Florida fishing reports
796 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Snook stay hot on the Treasure Coast as the mullet run builds
Snook remain the headline act on Florida's Atlantic Coast, with Snook Nook in Stuart reporting excellent fishing through August into a strong September stretch, including plenty of fish in the 40-inch range around the St. Lucie Inlet on live croakers and threadfins. The shop's September report notes early schools of mullet showing up offshore and along the beaches ahead of the full run, though the shop flags that the timing is running a little later than usual after a cooler winter. Offshore, Coastal Angler Magazine logged a red grouper catch out of St. Lucie County and a young angler's first sailfish near Push Button Hill off Stuart, and Snook Nook's own charter team placed first in the small-boat division of a Stuart sailfish tournament. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida continues tracking South Atlantic red snapper season developments after a court injunction disrupted this year's exempted-fishing-permit pilot program.
Snook Turn On as Gulf Coast Slides Into Fall Transition
Snook feeding up ahead of the winter push is the headline story for Florida's Gulf Coast this week, per Sport Fishing Mag's fall-transition report — as days shorten and water starts cooling off summer highs, Gulf snook shift into one of the most productive stretches of their year, typically firing hardest on baitfish worked along beaches and passes. The same outlet notes king mackerel begin sliding closer to shore this time of year as they track migrating bait, a pattern worth watching over the next few weeks. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' recent seasonal reports describe steady action on permit, kingfish, cobia, and mangrove snapper working structure and passes through the cooler months — a preview of what typically develops as fall deepens here. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat water temps as seasonal-typical until fresh data lands. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida continues tracking red snapper management changes that could affect access later this year.
Central Florida bass hold deep as summer heat lingers
Water on a Central Florida bass lake was still holding near 88 degrees late in the summer stretch, according to a recent Wired 2 Fish account, with anglers working the deepest holes they could find rather than relying on visible grass or wood cover — a pattern typical when late-summer heat lingers past its usual break. That same report noted the heatwaves finally eased after August, which points toward Okeechobee and St. Johns water cooling into the range that typically kicks off a stronger fall bite. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came back for this region today, so this update leans on angler intel rather than hard temperature or flow numbers. Fall-transition technique notes from Tactical Bassin this week — working baitfish schools in open water and slow-falling presentations like the free rig — are broadly applicable as largemouth start shifting off deep-summer patterns. Panfish and catfish should stay steady while bass sort out the shift.
Reds and snook fire up Sarasota Bay as tarpon start their fall exit
Anglers working Siesta Key are finding reds eager to eat: Capt. Chuck Cress of CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) reports hooking into several redfish on a high rising morning tide using a popping cork tipped with live shrimp, along with a few undersized snook released along the way. Farther north in Sarasota Bay, Capt. Kelly Kurtz, also out of CB's, describes an active inshore bite spanning snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, and mangrove snapper. Capt. Rick Grassett's September outlook from the same shop calls for solid snook fishing as fish hold in the surf and stack up around ICW docks and bridges near passes, while adult migratory tarpon are thinning out in the coastal Gulf, sliding into inside waters to rest and feed ahead of their fall push out of the area. With water still summer-warm for the region, dawn and dusk windows should keep producing the most consistent action over the next few days. Check state regs before harvesting, as size and bag limits vary by species and season.
St. Johns flow climbs as Okeechobee bass ease into fall transition
USGS gauge 02232000 on the St. Johns River logged 1,630 cfs as of 7:30 a.m. Thursday — a strong reading for mid-September that suggests recent rain has pushed extra water through the system and likely stained typical bass haunts along the main river and connecting runs. No buoy or water-temperature data came through this cycle, and this week's angler-intel feeds didn't carry a direct report from Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns corridor, so we're leaning on regional seasonal knowledge rather than a specific local catch report. Central Florida is still sliding out of summer heat into the early fall transition, when largemouth bass typically start pushing off deep structure to chase baitfish in more open water — a shift Tactical Bassin's national fall-transition breakdown this week flags as the pattern to watch for, regardless of lake type. Expect bream, crappie, and catfish to hold to usual late-summer habits until water cools more consistently.
Blackfin Tuna Bite Heats Up as the Keys Shift Into Fall
Late summer has flipped the switch offshore: Coastal Angler Magazine flags blackfin tuna as the headline target across the Keys right now, with fish feeding on the reef edge and responding to trolled baits and chunk lines. That builds on a strong summer inshore — Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada called June and early July "prime time," with tarpon working the bridges, mahi showing offshore, and yellowtail thick on the reef, while ALL IN Key West logged a hot mutton snapper spawn around the full moon earlier in the season with yellowtails "practically jumping in the boat." Expect that snapper action to keep easing as summer closes out, with tuna and mahi taking over as the offshore priority. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so check your own thermometer and the local marine forecast before running offshore. Regulations around species like red snapper remain unsettled at the federal level — check current state rules before harvesting.
