Florida fishing reports
578 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Snapper bite stays lights-out across the Florida Keys
Yellowtail and mutton snapper fishing remains outstanding across the Keys right now. ALL IN Key West reports "huge yellowtails" and mutton snappers "chewing like crazy," calling the recent stretch some of the best fishing the captain has seen in 16 years running out of Key West, with plenty of open July dates. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada Fishing Marina backs up the pattern in its Early Summer Fishing Report, pointing to warm water, calm seas, and abundant bait supporting tarpon around the bridges, mahi offshore, and yellowtail on the reef. Sport Fishing Mag adds nearby Biscayne Bay as a strong mutton snapper option, with live chumming and pilchards under a chum bag doing the work. ALL IN Key West also logged solid grouper, cobia, and kingfish action on a recent Gulf-side run. One regulatory note: CCA Florida reports a federal court has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot program, so confirm current rules before targeting that species.
Summer heat pushes Okeechobee, St. Johns bass into early bite windows
No buoy or gauge readings came in for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, and this week's regional intel feed didn't carry a direct report from either fishery, so this update leans on seasonal pattern and general technique intel. Late July has both waters deep into their summer stretch, with largemouth bass, bluegill, and black crappie holding to typical warm water positioning: bass tucked into shade and deeper cover through midday, feeding hardest at dawn and dusk. Tactical Bassin's latest summer roundup highlights dropshot rigging and jig and minnow "strolling" as two techniques producing through the heat, plus working shallow weed edges early before the sun climbs, patterns that translate directly to Okeechobee and St. Johns largemouth this time of year. Panfish should stay steady around deeper structure and weedlines. Check state regs before harvesting, and expect a slow midday bite to give way to better action in the first and last light hours.
Sarasota Bay seatrout bite heats up as summer tarpon run continues
Spotted seatrout are biting aggressively across Sarasota Bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes, with the peak summer trout bite fully underway per Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters. Redfish are also showing on Sarasota Bay's oyster bars, per Capt. Chuck Cress, who found solid action working a small oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay. Tarpon remain a strong target through July, with Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast (CB's Saltwater Outfitters) noting spin anglers scoring by drifting live baits under floats in travel lanes and staying ready to sight cast, while fly anglers do best staked out on bar edges as fish grow more aggressive through the month. Shark activity, including bull, blacktip, and lemon sharks, continues in Sarasota Bay and nearshore Gulf waters, a pattern that typically runs from late spring through fall. No fresh buoy or gauge readings were available for this cycle, so check local conditions before heading out.
Tarpon and Permit Still Turning Heads on FL's Gulf Coast
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' most recent reports describe a strong tarpon-and-permit combo working the passes and nearshore structure, with captains splitting mornings intercepting migrating tarpon and afternoons sight-casting permit, calling the pairing one of the best one-two punches on Florida's Gulf Coast this stretch of the season. Kingfish have stayed a consistent producer on trolled plugs and flies, with cobia and amberjack mixing in as bonus fish on the same trips. Regionally, Salt Strong's Weekend Game Plan is running Florida Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle & Big Bend as active insider regions for the July 24-26 window, a sign the bite is holding enough local attention to earn dedicated coverage. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida continues flagging Gulf senators' concern over illegal, unreported red snapper harvest by foreign vessels, worth a reminder to double-check current federal Gulf season dates before targeting snapper. With the moon waxing toward full, look for stronger tide swings to keep bait moving over the next few days.
Treasure Coast snook rebound while tarpon, mutton snapper fire
St. Lucie Inlet snook fishing is finally coming back after a dredging project stalled the bite for weeks; the crew at Snook Nook reports anglers marking big schools around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall, with live croakers and pilchards drawing the bites. Statewide on the Atlantic side, snook remain in their summer closed season, so it's catch-and-release only until the fall reopener, check state regs before keeping a fish. Tarpon are running well as the summer migration builds, and mutton snapper are cooperating in Biscayne Bay on live chumming with pilchards, per Sport Fishing Mag, with a 28-inch fish reported off Dania Beach via Coastal Angler Magazine. On the regulatory side, red snapper anglers are watching a legal fight after a federal court granted an injunction against the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot programs just before Florida's Atlantic season opened, per CCA Florida, adding real uncertainty to any fall red snapper plans.
Yellowtail and Mutton Snapper Bite Stays Red-Hot in the Keys
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are lighting up the Florida Keys this July, with ALL IN Key West calling this stretch some of the best fishing the captain has seen in 16 years working out of Key West, reporting "huge yellow tails" and "tons and tons of mutton snappers" with July trip availability still open. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada echoes the pattern in its early-summer report, noting tarpon action on the bridges and mahi mahi showing offshore alongside a strong yellowtail bite on the reef. Backcountry and Gulf-side trips are also producing grouper, cobia, and shark per recent charter reports. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida flags a federal court injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot season just before it opened, so anglers targeting red snapper should check current state rules before keeping fish. Overall, we're seeing a textbook Keys summer pattern: warm water, abundant bait, and reef, flats, and offshore action all firing at once.
