Florida fishing reports
799 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Treasure Coast snook stay hot as Atlantic snapper season hangs in limbo
Snook Nook's August report calls Treasure Coast snook fishing "excellent," with steady numbers of fish and plenty in the 40-inch-plus range holding around the St. Lucie Inlet on live croakers and threadfins; a dead threadfin worked on bottom still produces when the inlet bite slows. Sailfish are active too — Team Snook Nook won the small-boat division of the 2026 One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, going 7-for-9 on bites, per Snook Nook. Kingfish are showing on the Atlantic side as well, with Coastal Angler Magazine reporting a 45-inch king boated off the Jupiter coast on pole gear rather than a trolling spread. All of this comes as Florida's Atlantic red snapper season sits in limbo: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper exempted-fishing pilot just hours before the season opened, and Saltwater Sportsman notes the states are now pushing for a stopgap October 1-31 season.
Okeechobee, St. Johns bass shift to dawn-and-dusk bite as heat holds
Late August keeps Lake Okeechobee and the St. Johns River locked into peak summer heat, the stretch of the season when largemouth bass typically slide off skinny grass flats into deeper cover and current breaks once the sun climbs. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge feed came through for this region today, and no Okeechobee- or St. Johns-specific angler reports landed in this cycle either, so this read leans on general seasonal patterns rather than a fresh local bite report. Nationally, Tactical Bassin's late-summer coverage this week warns against the common late-summer mistake of slowing down and re-fishing old spring spots instead of working the transition toward fall staging areas. Field & Stream's rundown of the Carolina rig remains a proven producer worked slow along clean-bottom points and ledges in 10-plus feet through late summer. Expect bass and catfish to stay catchable on low-light shifts, panfish holding steadier through the heat, and crappie typically slow until water starts to cool.
Naples action holds on permit and tarpon as summer patterns shift
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' latest report describes steady Tarpon migration action paired with sight-fishing for large Permit, plus a mixed bag of Cobia and Amberjack rounding out the day — the kind of two-target program that's defined this stretch of the Gulf Coast in recent weeks. Nearshore structure is still holding size: Coastal Angler Magazine logged a Goliath Grouper catch out of Anna Maria Island, a reminder that bigger reef and wreck fish are active around Tampa Bay-area structure (Goliath Grouper are catch-and-release only in Florida). No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so treat water temps as seasonal norms for late August rather than a fresh reading. Red snapper anglers should watch the regulatory picture — CCA Florida has been tracking ongoing Gulf enforcement concerns around illegal harvest. Inshore, expect the typical late-summer mix of moving-water Snook and Redfish activity along mangrove shorelines and grass flats.
Mullet run stirs as Panhandle anglers await fall transition
A cast-net trip documented on the Pensacola Fishing Forum this week filled a net with mullet, a solid early sign the fall mullet run is stirring along the Panhandle surf and passes. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for Destin/Pensacola this cycle, so treat sky and swell as check-before-you-go territory. Statewide, Florida Sea Grant continues its Atlantic red snapper tagging project, reminding anglers who land a tagged fish anywhere in Florida waters to report it for a $250 reward. Red snapper management is also in the news: Florida is pushing federal regulators for expanded state control of the fishery, per Anglers Journal, though that particular push centers on the Atlantic side rather than Gulf waters off the Panhandle. With late-August warmth still holding, expect typical late-summer patterns — kingfish and redfish activity building toward the seasonal shoulder — until more direct local reports firm up the picture.
Speckled trout and reds keep Sarasota Bay flats firing
Sarasota Bay's summer bite remains locked in, with Capt. Brandon Naeve at CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting a 27-inch spotted seatrout landed this past week and describing an aggressive trout bite across inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes — best worked around sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress, also with CB's, put anglers on multiple reds using a popping cork and live shrimp on a rising morning tide, with a few undersized snook mixed in on catch-and-release. Looking toward the season turn, Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast from CB's notes tarpon still holding along the coastal Gulf early in the month before thinning out along the beaches and sliding into inside waters — bridges and deep grass flats — with juveniles following schools of surface-feeding ladyfish. Fly anglers and shrimp-under-a-cork rigs are both getting it done right now.
Full moon lights up Cubera snapper bite in the Keys
This week's full moon has lit up Cubera snapper fishing around the Keys reefs, with Coastal Angler Magazine calling it a signature August event — anglers nickname the powerful reef fish 'El Diablo' for how it can destroy tackle on live lobster and stand-up gear. ALL IN Key West reports yellowtail and mutton snapper have stayed thick through the summer, with big numbers of actively feeding fish on the reef. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada notes mahi still working offshore and yellowtail holding steady on the reef as late-summer patterns carry forward. Permit are staging in the Keys' well-known flats spawning aggregations this time of year, per Florida Sea Grant research, which can gather over a thousand fish at once. Greater amberjack remain a dependable offshore target per Coastal Angler Magazine. No live buoy or gauge data came through today's feed, so check local marine forecasts before running out.
