Florida fishing reports
799 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Sarasota Bay trout bite stays hot as reds work the morning tide
A 27-inch spotted seatrout came aboard a recent CB's Saltwater Outfitters charter with Capt. Brandon Naeve, who reports the peak summer trout bite is on across Sarasota Bay's inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes, with fish feeding aggressively around sunrise and sunset windows. On the redfish side, Capt. Chuck Cress found reds eager on a rising morning tide, working a popping cork with live shrimp for multiple hookups, plus catch-and-release action on small snook using the same rig. Looking offshore, Capt. Rick Grassett's August forecast calls for lingering tarpon early in the month on flies, DOA Baitbusters, or DOA Shrimp in shallow coastal Gulf water before those fish thin out toward inside waters, bridges, and deep grass flats, often keyed to schools of feeding ladyfish. Salt Strong notes that as water temps peak in August, gamefish burn less energy chasing fast-moving prey, so slowing your presentation down is the move right now.
Gulf Coast anglers slow it down as gag grouper season nears
Redfish across Florida's Gulf Coast are pushing into deeper, moving water as peak-summer heat sets in, per Salt Strong's breakdown of how reds behave once temperatures climb into the 90s — moving water and structure are holding fish, with blue crab and slow-worked artificials doing the work. Salt Strong's broader August advice for the region: slow every presentation down, since fish aren't burning energy chasing fast-moving prey in this heat. Tarpon action has cooled from its spring peak, when Naples-area captains described the migration as "fully underway" with fish intercepted daily alongside an afternoon permit bite; that window has largely passed. Looking ahead, Gulf gag grouper anglers are gearing up for Florida's short September season on the west coast, with Sport Fishing Mag flagging trolling over nearshore structure as the standard approach once it opens. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came in for this cycle, so check a local forecast and tide table before heading out.
Speckled trout, redfish keep biting near Pensacola
An angler on the Pensacola Fishing Forum reported a strong Blackwater Bay outing on 8/20, boating a dozen speckled trout up to 22 inches plus a 32-inch bull redfish, with trout holding on the edges and middle of the grass flats and reds working just outside them — SSR foil and blue-colored lures were the ticket, and steady rain the evening before didn't slow the bite. That's a single report rather than a confirmed pattern, but it lines up with what we'd expect from Panhandle back-bays in late August. Offshore, Sport Fishing Mag's coverage of Gulf gag grouper trolling points to a short September season on Florida's west coast, so grouper activity should stay quiet in Panhandle waters for now — check current state regs before targeting them. No NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings were available for this update, so treat water temp and tide timing as unknowns until the next check.
Snook Bite Roars on Florida's Atlantic Coast Ahead of September Reopener
Snook fishing remains excellent along Florida's Treasure Coast this week, with anglers landing steady numbers of quality fish — including many in the 40-inch-plus range — around the St. Lucie Inlet on live croakers and threadfins, per Snook Nook's August report. When the inlet bite slows, a dead threadfin fished on bottom can still produce, though it may draw bycatch. Note that Atlantic-region snook season typically stays closed through August, reopening around September 1, so plan on catch-and-release until then and confirm current regs before keeping fish. Farther up the coast, an angler landed a 25-pound tripletail near Port Canaveral, per Coastal Angler Magazine, a reminder that structure-oriented species are still firing in the summer heat. Offshore, the region's red snapper fishery stays clouded: a federal court injunction halted the 2026 South Atlantic EFP pilot season just before it opened, per CCA Florida, and states are now pushing for a fall Oct. 1-31 window.
August Heat Pushes Okeechobee Bass Deep, Panfish Stay Steady
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for the Lake Okeechobee and St. Johns River stretch this cycle, so this report leans on seasonal technique intel rather than a hard number. Tactical Bassin's late-summer roundup this week points anglers toward smaller-baitfish imitations and covering water quickly rather than grinding one spot, exactly the kind of adjustment late-August heat typically forces on largemouth bass. Expect fish to hold tighter to shade, grass edges, and deeper cover through the hottest midday hours, with the best bite windows at first and last light. Panfish and catfish tend to stay more forgiving through summer heat than bass do, and that pattern typically holds on Okeechobee and the St. Johns as well. Treat today's picture as a seasonal baseline rather than a live read: with no buoy or gauge data on file for this stretch, confirmed water temp and flow aren't available, so check a local forecast and current conditions before you head out.
Snapper bite stays strong in the Keys as fall season debate unfolds
Yellowtail and mutton snapper have driven the bite in the Lower Keys this season, with ALL IN Key West reporting some of the best action in 16 years of running trips, including easy limits of big yellowtails and mutton snapper crashing baits during the spring spawn. Offshore, Bud n' Mary's early-summer report pointed anglers toward tarpon on the bridges, mahi in the blue water, and yellowtail stacked on the reef, a mix that typically holds through the dog days before shifting toward fall patterns. On the regulatory side, Saltwater Sportsman and Anglers Journal note Florida is pushing a state-managed Atlantic red snapper season, with a proposed Oct. 1-31 window still needing public comment before an Aug. 25 deadline, worth watching if you fish snapper grounds offshore. Expect grouper, cobia, and kingfish to keep showing up in the mix per ALL IN Key West's recent Gulf-side trips, with snapper remaining the most reliable target through late summer.