Summer heat pattern settles over Okeechobee and St. Johns bass water
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for Okeechobee or the St. Johns this cycle, so this report leans on seasonal pattern and general technique intel rather than fresh local numbers. Per Tactical Bassin's latest breakdown on hot-weather bass tactics, summer heat is pushing shallow fish into shade and current breaks during low-light windows while schooling fish group up around deeper structure through the middle of the day — a pattern that tracks with typical late-July behavior on both Okeechobee and the St. Johns. Expect largemouth bass to bite best on early topwater and dusk moving baits before sliding to deeper vegetation edges, ledges, and channel structure once the sun gets high. Panfish and black crappie tend to hold steadier through the heat along the same shaded cover. No Florida-specific angler reports came through this cycle, so treat species status below as seasonal expectation, not a confirmed local bite report, and check current conditions before heading out.
Seatrout blitz holds on Sarasota flats as summer tarpon bite lingers
Spotted Seatrout are aggressively biting across Sarasota Bay this week, per Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, with inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes producing the best action during what he calls the peak summer bite. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress found good numbers working an oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay, picking through schools of mullet and bait to land reds along with an incidental bluefish. Tarpon remain a worthwhile target through July per Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast, with spin anglers doing best setting up in travel lanes and drifting live baits under floats while staying ready to sight cast, and fly anglers favoring bar edges. Grassett notes tarpon tactics stay consistent through the month but the fish get more aggressive and eventually start thinning out as summer wears on. Shark activity, including bull, blacktip, and occasional migratory species, has also been a regular feature of the bay this season.
Tarpon push keeps Naples anglers busy through summer
Tarpon are still pushing through Southwest Florida's Gulf waters this summer, with Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reporting the migration "fully underway" and steady action jumping and hooking quality fish through the mornings. Once the tarpon bite eases by midday, the same boats are switching over to sight-fishing big permit in the afternoons, a pairing the captains describe as working well this time of year. Kingfish remain a reliable mixed-bag producer on plugs and flies, and cobia and amberjack continue turning up as bonus catches on the same trips, per the charter's recent reports. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this update, so exact water temps aren't available, but conditions on the water are tracking the seasonal rhythm anglers expect from Naples in mid-summer, with more of the same likely through the coming week.
Kings and reds carry the Destin-Pensacola bite through peak summer heat
Local chatter out of the Pensacola Fishing Forum this week skewed toward gear and boats rather than rod reports — a wanted ad for a small jon boat, a Yamaha 50 fighting a hot-restart issue, and word of a serious boat accident west of the Wharf that pulled in two medevac helicopters — and no NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for this cycle either. With no fresh Panhandle-specific catch reports to lean on, this update goes by what's typical for Destin and Pensacola in late July: king mackerel trolling over nearshore wrecks and rigs stays a summer mainstay, redfish and Spanish mackerel keep working the passes and bay edges on moving tide, and speckled trout action usually eases back to early-morning and evening windows once the shallows heat up. Bottom fishing tied to snapper season remains a Panhandle staple this time of year, though anglers should confirm current federal and state season dates before keeping fish. Check local marine forecasts for daily wind and chop.
Snook flood back into Stuart inlets as summer bite heats up
Snook fishing around the St. Lucie Inlet has rebounded now that a nearby dredging project has paused, with Snook Nook (FL) reporting anglers marking large schools of fish on side-scan around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall this month, with live croakers and pilchards drawing the bites. Remember snook season is closed on Florida's Atlantic side through August per Snook Nook, so it's catch-and-release only right now. Elsewhere on the coast, mangrove snapper are showing at Vilano Beach on live shrimp per Coastal Angler Magazine, and mutton snapper remain a solid target around Biscayne Bay when anglers live-chum pilchards, per Sport Fishing Mag. Red snapper is the wildcard: CCA Florida reports a federal court just issued a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot program hours before Florida's season was set to open, so check current regs before planning an offshore trip.
Mutton and yellowtail snappers keep Keys anglers busy
Captains out of Key West are calling this stretch one of the best snapper bites in years — ALL IN Key West reports "huge yellow tails tons and tons of mutton snappers" with fish "actively feeding and in large numbers" through June and into July, tied to a strong mutton spawn around recent full moons. Bud n' Mary's Marina in Islamorada backs it up, calling early summer "prime time" in the Keys, with warm water, calm seas and abundant bait pulling tarpon onto the bridges, mahi offshore, and yellowtail snapper onto the reef. Gulf-side runs are also turning up grouper, cobia and kingfish alongside snapper, per ALL IN Key West. On the regulatory side, CCA Florida and Anglers Journal both note ongoing state-management moves around Florida's red snapper season, worth checking before specifically targeting that species. No live buoy or gauge readings came back for this update, so plan around a First Quarter moon and check the local marine forecast before running offshore.