Florida fishing reports
580 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Snook rebound at St. Lucie Inlet as dredging pause opens the bite
Snook fishing along the Treasure Coast is finding its rhythm again this week. Per Snook Nook in Stuart, the St. Lucie Inlet dredging project that had slowed early-summer snook action has paused, and anglers running side-scan are marking large schools of fish stacked around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall. Live bait — croakers, pilchards, and similar offerings — remains the key to converting those marks into bites. Keep in mind snook season stays closed to harvest through August and reopens September 1, so it's catch-and-release only for now. Elsewhere on the Atlantic side, red snapper anglers are facing regulatory turbulence: CCA Florida reports a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot just before Florida's season was set to open, so verify current federal guidance before targeting snapper. Redfish and trout remain a steady inshore fallback through the summer stretch.
Trout bite stays red-hot on Sarasota grass flats as tarpon push the beach
Spotted Seatrout are keying in hard on Sarasota Bay's grass flats right now — Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an aggressive peak-summer trout bite on inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes, with clients boating quality fish in the bay's warm water this past week. Tarpon remain the marquee secondary target: Capt. Rick Grassett's July forecast from CB's Saltwater Outfitters calls for continued action along beach travel lanes, with spin anglers drifting live baits under floats and staying ready to sight-cast, and fly anglers working the edges of bars. Inshore, Capt. Chuck Cress found redfish and a bluefish working an oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay, with bait and mullet stacked up. Shark activity, per an earlier CB's Saltwater Outfitters report, typically holds through Sarasota Bay and nearshore Gulf waters into fall. Grass flats and passes are the play this week, and tarpon fishing still rewards an early start.
Okeechobee bass settle into deep summer pattern as heat builds
With NOAA buoy and USGS gauge feeds returning no fresh readings for the Lake Okeechobee and St. Johns River system this cycle, and no state-agency, charter, or shop intel specific to Florida largemouth water surfacing in today's angler-intel sweep, this report leans on established seasonal patterns rather than fresh conditions data. Early July on Okeechobee and the St. Johns typically means largemouth bass sliding to deeper structure and matted vegetation edges as surface temps climb, with the best bite windows shifting to first light and last light, echoing the deep-water transition On The Water describes in its summer bass guide for heat-pushed fish. Bluegill and shellcracker activity typically holds steady through summer along grass lines, while black crappie tend to go quiet in the heat, stacking on deeper brush and channel edges. Treat the above as seasonal expectation, not confirmed local reports, until fresher intel comes in.
Snapper bite stays red-hot across the Florida Keys this summer
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are chewing hard across the Keys right now, with ALL IN Key West reporting huge yellowtails and mutton snappers filling coolers through May and June, a stretch the captain calls among the best he's seen in 16 years fishing out of Key West. Sharks, grouper, and mahi mahi are rounding out mixed-bag trips, and the same operation still has July availability for anglers wanting in on it. On the Gulf side, groupers, snapper, cobia, barracuda, and a few nice kingfish have kept trips lively, per ALL IN Key West, while live bait drifted along the reef edge is producing king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish. Meanwhile, CCA Florida flags a federal court injunction that just blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot program days before Florida's Atlantic season, so anglers targeting red snapper should check current regs before keeping any fish.
Red snapper bite holds strong off Pensacola on calm Gulf swells
A Pensacola-based angler working 30 miles out into deep Gulf water this week broke the ice with a red snapper on the very first drop, per a report on the Pensacola Fishing Forum, describing conditions as an "almost bathtub-smooth" Gulf. The same trip turned up plenty of vermilion snapper (locally called "ruby redlips") stacked up while running and gunning between stops, even as the bigger grouper and amberjack the crew hoped for stayed scarce. King mackerel have also been showing well enough this season to take home tournament hardware, with a local boat reportedly landing first place in the king mackerel division of a Pensacola-area Bud Lite tournament after decades of trying. Inshore, speckled trout and redfish remain the steady early-July targets through the Panhandle's passes and grass flats, though no fresh water-temp or buoy readings came through this cycle to confirm surface conditions. Check current regulations before harvesting any reef species.
Tarpon, Permit Keep Gulf Coast Anglers Busy Into Summer
A Gulf of America run out of Pensacola over the July 4th weekend produced a red snapper on the very first drop about 30 miles offshore in deep water, per a report shared on the Pensacola Fishing Forum, though the captain noted most of the marked fish stayed uncooperative aside from a scattering of vermilion snapper ("ruby redlips"). Farther south, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has been running a tarpon-permit combo through the migration, jumping quality tarpon each morning before switching to sight-casting permit in the afternoon, with kingfish, cobia, and amberjack rounding out the mixed bag on nearshore structure. With water temperatures now solidly in summer range across the Gulf Coast, expect that same morning-tarpon, afternoon-permit rhythm to hold through the coming week, with reef and wreck species providing consistent backup action when the marquee species go quiet. Check state regs before harvesting any snapper species, since Gulf red snapper season windows are tightly limited.
