Florida fishing reports
796 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Gag grouper window keeps Panhandle anglers on structure
Gulf gag grouper action is heating up as anglers work structure in relatively shallow water — Sport Fishing Mag notes a short recreational trolling window this month, with boats prospecting rock piles off Florida's west coast for quick strikes. That same structure-fishing approach carries over well to Panhandle bottom around Destin and Pensacola, where gag and red grouper hold on nearshore reefs and wrecks into early fall. Direct on-the-water reports out of Destin and Pensacola were thin this cycle, and no fresh buoy or gauge readings came through either, so we're leaning on typical early-September patterns for the northern Gulf: Spanish mackerel and bonito chasing bait schools along the beaches, redfish and speckled trout settling into marsh edges and grass flats as water starts to cool, and cobia sightings largely done until spring. Check state regs before harvesting grouper or snapper, since seasons and bag limits shift year to year.
Snook dial in around Sarasota passes as tarpon exodus begins
A 27-inch spotted sea trout came aboard in Sarasota Bay this week, landed on a CB's Saltwater Outfitters trip with Capt. Brandon Naeve — a reminder the bay remains one of Florida's better speckled-trout grounds heading into fall. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress reports hooking multiple reds on a popping cork with live shrimp on a rising morning tide, alongside a few small snook caught and released. Per Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast, snook fishing should be good this month, with fish holding in the coastal Gulf surf and around ICW docks and bridges near passes as water starts to cool. Migratory tarpon are thinning out along the beaches, per Grassett, shifting to inside waters around bridges and deep grass flats to rest and feed before their exit. No live buoy or gauge readings are available for Tampa Bay/Sarasota today, so plan around moving water at the passes and check conditions before you launch.
Short Gulf grouper season opens as Florida anglers eye fall shift
Florida's Gulf Coast just opened its short September gag grouper season, and Sport Fishing Mag's on-the-water account describes fish stacking on nearshore rock piles within a short run of the beach — lines going down in relatively shallow water rather than a long offshore push. That's the clearest current signal for the west coast this week. Salt Strong's Weekend Game Plan for September 4-6 confirms fresh local intel is circulating for the Florida Gulf Coast region through its INSIDER network, though specifics sit behind their subscriber wall. Expect the seasonal handoff to keep playing out from here: tarpon activity that dominated spring reports out of this coast typically tapers as water cools into fall, while king mackerel — a Gulf Coast staple in cooler months — should start building as the first fronts move through. No fresh buoy or gauge data came through this cycle, so treat water temp as an estimate until you check a local forecast.
Second Mahi Season Arrives in the Florida Keys
South Florida's second mahi season is arriving right on schedule this week — Saltwater Sportsman notes the fall push typically materializes around mid-September and holds into early fall, so schools should start stacking along the Gulf Stream edge in the coming days. Down in the Keys, the summer snapper bite hasn't fully shut off: ALL IN Key West described yellowtail and mutton snapper as 'practically jumping in the boat' around the recent full-moon spawn, with muttons chewing hard on the reef edges. Bud n' Mary's early-summer report also flagged tarpon on the bridges and yellowtail on the reef as steady producers through June and early July, though that inshore action typically eases as we move deeper into the shoulder season. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so treat water temp and sea state as unconfirmed and check a local marine forecast before running offshore.
Calm, warm Gulf sets up grouper and king mackerel runs off Pensacola
Gulf water off the Panhandle read 86°F this morning at buoy 42012, with dead-calm seas and winds under 2 m/s at both 42039 and 42012 — about as clean a window as boats out of Destin or Pensacola get this time of year. September is the short, tightly-managed gag grouper season on Florida's Gulf side, and Sport Fishing Mag reports trollers working close-in rock piles and structure are connecting after short runs from the beach. Warm, glassy surface water like this typically pulls kingfish and Spanish mackerel up onto bait schools, though we don't have a direct Panhandle report confirming numbers this week. Salt Strong's Regional Weekend Game Plan flagged the Florida Panhandle & Big Bend as one of its featured zones going into the weekend, a sign guides see the area worth fishing right now. Redfish should still be working flats and marsh edges as expected for early fall.
Sarasota snook turn on as tarpon slide toward the bridges
Gulf buoys off Sarasota are reading 87-88°F this week, keeping the bite concentrated around low-light hours and structure. Capt. Rick Grassett of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports snook fishing should be good through September, with fish holding in the coastal surf and tucked into the ICW around docks and bridges near passes — DOA Lures and live bait are drawing strikes. Migratory tarpon are thinning out along the beaches, per Grassett, sliding into inside waters to rest around bridges and over deep grass flats ahead of their fall push south. Capt. Brandon Naeve's crew boated a 27-inch spotted seatrout in Sarasota Bay, with sunrise and sunset feeding windows still the play in the late-summer heat. Capt. Chuck Cress found redfish eating live shrimp under a popping cork on a rising morning tide. With water still in the upper 80s, expect the pattern to stay dawn/dusk-driven into next week.
