Florida fishing reports
578 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Summer Heat Pattern Settles Over Lake Okeechobee and St. Johns Bass
USGS gauge 02232000 on the St. Johns is showing a flow reversal to -160 cfs today, the kind of sluggish, tide-nudged current typical of this stretch once mid-July heat sets in and the river slows to a crawl. No water-temp reading came through with today's data pull, but expect Okeechobee and the upper St. Johns to be running deep into the 80s by midday, pushing largemouth bass off the main lake and into shade lines, mats, and deeper cover during the heat of the day. Tactical Bassin's summer playbook — working shallow shade with jigs early and pulling back to deeper cover as the sun climbs — is the standard approach for this kind of pattern, and Field & Stream's advice to slow the retrieve down applies just as much on Okeechobee grass flats as anywhere else. Bream should stay steady around the new moon, and catfish will feed best after dark.
Sarasota Bay trout bite stays red hot into peak summer
The peak summer seatrout bite is locked in across Sarasota Bay, with Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting aggressive Spotted Seatrout action on inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes in warm bay water. The same shop's July forecast from Capt. Rick Grassett keeps Tarpon in play, with spin anglers working travel lanes and drifting live baits under floats while fly anglers stake out or anchor on bar edges for more aggressive summer fish. Shark activity, Bull, Blacktip, and Lemon sharks, continues to build in Sarasota Bay and nearshore Gulf waters as the season progresses. Capt. Chuck Cress also put clients on Redfish working an oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay, with plenty of mullet and bait activity in the same zone. No live buoy or gauge data is available for this update, so plan around the New Moon tide swing and check a local forecast before running offshore.
Snook and trout bite heats up along Panhandle beaches
Gulf water temps are pushing 89°F at NOAA buoy 42012 off the Panhandle shelf, and the shallow-water bite is running hot right along with it. Coastal Angler Magazine's latest "Hot Summer Snook and Trout" report has linesiders and speckled trout stacking up in the passes and tight to the beaches this month, workable on both live bait and artificials. Cobia are still cruising behind bait pods and under working sharks per Coastal Angler Magazine's cobia feature, though the spring push has faded into more scattered summer activity typical for July. Winds are light at both offshore buoys, around 9-11 mph, with air temps near 86°F and no wave-height or tide data reported this cycle. Redfish stay a dependable year-round target in Panhandle backwaters through the summer months. Scallop season continues drawing boat traffic toward Port St. Joe, per Pensacola Fishing Forum chatter, consistent with Florida Sea Grant's active scallop-sorting guidance for the season.
Tarpon push keeps rolling as Naples permit bite dials in
Tarpon are jumping and grabbing quality fish through the ongoing migration push, with mornings spent on tarpon before switching over to sight-fishing large permit in the afternoon, per Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' latest report. That two-species pairing has been the backbone of the Gulf Coast bite this stretch, with occasional bonus fish mixed in along the way. Meanwhile, Coastal Angler Magazine flags summer snook and speckled trout stacking up in the passes and along the beaches as the hot-weather pattern sets in, calling it some of the year's best action for linesiders. Between the tarpon-permit rotation offshore and nearshore and the snook/trout bite tightening up in the passes, Gulf Coast anglers have multiple high-percentage targets right now. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so treat water temps and swell as typical for mid-July until the next data pull confirms specifics.
Treasure Coast snook rebound as St. Lucie Inlet dredging pauses
The St. Lucie Inlet dredging project has stopped for now, and Snook Nook in Stuart reports snook numbers building back up around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall, with anglers marking large schools on side-scan and drawing bites on live croakers and pilchards. Remember Atlantic snook season is closed to harvest through the summer and doesn't reopen until September 1, so it's catch-and-release only on the Treasure Coast right now. Coastal Angler Magazine reports speckled trout joining snook in the passes and along the beaches for what they're calling hot summer action. Meanwhile, red snapper access on Florida's Atlantic coast is unsettled — CCA Florida notes a federal court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot program just hours before the state's planned season, so confirm current regulations before targeting snapper. Fish the early and late tide windows to beat the July heat.
Key West Snapper Bite Stays Red Hot Into July
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are practically jumping in the boat this summer, according to ALL IN Key West, which describes the May-June bite as some of the best it has seen in 16 years running trips out of Key West. Mutton snapper chewed hard around the May full-moon spawn, and the crew has kept finding grouper, cobia, barracuda, and kingfish on Gulf-side trips, with live bait pulling in king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish as well. There's no fresh buoy or gauge reading in this cycle, so treat water temp as typical for a Keys July — warm and stable. The waning crescent moon means tides are building toward the next new-moon push, which has historically sharpened the reef-edge bite. Separately, CCA Florida is tracking a court injunction complicating this year's South Atlantic red snapper pilot season, so check current state regs before targeting that species specifically.