Snook Stay Hot on the Treasure Coast as Full Moon Fires Up Cubera
Snook fishing remains excellent along Florida's Treasure Coast, with Snook Nook (FL) reporting steady catches of quality fish in the 40-inch-plus range around the St. Lucie Inlet — anglers running the beach on live croakers and threadfins are getting the best of it, and a dead threadfin on bottom still draws bites when the inlet slows down. Tonight's full moon lines up with what Coastal Angler Magazine calls some of the most intense fishing of the year for Cubera snapper in Florida's reef country, with the "El Diablo" bite firing on live lobster and stand-up tackle. Red snapper anglers face continued uncertainty: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs just hours before the season was set to open, and Saltwater Sportsman notes states are now pushing NOAA for a fallback October window. Greater amberjack remain a solid reef fallback per Coastal Angler Magazine.
Late-summer bass on Okeechobee and St. Johns lean toward shade and cover
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for the Okeechobee/St. Johns system today, and this week's angler-intel feed didn't carry a direct on-the-water report from either fishery, so we're leaning on established late-August patterns for Florida largemouth water. On The Water's latest breakdown on beating the bank for late-summer largemouth points anglers toward dense shoreline cover during low-light hours, working frogs, compact jigs, and stickbaits rather than fishing the open water column. Field & Stream's rundown on Carolina-rigging bass reinforces the standard deep-structure approach once the sun climbs, dragging the rig slowly along flats and ledges with a clean bottom. Panfish and catfish should still be feeding actively in the summer heat, typically holding tight to cover or working best after dark. With a full moon overhead, expect the best largemouth activity to cluster around dawn, dusk, and the overnight window rather than midday.
Permit sight-fishing holds Gulf Coast attention into late August
The most recent captain reports out of Naples describe steady sight-fishing for Permit through the spring push, with mornings spent on Tarpon before switching over to Permit in the afternoons, per Naples Offshore Fishing Charters. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Gulf Coast today, so exact water temps aren't available — but late August typically keeps Gulf water warm from summer, with the bite shifting toward mangrove snapper and other structure-oriented species as the tarpon migration winds down. Naples Offshore's winter reports note that King Mackerel fishing really turns on once cold fronts start pushing through, which is still weeks off. Permit remain a strong bet — Florida Sea Grant notes large spawning aggregations build in the Keys during warmer months, a pattern that tracks with the sight-fishing action described further up the Gulf side. Tonight's full moon should sharpen feeding windows around the tide changes.
Panhandle Anglers Chase Trigger Offshore, Reds at Dawn as Fall Nears
One Pensacola-area angler, fishing before dawn for the first time in weeks, described picking up "a hint of fall in the air" this week, working a Yo-Zuri 3D Inshore Topknock Pencil on top for early action, per a report on the Pensacola Fishing Forum. Offshore, another local angler recounted running through the pass to troll before deep-dropping and bottom-bumping for triggerfish near structure, also via the Pensacola Fishing Forum — useful color on what boats are doing, though we treat single forum posts as chatter rather than confirmed bite reports. Statewide, Florida Sea Grant continues its Atlantic red snapper tagging project, offering a $250 reward per tagged fish reported, a reminder that snapper remain a focal species for Gulf Coast anglers heading into early fall. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings available for Destin/Pensacola this cycle, plan around typical late-August patterns: early topwater inshore, structure-oriented bottom fishing offshore.
Peak Summer Trout Bite Holds Steady in Sarasota Bay
Spotted seatrout are stealing the show in Sarasota Bay this week, with Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting the peak summer trout bite in full swing across inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes — anglers have landed trout up to 27 inches, with sunrise and sunset feeding windows producing the most consistent action. Redfish are cooperating too: on a rising morning tide, Capt. Chuck Cress found reds eager for a popping cork rigged with live shrimp, and the same outing produced several small snook released along the way near Siesta Key. Per Capt. Rick Grassett's August forecast, tarpon are thinning out along the open beaches as the month wears on, pushing into protected inside waters around bridges and deep grass flats, often marked by feeding schools of ladyfish. With a full moon overhead, expect stronger tidal swings to sharpen the bite on both flats and passes through the week.
Trophy snook stack up at St. Lucie Inlet as red snapper season stays shut
Snook fishing remains excellent along Florida's Treasure Coast, with Snook Nook (FL) reporting steady numbers of quality fish, many in the 40-inch-plus range, concentrated around the St. Lucie Inlet on live croakers and threadfins; when the inlet bite slows, a dead threadfin fished on bottom has produced solid bycatch. The bigger story this week is red snapper: per CCA Florida, a federal court injunction has blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs just as Florida's Atlantic season was set to open, and Saltwater Sportsman reports states are now pushing NOAA for a salvage October 1-31 season. Elsewhere, Coastal Angler Magazine notes the August full moon typically triggers intense Cubera snapper action in the Keys on live lobster, while reef structure keeps holding greater amberjack for anglers willing to work the depths.