Stuart snook flood back into St. Lucie Inlet as dredging pauses
Snook are stacking back into Stuart's St. Lucie Inlet now that the inlet dredging project has paused, per Snook Nook, with anglers running side-scan marking large schools around the detached jetty and Hole in the Wall. Live bait — croakers and pilchards — is producing the bites, though snook season typically stays closed on Florida's Atlantic coast through the summer months, so treat this as a catch-and-release fishery and check current state regs before harvesting. Regionally, red snapper anglers got a jarring update: after CCA Florida celebrated a state-led Exempted Fishing Permit approval for a 2026 South Atlantic season, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction just hours before Florida's Atlantic red snapper season was set to open, per CCA Florida, leaving that fishery's status unsettled for now. Redfish, tarpon, and spotted seatrout round out the summer inshore lineup along the Treasure Coast, with typical warm-water patterns setting in as we move deeper into July.
Sarasota Bay trout bite stays red-hot into peak summer
Spotted seatrout are firing on Sarasota Bay's grass flats and mangrove shorelines right now, with Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters calling it the peak summer bite of the year and pointing anglers to local passes for the best action. Tarpon remain a strong July target too — Capt. Rick Grassett's monthly forecast has spin anglers setting up in travel lanes and drifting live baits under floats, with July fish generally more aggressive than earlier in the season, though he notes numbers will start thinning as the month wears on. Redfish are also showing on inshore structure, with Capt. Chuck Cress reporting a red caught off an oyster bar in upper Sarasota Bay alongside bluefish activity. Shark activity (bull, blacktip, and lemon sharks) typically stays elevated in the bay and nearshore Gulf through the warm months. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through today, so treat water temps and tide timing as seasonal norms until we get updated numbers.
Okeechobee bass push shallow as summer heat pattern locks in
Tactical Bassin's latest "Top 5 Baits For July Bass Fishing" roundup nails the story for Okeechobee and St. Johns anglers this week: as Florida's summer heat settles in, largemouth run hotter metabolisms and turn aggressive on reaction baits, especially in low light. We didn't get a fresh buoy or gauge reading for this stretch this cycle, so treat water levels and flow as seasonal-typical until the next update. Expect the standard July pattern to hold, with bass pushing shallow at dawn and dusk to ambush shad and bream before sliding back to deeper cover, weed edges, and shade as the sun climbs. Specks (black crappie) are likely settling into their usual summer funk, holding deep on structure and reluctant to chase. Bluegill and shellcracker should stay catchable around bedding pockets in warm backwater coves near the grass lines typical of both fisheries this time of year. Check current state regs before keeping panfish limits.
Mutton and yellowtail snapper keep Key West reefs lit up
Yellowtail and mutton snapper are still hammering bait on Key West reefs, with ALL IN Key West calling the spring-into-summer bite "as good as I've seen in my 16 years here," and still finding "huge yellowtails" and "tons and tons of mutton snappers" feeding aggressively even after May's full-moon spawn thinned the school. The same operation reports live bait producing king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish along the reef edges, and a recent Gulf-side run turned up grouper, snapper, cobia, and kingfish in solid numbers. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so today's water temp isn't pinned down, but the pattern anglers are describing — aggressive reef fish, steady live-bait action, and pelagics already showing — fits a warm, active Keys summer. On the regulatory side, Florida's push for state-led red snapper management (per CCA Florida) remains a storyline worth watching for offshore anglers, though a federal court injunction has complicated the 2026 season timeline. Reef and flats action stays strong; check current regs before keeping anything borderline.
Red snapper bite fuels early summer Panhandle Gulf run
Offshore reports out of Pensacola over the Fourth of July holiday describe a fast start to a bottom-fishing trip roughly 30 miles into the Gulf, with a red snapper coming up on the first drop before the bite scattered into mixed bottom species for the rest of the run. No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Panhandle this cycle, so this report leans on angler intel and seasonal patterns rather than hard numbers. Early July in the Gulf off Destin and Pensacola typically keeps red snapper, king mackerel, and Spanish mackerel active on nearshore and offshore structure, while speckled trout tend to slow down and push deeper as surface water warms through midsummer. Salt Strong's weekly regional game plans continue tracking the Florida Panhandle & Big Bend zone for anglers wanting more localized weekly detail. Check current Gulf red snapper season dates and bag limits before planning a bottom-fishing trip.
Summer bass bite holds steady as St. Johns flow stays consistent
USGS gauge 02232000 on the St. Johns River measured a steady 141 cfs flow early this morning, a sign of stable, typical July conditions across Okeechobee and St. Johns waters. With no major weather disruption reported, largemouth bass should keep holding to their usual summer pattern: shallow cover and moving baits at first light before sliding toward deeper structure as the sun climbs. Tactical Bassin's July roundup highlights topwater and soft jerkbaits as go-to picks for this stretch of summer, along with power-fishing shallow cover during the hottest stretches of the day, both techniques that translate well to Okeechobee's grass lines and the St. Johns' vegetation edges. Bluegill and channel catfish activity typically holds steady through midsummer regardless of bass mood, while crappie fishing usually slows until water cools in fall. We're not seeing region-specific catch reports this cycle, so treat today's outlook as seasonal baseline rather than a hot bite confirmation.