Florida fishing reports
796 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Redfish tail the flats as the fall mullet run builds near Pensacola
A Sept. 1 report from an angler on the Pensacola Fishing Forum found the Escambia River running warm — just over 80 degrees in the main river, climbing past 86 on the shallow flats — with clarity swinging from strong tea to fairly clear through the morning. That angler worked a Yo-Zuri 3D Inshore Topknock Pencil for a few topwater blow-ups without a hookup, and spotted tailing redfish on the flats before the fish slipped off as the sun climbed. A separate forum post the same week flagged mullet stacking at the mouth of the Escambia, a classic marker of the fall mullet run building along the Panhandle. Offshore, Sport Fishing Mag points to gag grouper as worth a look this month, with Florida's Gulf side into its short September trolling window over nearshore structure. Speckled trout are typically slower to turn on until water temps ease down from summer highs; expect scattered action for now rather than a full bite.
Snook dial in as Sarasota tarpon push toward the bridges
Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast from CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) has migratory tarpon thinning out of the coastal Gulf and sliding into inside waters, where anglers are finding them around bridges and over deep grass flats on DOA Baitbusters, Shrimp and TerrorEyz. Snook fishing should hold up well through the month, with fish still working the surf in the coastal Gulf and stacking in the ICW near docks, bridges and passes. Closer to the bay, Capt. Chuck Cress reported solid action on a high rising morning tide, with a popping cork and live shrimp drawing redfish plus a few released snook. Capt. Brandon Naeve's crew also boated and released a 27-inch spotted seatrout in Sarasota Bay, a fishery well known for its trout — summer patterns still favor sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Late-summer heat remains a factor for timing your trip.
Gulf Coast redfish turn on as fall mullet run begins
Redfish are showing up tailing on skinny, tea-colored flats near Pensacola this week, with mullet stacking at the mouth of the Escambia River — a classic signal of Florida's fall mullet run getting underway, per an angler at Pensacola Fishing Forum. Water on the shallow flats there pushed into the mid-80s under bright late-summer sun, though clarity swung from tea-stained to fairly clear depending on the tide. Farther south, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' most recent reports describe steady sight-fishing for permit paired with tarpon still pushing through on the tail end of their spring migration, a pattern that typically starts winding down as water cools into fall. Salt Strong notes September historically brings less fishing pressure and more aggressive fish as temperatures ease, a trend Gulf Coast anglers should start feeling over the next few weeks. Redfish and trout on skinny flats look like the highest-percentage play right now.
Keys snapper bite stays lit heading into September
The most recent word out of the Florida Keys comes from ALL IN Key West, whose captain described "huge yellowtail, tons and tons of mutton snapper" during this summer's full-moon mutton spawn, calling the reef and offshore action some of the best he'd seen in 16 years working out of Key West. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada echoed the pattern in its early-summer report, noting tarpon stacked on the bridges alongside mahi offshore and yellowtail working the reef. No fresh September dispatch has landed from either shop yet, so this snapshot leans on those most-recent reports plus typical late-summer patterns for the Keys. Florida Sea Grant also flagged permit spawning aggregations on the flats — sometimes topping a thousand fish — as a notable regional phenomenon worth watching for sight-casting anglers. No live buoy or gauge data is available for this update, so plan around a local forecast and typical Keys tidal movement rather than a specific reading.
Snook still smashing on the Treasure Coast as mullet run builds
Snook Nook in Stuart is still logging quality snook in the 40"+ range through late summer, with the better bites coming from anglers working the St. Lucie Inlet and running the beach on live croakers and threadfins. The shop notes this year's mullet run is running later than usual after a cooler winter — early September has produced scattered schools of larger mullet moving down the beaches, with the bulk of finger mullet still to arrive. Offshore, Snook Nook's own charter team just placed first in the small-boat division of the One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, a sign sailfish are cooperating in the Atlantic Coast's nearshore/offshore zone. Meanwhile red snapper access remains unsettled — CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper exempted-fishing-permit season Florida anglers were counting on, so status there stays uncertain pending further action.
Okeechobee bass hold summer patterns as fall bite still weeks off
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Okeechobee/St. Johns system this cycle, and today's angler-intel feeds were light on direct Florida freshwater reports, so this outlook leans on seasonal pattern rather than fresh eyewitness bite calls. Tactical Bassin's September lineup and On The Water's fall-transition roundup both flag bass keying on baitfish as moving baits — buzzbaits, topwater, reaction baits — start outproducing slow presentations; that shift typically lands later on subtropical water like Okeechobee and the St. Johns than it does on the northern reservoirs those pieces describe, but the underlying cue (shad and bream schooling tighter as days shorten) still applies. Expect largemouth bass to stay on a summer-pattern rhythm — mats, points, and low-light windows — for now. Bluegill and shellcracker should keep working around structure through the heat. Black crappie (speckled perch) typically remain the slowest bite until water starts cooling later in fall. Check current conditions before heading out.
