Florida fishing reports
574 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Trophy snook load up St. Lucie Inlet as sailfish bite stays hot
Snook fishing around the St. Lucie Inlet has been running hot for weeks, with anglers landing steady numbers plus quality fish pushing 40 inches, according to Snook Nook's August report out of Stuart. The best action is coming from anglers working live croakers and threadfins along the inlet and the adjacent beach, with a dead threadfin on bottom as the go-to when the bite slows. Remember Florida's Atlantic snook season typically stays closed through summer and reopens September 1, so current snook action is catch-and-release only pending the reopener. Offshore, Snook Nook's own crew took first place in the small-boat division of the 2026 One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, going 7-for-9 on sailfish bites, a solid signal the sail bite is active off the Treasure Coast. Meanwhile South Atlantic red snapper remains in regulatory limbo after a court injunction blocked this year's exempted fishing permit pilot, per CCA Florida, so check current status before targeting them.
Late-summer bass bite leans on dawn and dusk windows at Okeechobee
No buoy or river-gauge readings came through for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, and none of today's angler-intel feeds carried a direct report from either fishery, so this update leans on typical late-August patterns rather than a specific catch report. Central Florida's big bass water is deep into summer heat, which historically pushes largemouth toward early-morning topwater bites and shaded, deeper structure once the sun climbs. Panfish like bluegill and shellcracker tend to stay more consistently active through late summer than crappie, which is normally a cooler-season target here and typically slows through August. Catfish are usually a reliable low-light option this time of year. A Field & Stream piece on forward-facing sonar baits is a reminder that FFS has become a mainstream way anglers are locating summer bass suspended off structure, a technique worth trying on Okeechobee if visibility allows. Check state regs before harvesting anything.
Yellowtail and Mutton Snapper Keep the Keys Bite Cooking
Snapper action anchors the Keys report this week. ALL IN Key West calls the yellowtail and mutton bite 'on fire,' with mutton snappers staging in a spawning push and yellowtails practically jumping in the boat on light tackle over the reef. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada backs that up, noting yellowtail thick on the reef, tarpon working the bridges, and mahi showing offshore in the Gulf Stream. Florida Sea Grant notes permit also stage in large spawning aggregations around the Keys through summer, so don't be surprised to find them mixed in near structure. Regulatory turbulence continues on the red snapper front: CCA Florida and Saltwater Sportsman both flag an ongoing legal fight over South Atlantic red snapper access, with a possible October recreational window still pending public comment. Check current state regs before targeting snapper species this season.
Peak summer seatrout bite lights up Sarasota flats
A 27-inch spotted seatrout landed on a recent Sarasota Bay trip headlines what CB's Saltwater Outfitters is calling the peak summer trout bite, with Capt. Brandon Naeve reporting seatrout aggressively biting the inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes right now — target sunrise and sunset feeding windows for the best action. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress worked a rising morning tide with a popping cork and live shrimp to connect on several reds, with a few juvenile snook mixed in and released. Looking to the open Gulf, Capt. Rick Grassett's August forecast has tarpon still working the coastal beaches early in the month before sliding into inside waters around bridges and deep grass flats, often keying on schools of feeding ladyfish. Water is firmly in its summer pattern — Salt Strong notes fish are conserving energy in the heat, so a slower presentation is paying off across the region right now.
Redfish push to deep water as Gulf Coast summer heat holds
Water temps pushing into the upper 80s and low 90s have redfish sliding into deeper, current-swept water rather than chasing fast-moving bait, according to Salt Strong's late-summer breakdown for Florida Gulf Coast anglers — blue crab worked slow along channel edges and moving water is outproducing reaction lures right now. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters' spring reports had permit and tarpon stacked up through the migration, with captains splitting mornings on tarpon and afternoons sight-fishing permit; that intensity typically eases as summer wears on, though kingfish, cobia, and amberjack — species Naples Offshore has flagged productive in both winter and spring reports — tend to hold on nearshore structure through the warm months. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat water temp as seasonal-typical rather than measured. Slow presentations and early-morning starts are the theme as the dog days of August grind on.
Panhandle anglers slow down as Gulf grouper season nears
Late-August heat has Panhandle anglers adjusting tempo more than location this week. Salt Strong's saltwater team notes that once Gulf water temps peak in the dog days of summer, redfish stop burning energy chasing fast-moving prey, and anglers do better slowing presentations and working deeper, moving water — advice that applies directly to Destin and Pensacola grass flats right now. Offshore, Sport Fishing Mag flags Gulf gag grouper as the seasonal target to watch, with fish holding on rock piles in relatively shallow water ahead of the short September trolling window on Florida's Gulf side. Closer to shore, Pensacola Fishing Forum members are swapping trail-camera updates and prepping gear for the fall turn, though specific Panhandle bite reports were thin this cycle. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so treat water temp, swell, and tide as unconfirmed — check a local source before running offshore this weekend.