Gulf gag grouper season heats up as second mahi run nears
Gulf Coast buoy 42036 logged 87°F water this week, with light 3 m/s winds and calm seas holding through early September. Florida's short Gulf gag grouper season is in full swing, and Sport Fishing Mag reports trollers finding fish stacked on rock piles within a six-mile run of shore. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has been sight-fishing Permit in the shallows on recent trips, a pattern that typically carries into fall as water stays warm. Fin & Fly Charters out of Cocoa Beach notes kingfish remain one of the most consistent producers on deep-sea trips this summer. Saltwater Sportsman flags that South Florida's second mahi season typically kicks off around mid-September, so trollers working blue water should start watching for the first pushes any day now. Red snapper anglers should note ongoing legal disputes over South Atlantic season access, per CCA Florida; check current state regs before targeting the species.
Snook Bite Stays Hot as Treasure Coast Mullet Run Builds
Snook fishing remains excellent around Stuart's St. Lucie Inlet, per Snook Nook (FL), with anglers boating quality fish in the 40-inch range on live croakers and threadfins worked along the beach and detached jetty — try a dead threadfin on bottom when the inlet bite slows, though expect some bycatch. Florida's snook season reopened September 1 after the traditional summer closure, and early fall timing lines up well. Snook Nook also flags the mullet run building along the Treasure Coast, with larger schools showing inshore though finger mullet haven't fully arrived yet — expect the bite to strengthen as that bait pushes through. Offshore, Saltwater Sportsman notes South Florida's second mahi season typically fires up in mid-September and runs into fall, a good bet for boats making the run. Red snapper anglers face a setback: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic EFP pilot season just as it was set to open.
Fall Transition Puts Okeechobee and St. Johns Bass on the Move
No buoy or gauge readings came back for the Lake Okeechobee and St. Johns River corridor this cycle, and no Florida-specific shop or charter reports landed either, so this update leans on broader seasonal signal rather than a confirmed local bite. Early September sits right at the summer-to-fall turnover for Florida largemouth, and national bass coverage is already flagging that shift: Tactical Bassin describes bass "pouring into" docks as surrounding grass starts changing, and On The Water lists baitfish-style baits built for the fall transition as gamefish push toward moving bait. Fishing the Midwest ties the same cue to weeds — fish following "green, living" cover as older growth dies back. None of that is Okeechobee- or St. Johns-specific, but it's a reasonable proxy for what largemouth, crappie, and bluegill should start doing as water eases off its late-summer peak. Treat today's species calls as seasonal defaults, not confirmed local intel, until a Florida-specific report comes in.
Okeechobee and St. Johns bass ease into early fall mode
The USGS gauge at station 02232000 logged flow near 939 cfs early this morning, a steady read with no dramatic swings on the St. Johns system heading into the weekend. Water temperature wasn't reported at this station, but early September on Florida's freshwater fisheries typically still sits in a summer-to-fall transition window. No Okeechobee- or St. Johns-specific captain, shop, or agency reports came through today's sweep, so we're leaning on general seasonal technique intel: national bass coverage from Tactical Bassin and On The Water both flag largemouth keying on baitfish around grass edges and dock structure as summer patterns start to break down. Bream and catfish tend to stay consistent through this stretch regardless of what the bass are doing. Expect largemouth to still answer moving baits early and late in the day, with a slower, shade-seeking presentation needed to draw bites once the sun gets high.
Keys reef bite settles into fall pattern after a hot snapper summer
No live buoy or gauge readings came back for the Keys today, so this update leans on recent on-the-water intel. Earlier this season, ALL IN Key West called the snapper action "bananas," with yellowtail "practically jumping in the boat" and a strong mutton snapper push tied to the May full moon spawn. Bud n' Mary's flagged early summer as prime time for tarpon on the bridges and mahi offshore in the Gulf Stream. Those reports are now a few months old, and by early September the mutton spawn and the bulk of the tarpon migration have typically wound down in the Keys, while the yellowtail bite on the reef tends to hold up as a year-round staple. Regionally, anglers should also note continued back-and-forth over South Atlantic red snapper season access, per CCA Florida and Saltwater Sportsman coverage. Check current reef and offshore reports before planning a trip.
Yellowtail bite stays red-hot as Keys await fall red snapper call
Winds are lying down across the Lower Keys — NOAA's SMKF1 buoy near Key West reads barely 1 mph early today, with SANF1 off Sand Key just under 7 mph, and air temps pushing into the upper 80s. That's flat, glassy water for reef and flats work. ALL IN Key West has been running charters non-stop and reports big yellowtail snapper and mutton snapper "practically jumping in the boat," with groupers, cobia and kingfish mixed in on Gulf-side trips. Bud n' Mary's early-summer report put tarpon on the bridges, mahi offshore and yellowtail thick on the reef — a pattern that typically carries into early fall here. The bigger story is regulatory: CCA Florida reports a federal court just blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot season hours before it was set to open, so anglers should check current state guidance before targeting snapper for harvest.