon, snook, redfish, seatrout, bonefish, and permit, while offshore adds grouper, snapper, kingfish, sailfish, mahi, and tuna.
When is the best time to fish Florida?
Every month fishes for something. Winter and spring are prime for trophy bass and sailfish, late spring and summer for the tarpon migration, and fall for the mullet run. Build the trip around the species you want.
Where can I check current Florida fishing conditions?
This page carries our current Florida fishing reports, built daily from NOAA buoys, USGS gauges, tides, and local sources. For a plan built around your exact water and day, try the free Wayfinder trip planner.
Seasons and limits change: verify current regulations with FWC before keeping fish.
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