Summer bass and bream settle into typical St. Johns, Okeechobee rhythm
The USGS gauge near DeLand on the St. Johns River logged a flow of 155 cfs just after midnight, a steady, unremarkable reading for mid-July. Water temperature wasn't reported at this gauge, but by early July both the St. Johns and Lake Okeechobee are typically deep into summer heat, which usually pushes largemouth bass and bream into narrow dawn-and-dusk windows and sends black crappie deep to escape the warmth. No Florida-specific shop, charter, or state-agency report came through in this cycle's intel feed, so this update leans on seasonal norms rather than a fresh bite report. General summer bass advice still applies broadly to Okeechobee and St. Johns largemouth this week: Fishing the Midwest's reminder to work developing weedlines, and Tactical Bassin's caution against fishing memories instead of current conditions, meaning keep baits moving through cover rather than repeating spots that produced last month. Catfish remain the most dependable overnight bite as surface temps climb. Check state regs before harvesting anything you plan to keep.
Panhandle Anglers Eye Snapper and Mackerel as Peak Summer Heat Builds
Salt Strong's July 10-12 Weekend Game Plan flags the Florida Panhandle & Big Bend as one of this week's actively reported regions, though specific bite notes from that report weren't available in this cycle's feed. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings from Destin or Pensacola waters today, we're leaning on typical mid-July patterns for the northern Gulf coast: red snapper season remains in full swing over nearshore and offshore structure, Spanish and king mackerel continue their summer run along bait pods close to the beach, and inshore reds are holding on grass flats and around passes. Speckled trout tend to slow during peak midday heat this time of year, making early mornings and evening tides the better windows. Check state and federal regs before harvesting snapper, as seasons and bag limits shift. A waning crescent moon this week means modest tidal swings, generally favoring steady, predictable fishing conditions.
Naples tarpon push meets permit sight-fishing as Gulf summer settles in
Gulf buoy 42036 is reading a steamy 87°F this morning, with light 3 m/s breezes and air near 86°F, classic mid-July Southwest Florida conditions. Off Naples, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports the tarpon migration is fully underway, with anglers jumping and grabbing quality fish through the mornings before switching to sight-fishing large permit in the afternoons, a pairing the charter calls one of the best combos of the season. Up the coast at Homosassa, Salt Strong's latest report walks anglers through using Smart Fishing Spots to quickly dial in redfish, snook, and trout in unfamiliar water, including notes from a black-vs-white lure comparison. Kingfish, cobia, and amberjack rounded out Naples' spring mix and are still worth a look on nearshore structure as summer holds. Expect calm, hot-weather patterns to dominate through the week.
Snook Bite Rebounds in St. Lucie Inlet as Dredging Pauses
Snook fishing in the St. Lucie Inlet is turning back on, per Snook Nook's July report out of Stuart: after a slow start tied to inlet dredging, the project has paused and anglers are marking much better numbers of snook around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall, with live croakers and pilchards drawing the bites. Remember snook season stays closed to harvest until September 1, so it's catch-and-release fishing on the Treasure Coast for now. Offshore, NOAA buoys 41009 and 41008 show a steady 12-15 mph breeze and warm air in the high 70s to mid-80s, typical mid-July conditions with no major weather disruptions in the readings. Red snapper anglers should watch the news closely: CCA Florida reports a federal court just granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot programs hours before Florida's Atlantic season was set to open, so access this month is uncertain.
Yellowtails and mutton snapper keep Keys bite red hot into July
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are stacked on the reef in the Lower Keys, with ALL IN Key West reporting "huge yellow tails" and "tons and tons of mutton snappers" through May and June, with open dates still on the books for July. The captain calls the stretch as good as anything he's seen in sixteen years fishing out of Key West. Grouper, cobia, barracuda and an occasional kingfish rounded out a strong Gulf-side trip from the same operator, with live bait working the reef edges. Regulatory news looms large this cycle too: CCA Florida reports a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs just hours before Florida's Atlantic season was set to open, so anyone targeting red snapper offshore should check current guidance before planning a trip. Tarpon intel is thin in this cycle's reports, so treat that bite as typical for midsummer until fresher word comes in.
Seatrout Bite Heats Up in Sarasota Bay as Summer Tarpon Holds
Spotted Seatrout are aggressively biting across Sarasota Bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes this week, according to Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, who calls it the peak summer bite. Warm bay water and calm conditions have trout holding tight to structure, while Capt. Chuck Cress reported redfish and bluefish activity around an oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay. Tarpon remain a strong target through July per Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast: spin anglers are doing best drifting live baits under floats in travel lanes, and fly anglers are finding success staking out bar edges, with July fish generally more aggressive than earlier in the season. Shark activity, including Bull, Blacktip, and occasional Lemon sharks, continues in the bay and nearshore Gulf waters. With no fresh buoy or gauge readings this cycle, anglers should lean on these on-the-water reports and check local conditions before running out.