Trophy snook stack up at St. Lucie Inlet as snapper season stalls
Snook Nook in Stuart reports snook fishing has been excellent for weeks, with quality fish pushing past the 40-inch mark holding around the St. Lucie Inlet and the detached jetty. Live croakers and threadfins worked along the beach and inlet are producing the most consistent bites per the shop's August report, with a dead threadfin on bottom worth trying when the inlet bite slows (expect some bycatch). Offshore, Snook Nook's own charter team took first place in the small-boat division of the 2026 One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, going 7-for-9 on sailfish bites, a sign the bluewater bite remains lively along the Treasure Coast. Red snapper is more complicated: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic EFP pilot season just before it opened, while Anglers Journal and Saltwater Sportsman note Florida is pushing for a fall makeup season, tentatively Oct. 1-31, pending public comment.
St. Johns anglers lean on dawn windows as summer heat holds
The USGS gauge near DeLand on the St. Johns River (site 02232000) logged 645 cfs as of 6:30 a.m. this morning, a steady, unremarkable flow for late August. No water-temperature reading came through with this update, but water in the low-to-mid 80s is typical for Lake Okeechobee and the St. Johns system this time of year. None of today's angler-intel feeds carried direct reports from Okeechobee or the St. Johns corridor, so we're leaning on seasonal norms rather than fresh bite reports: largemouth bass typically bite best in the first and last hour of light before the heat pushes them to deeper cover, panfish stay active around grass edges, and catfish feeding tends to hold up better through midday than bass does. Treat today's outlook as a seasonal baseline until region-specific reports come in.
Mutton and Yellowtail Snapper Keep the Keys Bite Alive
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for the Keys today, so this report leans on angler intel. ALL IN Key West's most recent catch log described the mutton and yellowtail snapper bite as "chewing like crazy" around the May full moon spawn, with anglers filling coolers on reef structure and a mixed bag of grouper, cobia, and kingfish on Gulf-side trips. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada seasonal report backs that up, pointing to tarpon on the bridges, mahi offshore, and yellowtail on the reef as the defining early-summer pattern for the Keys fishery. Those reports predate late August, so expect the snapper bite to be carrying over rather than freshly breaking, with tarpon activity typically tapering as summer winds down. Meanwhile CCA Florida and Saltwater Sportsman are both tracking a live regulatory fight over South Atlantic red snapper season access that Keys bottom anglers should watch before planning a targeted trip. Check state regs before harvesting any snapper species this week.
Sarasota Bay trout bite runs hot as tarpon start to shift
A 27-inch spotted seatrout came aboard a recent CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) charter with Capt. Brandon Naeve, who's calling the peak summer trout bite aggressive right now across Sarasota Bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes. Fishing the same waters, Capt. Chuck Cress put clients into several redfish on a popping cork with live shrimp during a rising morning tide, along with a few small snook released along the way. Looking toward the back half of August, Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast notes tarpon are still showing early in the month along the coastal gulf on flies, DOA Baitbusters, and DOA Shrimp, though as they thin out along the beaches they're sliding into inside waters around bridges and deep grass flats, feeding on schools of ladyfish. We're leaning into the trout bite as this week's headline pattern.
Redfish shift deep as Gulf Coast anglers slow it down for late summer
Water temperatures pushing into the 90s across Southwest Florida's Gulf Coast flats have redfish sliding into deeper, moving water, per Salt Strong's late-summer breakdown of redfish behavior in heat — the advice is to slow down, work blue crab imitations, and target current-fed depth instead of skinny flats at midday. Salt Strong's companion tactics piece echoes the same read: fish aren't burning energy chasing fast-moving prey in this heat, so a methodical retrieve is outfishing a fast one right now. Earlier-season reports from Naples Offshore Fishing Charters showed strong sight-fishing action on permit paired with the spring tarpon migration; that intel predates current conditions but reflects the kind of variety this stretch of coast produces through the year. Gag grouper anglers are also gearing up — Sport Fishing Mag's trolling primer on Gulf gag grouper points toward the region's short September season opener on nearby structure, worth planning around now.
Panhandle anglers slow it down as summer heat holds
Salt Strong's Weekend Game Plan for August 21-23 includes a dedicated Florida Panhandle & Big Bend breakdown this week, a sign the regional bite is active enough to earn its own report even as peak summer heat settles over Destin and Pensacola waters. Per Salt Strong's general late-August guidance, water temps pushing into the 90s in the shallows mean fish are burning less energy chasing fast-moving prey, so slowing presentations and working deeper, moving water pays off, especially for redfish holding on current breaks. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Panhandle this cycle, so treat water-temp specifics as seasonal-typical rather than measured. Gulf red snapper's recreational window is winding down for private anglers this time of year, so check current federal and state regs before targeting them. Nearshore trollers should still find Spanish and king mackerel workable on moving bait as the late-summer pattern holds.