Panhandle fishing settles into a quiet late-summer holding pattern
No buoy or gauge readings came in for the Destin-Pensacola stretch today, and this week's angler-intel feeds didn't turn up fresh, region-specific reports either — so we're leaning on typical early-September patterns for the Panhandle rather than any specific catch report. Water temperatures in the Gulf here are normally still summer-warm this time of year, with the season turning over from mid-90s heat into the first hints of fall. Redfish typically hold tight to grass flats, docks, and passes as bait pushes out with the tide, while king and Spanish mackerel usually stay active over nearshore structure and along the beaches chasing bait schools. Red snapper season status varies year to year, so check current state regs before targeting them. Flounder fishing generally starts to pick up around passes and channels as the fall migration gets underway. We'll update this report as soon as fresh buoy data or angler reports for this stretch come through.
Sarasota Bay trout bite stays red-hot into September
Spotted seatrout are "aggressively biting" on Sarasota Bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes as the peak summer bite carries on, per Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, who's putting clients on trout up to 27 inches by working sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Redfish are cooperating too — Capt. Chuck Cress, fishing out of the same Sarasota shop, hooked several reds on a rising morning tide using a popping cork with live shrimp, with small snook mixed in along the way. North in the greater Tampa Bay area, Capt. Bill Rutherford's New Port Richey report (Coastal Angler Magazine) calls the redfish bite "fantastic" as anglers head back to a school-year routine. Tarpon remain a wildcard heading toward fall: Capt. Rick Grassett's late-summer forecast has juvenile tarpon holding in the coastal Gulf and starting to slide into inside waters around bridges and deep grass flats. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through today, so check local conditions before you launch.
Redfish Turn On Along Florida's Gulf Coast as September Arrives
Redfish are "fantastic" right now around New Port Richey, per Capt. Bill Rutherford's report in Coastal Angler Magazine, and that bite should hold as water starts to cool into September. Further south, Capt. Sergio, also writing for Coastal Angler Magazine, calls this his change-up month, shifting away from the usual mackerel-and-trout pattern to chase big redfish in cooler water. Offshore, Sport Fishing Mag notes gag grouper are stacking on nearshore structure along Florida's west coast during the short September season, a good window for trolling close-in rock piles. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this report, so treat water temps and wind as approximate, and check a local forecast before you run. Salt Strong's Insider weekend game plan has been tracking the Gulf Coast region specifically in recent weeks, another sign the redfish bite here is worth chasing as the month opens.
Yellowtail and mutton snapper keep the Keys bite rolling into fall
Yellowtail and mutton snapper have been the headline out of Key West, with ALL IN Key West describing "huge yellow tails, tons and tons of mutton snappers" and heavy, actively feeding schools through the recent full-moon push. Bud n' Mary's echoes the pattern from Islamorada, reporting tarpon on the bridges, mahi offshore, and yellowtail thick on the reef through early summer. No fresh buoy or tide-gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat water temp as seasonal-typical for the Keys heading into September — warm and stable both bayside and offshore. Florida Sea Grant notes permit spawning aggregations that can gather over a thousand fish at a time around the Keys, a strong sight-fishing target on the flats. Regulatory backdrop is unsettled: CCA Florida flags ongoing litigation over the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot season, so confirm current state rules before targeting that species. Most reports on hand describe June–July conditions rather than this exact week, so verify locally before running long.
Snook Season Reopens on the Treasure Coast as Mullet Run Builds
Snook season reopens today along Florida's Treasure Coast, and Snook Nook in Stuart reports the pre-closure bite carried real momentum — steady numbers through August with many fish pushing 40 inches, best around the St. Lucie Inlet on live croakers and threadfins, with a dead threadfin on bottom as the go-to when the inlet bite slows. The shop's September report flags the early stages of the mullet run, with schools of larger mullet showing inshore and a few pods working down the beaches, though the run itself is trending later than usual after a cooler winter. Separately, Atlantic red snapper season is in limbo — CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs just hours before Florida's season was set to open, so harvest plans there remain unsettled. Check current state regs before targeting snapper.
Largemouth patterns shift as Florida's summer heat begins to fade
Wired 2 Fish's early-September lures roundup captures where Southeastern freshwater fishing sits right now: "the sweltering summer heat finally starts to break," with water temps beginning to ease and baitfish starting to migrate — the exact cue Okeechobee and St. Johns largemouth watch for heading into fall. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came back for this freshwater stretch today, so treat water-temp and flow figures as unavailable rather than assumed. Tactical Bassin's September bass report backs the same seasonal read, noting bass are "transitioning to Fall patterns and actively feeding on baitfish" and rewarding anglers who cover water quickly with topwater, crankbaits, and swimbaits around schooling fish. Panfish and catfish don't have direct reports in today's feed, so expect typical early-fall holding behavior rather than a confirmed bite change. We're keeping species status conservative until on-the-water Okeechobee/St. Johns reports come in directly.