Sarasota Bay trout bite stays hot as tarpon push inshore
A 27-inch spotted seatrout came aboard a CB's Saltwater Outfitters trip this week, and Capt. Brandon Naeve says it's no fluke — Sarasota Bay's peak summer trout bite is in full swing, with inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes producing consistent action, best worked around sunrise and sunset feeding windows. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress reports fish stacked up on a rising morning tide, with a popping cork and live shrimp drawing steady strikes, plus incidental snook mixed in on the same drift. Tarpon remain part of the picture — Capt. Rick Grassett's August outlook has a few silver kings still cruising the coastal Gulf early in the month on flies, DOA Baitbusters, and DOA Shrimp, with juveniles showing in the shallows. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so confirm tide timing and water temp locally before you launch.
Redfish push deep as Gulf Coast summer heat holds
Redfish are sliding into deeper, current-swept water as Gulf Coast heat holds through late August — a pattern Salt Strong ties directly to surface temps pushing into the 90s, with reds, snook, trout, and flounder all shifting when that happens rather than shutting down. Salt Strong's Aug 14-16 Regional Weekend Game Plan specifically flags the Florida Gulf Coast as one of the regions working through this exact adjustment right now. Earlier in the season, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reported a strong spring run of permit and tarpon inshore paired with kingfish, cobia, and amberjack offshore, but that action has largely tapered as summer set in and tarpon push out of the area. Gag grouper remains off the table for now — Sport Fishing Mag's trolling primer notes it's a short September fishery on Florida's west coast. Expect a slower midday bite with the best windows bracketing sunrise and sunset.
Redfish and Trout Keep Firing in Pensacola's Back Bays
An angler fishing Blackwater Bay near Pensacola landed a 31-inch redfish, speckled trout up to 19 inches, and a run of ladyfish on August 18, per a report on the Pensacola Fishing Forum — a solid showing of inshore action as the region heads into the back half of August. Offshore, gag grouper stays a going target on Florida's Gulf coast this time of year, with Sport Fishing Mag detailing troll patterns over nearshore rock piles as anglers prep for the short fall grouper window. Kingfish and other pelagics typically hold around Panhandle nearshore structure through late summer, though we don't have a direct Panhandle report confirming that pattern this week. Federal and state red snapper management remains unsettled this season, so anglers targeting reef fish should verify current state regulations before keeping anything. Inshore, moving water and bay structure continue to be the play for reds and trout as late-summer heat holds across Destin and Pensacola.
Treasure Coast snook bite stays hot as red snapper season hangs in limbo
Snook fishing on the Treasure Coast is running hot heading into late August, per Snook Nook's Stuart, FL report — anglers are putting up steady numbers of quality snook, many in the 40-inch-plus range, working the St. Lucie Inlet and adjacent beaches with live croakers and threadfins; a dead threadfin worked on bottom picks up fish when the inlet bite slows. Team Snook Nook also brought home first place in the small boat division of the One More Bite Sailfish Challenge, a sign sails are showing offshore. Red snapper anglers face more uncertainty: 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. Saltwater Sportsman notes Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina are now pushing NOAA for a fall Oct. 1-31 season, with public comment open through Aug. 25.
Summer heat sets the bite window for Okeechobee and St. Johns bass
USGS gauge 02232000 logged a flow of 406 cfs at 7:30 a.m. today, a steady late-summer reading with no water-temperature data reporting from the station this cycle. No Florida-specific angler dispatches came through our Okeechobee or St. Johns feeds this pull, so today's read leans on typical August patterns for the region: largemouth bass sliding into a dawn-and-dusk bite as midday heat pushes them toward deeper grass edges and shade, bluegill and shellcracker staying catchable around matted vegetation through the heat, and channel catfish holding steady after dark on cut bait. Wired 2 Fish's recent piece on summer heat forcing anglers to shift tactics tracks with what we'd expect here — early starts and late finishes beat the midday sun. Black crappie tend to go quiet in August's warm surface layer and won't turn back on in earnest until water starts cooling. Check current Florida regulations before harvesting.
Snapper bite holds strong in the Keys as red snapper season stays in limbo
Yellowtail and mutton snapper have carried the season in the Lower Keys, with ALL IN Key West reporting "huge yellowtails" and mutton snapper "chewing like crazy" on recent trips, plus groupers, cobia and kingfish rounding out the box. The same captain has found mahi mixed in on Gulf-side drifts and describes live-bait fishing as "red hot" for kingfish, tuna and sailfish. Bud n' Mary's early-summer report noted tarpon still working the bridges and mahi showing along the reef edge, a pattern that typically carries into August. The bigger story for Florida anglers this season is regulatory: South Atlantic red snapper remains tangled in litigation after a federal court blocked this year's exempted-fishing-permit pilot, and both CCA Florida and Saltwater Sportsman note a push for a fallback October season, with public comment open through August 25. No live buoy or gauge readings came through for this cycle, so lean on the on-the-water reports below and check local conditions before running offshore.