Blackfin tuna fire offshore as kings push toward the coast
Panhandle-specific chatter is light this week, but the standout signal comes from just across the Alabama line: a 32.8-lb blackfin tuna was boated roughly 90 miles offshore out of Fort Morgan Marina, per Coastal Angler Magazine — a solid read on the Gulf's deep-water bite as fall gets underway. Inshore, expect the seasonal shift Sport Fishing Mag flags for the Gulf this time of year: king mackerel moving closer to the beach to feed on migrating baitfish, and snook feeding up ahead of their move toward winter holding water. Gulf red snapper season is typically closed by mid-September in federal waters, so most bottom-fishing effort should be shifting toward kings, blackfin, and other open species — check current regs before targeting snapper. Inshore, Salt Strong's latest tip for pressured redfish and trout is small presentation tweaks over big location changes. Florida Sea Grant is also running a statewide red snapper tagging project with a $250 reward per tagged fish reported.
Okeechobee bass lean into the early-fall shallow shift
Bass are pushing onto grass flats and dock pilings as baitfish concentrate in the early-fall transition, per Tactical Bassin's latest breakdown — a shallow-structure pattern that typically extends to Okeechobee's grass-choked basin and the St. Johns' vegetated flats as September wears on. No buoy or gauge readings came back for either fishery this cycle, and this week's intel sweep turned up no captain or shop reports specific to Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns, so this update leans on that general seasonal pattern rather than a fresh bite report. We're calling largemouth bass Active on that basis. Black crappie (speckled perch), the other headline species on both waters, usually stay slow until temperatures drop further into fall and winter. Bluegill and channel catfish remain steady year-round producers in both systems. Check state regs before harvesting, and confirm local conditions before heading out — direct on-the-water reports for this region were thin this week.
Snook bite stays hot on the Treasure Coast as mullet run nears
Snook fishing has been excellent over the past few weeks on Florida's Atlantic Coast, with quality fish including many in the 40-inch-plus range, per Snook Nook's August and September Stuart, FL reports — the better action running around the St. Lucie Inlet and down the beach on live croakers and threadfins. Schools of larger mullet are just beginning to show inshore as the annual mullet run approaches, per Snook Nook, with finger mullet still a few weeks out and expected to build through the coming weeks. Offshore, Team Snook Nook took first place in the small-boat division of the 2026 One More Bite Sailfish Challenge fishing out of Stuart, going 7 for 9 on sailfish bites, a sign that pelagic action remains lively along the inlet. Anglers also reported a sheepshead catch at South Sebastian Inlet, per Coastal Angler Magazine. Red snapper access remains clouded after a federal court blocked this year's South Atlantic EFP pilot program, per CCA Florida.
Redfish action heats up on Florida's Gulf Coast as fall transition begins
A 33-inch redfish came out of the shallows near Goodland this week, per a reader catch shared through Coastal Angler Magazine — a solid early sign as Gulf Coast waters ease into the fall transition. We don't have fresh buoy or gauge readings for this report, so treat water temps as seasonal rather than measured, but the pattern lines up with what Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has described in its seasonal reports: as water cools through fall and winter, action shifts from summer's permit and tarpon toward king mackerel, cobia, amberjack, and mangrove and mutton snapper working nearshore structure and reef edges. Redfish should stay a dependable target in the skinny backcountry through the shoulder season, and snook typically start staging toward passes and creek mouths as nights cool — check current state regs before harvesting either species. Tarpon activity is winding down as the spring-summer migration wraps up for the year.
Snook and Reds Keep Sarasota Bay's Inshore Bite Rolling
Snook fishing should be good during September as fish hold in the ICW around docks and bridges close to passes, according to Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast from CB's Saltwater Outfitters. Capt. Kelly Kurtz's latest weekly report from the same Siesta Key shop confirms an active inshore bite for snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, and mangrove snapper across Sarasota Bay this week. Redfish are cooperating too — Capt. Chuck Cress connected with several reds on a popping cork tipped with live shrimp during a rising morning tide. Trout are producing as well: Capt. Brandon Naeve's clients landed a 27-inch spotted seatrout, with the shop noting summer trout bite best around sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Adult migratory tarpon are thinning out in the coastal Gulf per Grassett, sliding into bridges and deep grass flats to rest before pushing out of the area. With heat still elevated, morning and evening windows are producing the most consistent action on live bait and soft plastics.
Yellowtail and mutton snappers keep Keys anglers busy into fall
Snapper fishing remains the headline story in the Florida Keys, with ALL IN Key West reporting yellowtails "practically jumping in the boat" and big numbers of mutton snappers still feeding aggressively alongside groupers, cobia and kingfish on Gulf-side trips. Bud n' Mary's early-summer report echoed the same pattern, calling June and early July prime time across the flats to the reef, with tarpon around the bridges and mahi pushing offshore. No buoy or gauge data came through for this cycle, so water temp and wave/tide readings aren't available today — check a local source before running offshore. Sailfish showed up unusually early per ALL IN Key West, riding strong Gulf Stream current close to shore. With red snapper season management still in flux per CCA Florida, bottom anglers should confirm current rules before keeping bottomfish.