Florida fishing reports
580 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Keys Snapper Bite Lights Out as Summer Spawn Window Rolls On
Charter captain out of Key West is calling this one of the best summer snapper seasons in 16 years on the water. Per ALL IN Key West, mutton and yellowtail snappers are stacking in large numbers and actively feeding, with the captain describing "huge yellowtails, tons and tons of mutton snappers — just so much life, so many fish." A recent Gulf of America outing from the same operation yielded grouper, cobia, kingfish, and barracuda in a single session, underscoring the breadth of species in play right now. The waning gibbous moon follows the peak full-moon spawn window that drives mutton snapper aggregations, and the bite has been consistent throughout early summer. Offshore, mahi-mahi are part of the summer rotation. No NOAA buoy data is available for Keys waters this cycle, so anglers should verify real-time sea state and water temperatures locally before heading out.
Tarpon and Permit Peak as Summer Arrives on the FL Gulf Coast
Capt. Bill Rutherford, writing in Coastal Angler Magazine out of New Port Richey, promises that 'Independence Day won't be the only fireworks you see this month if you hang out on the water,' a sentiment echoed by guides throughout the region. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters confirms the tarpon migration is fully underway, with captains intercepting silver kings as they push through the Naples area and pairing morning sessions with afternoon permit sight fishing. Nearshore, Capt. Frank Hutchko reports in Coastal Angler Magazine that hogfish are 'still around and plentiful,' with good numbers of keeper hogs reaching 14 inches to the fork on local reefs. Capt. George Hastick notes that summer heat in Tampa Bay makes rock piles, reefs, and wrecks a productive escape from the flats. Captain Rick Murphy's Florida Insider series is also spotlighting tripletail action. Across the Gulf Coast, July is delivering across multiple fisheries.
Inlet Snook Rebound After Dredging Pause; Tripletail Season Underway
Snook fishing at Stuart's St. Lucie Inlet has rebounded sharply after the dredging project halted, according to Snook Nook. Anglers running side scan have been marking large schools around the detached jetty and the Hole in the Wall, with live Croakers and Pilchards producing the most consistent bites. Snook season is typically closed on Florida's Atlantic Coast from June 1 through August 31 — handle every fish with care and release promptly. Captain Rick Murphy's Florida Insider is flagging this as tripletail time, making every floating buoy and crab-trap float worth a slow pass with a live shrimp or small crab. Offshore, red snapper access is in legal limbo: a U.S. District Court blocked the South Atlantic EFP pilot programs hours before Florida's 2026 season was set to open, per CCA Florida. Verify current regulations before targeting snapper this season. No buoy data was available for today's report; mid-summer water temps along the Treasure Coast are running warm.
Sarasota Bay Seatrout & Tarpon Firing for July 4th Weekend
Spotted seatrout are 'aggressively biting' across Sarasota Bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes right now — Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters calls it the peak summer bite. Tarpon remain a top July target: Capt. Rick Grassett (CB's Saltwater Outfitters) forecasts aggressive fish set up in beach travel lanes that respond well to live baits drifted under floats. Redfish showed on oyster bars in upper Sarasota Bay this past week, per Capt. Chuck Cress of CB's Saltwater Outfitters, with mullet jumping and bait active around the structure. For anglers wanting to escape the flats and the holiday boat traffic, Capt. George Hastick of Coastal Angler Magazine recommends shifting to nearshore rock piles, reefs, and wrecks as a productive summer alternative. Nearshore hogfish are plentiful per Capt. Frank Hutchko (Coastal Angler Magazine), with good numbers of keeper hogs at 14 inches to the fork. No buoy data was available; expect mid-80s°F Gulf water temperatures typical for early July.
Okeechobee & St. Johns largemouth active through July heat — plan for dawn windows
Tactical Bassin's 'Catching GIANT Bass When Its HOT' coverage this week chronicles a summer shallow-water session where adapting to midday heat — switching baits and reading cover — was the difference between a bust and a monster bag. That flexibility matters on Okeechobee and the St. Johns right now: no buoy or USGS gauge data arrived for this cycle, so water temperatures can't be confirmed, but early July in south-central Florida typically pushes surface temps to 85°F and above, with largemouth bass most catchable at dawn over pad edges on topwater before retreating to deep hydrilla and shaded structure by mid-morning. Tactical Bassin's July bait list adds swimbaits, frogs, and Neko rigs as productive picks once the heat sets in. No local charter or tackle-shop reports for either water reached this cycle. The waning gibbous moon supports a strong pre-dawn feeding window through the holiday weekend.
Tripletail, Snapper, and Kings Define the Panhandle's Peak Summer Window
Captain Rick Murphy (FL Insider) recently flagged that tripletail are getting attention across Florida, and the Gulf Panhandle is classic summer tripletail country — scan floating debris, crab trap buoys, and channel markers for suspended fish. No real-time buoy data is available for Destin or Pensacola waters this cycle, so surface temperatures cannot be confirmed, though early July typically puts the Gulf at 82–86°F in this stretch. No direct reports from Panhandle captains surfaced in this period's data feeds. On the regulatory side, Anglers Journal covered Florida's push for expanded state management of red snapper off the Atlantic coast; Gulf Panhandle snapper remains federally regulated, so verify current NOAA open dates before heading offshore. Inshore, Spanish mackerel, flounder, and redfish are warm-weather staples near Pensacola Bay. With a waning gibbous moon, morning and evening bite windows are the timing priority this July 4th weekend.
Mutton and yellowtail snappers peak in the Keys as summer bite rolls
ALL IN Key West captain reports the Keys snapper scene has been among the best he's seen in 16 years on the water, with 'huge yellowtails' and 'tons and tons of mutton snappers actively feeding and in large numbers' through May and June and into July. The mutton snapper spawn — historically the hottest bite window of summer in these waters — fired hard around the recent full moon, and with the waning gibbous now tracking overhead, post-spawn fish are still stacked and hungry on the reef. Yellowtails are 'practically jumping in the boat,' per the same crew. Shifting to the Gulf side, ALL IN Key West reports a rich mixed bag: groupers, cobia, barracudas, and kingfish all came aboard on a recent offshore run. Live bait has been the clear edge for king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish along reef edges. No NOAA buoy water-temperature readings are available for this reporting period.
Gulf Coast Summer Peak: Hogfish Plentiful, Tarpon Migration Rolling
Capt. Frank Hutchko, reporting in Coastal Angler Magazine, says hogfish are 'still around and plentiful' on nearshore structure, with keeper fish running 14 inches to the fork — a strong sign the Gulf's nearshore reef bite is holding well into summer. Across Tampa Bay, Capt. Joshua Taylor (Coastal Angler Magazine) calls conditions 'as good as it gets,' with action firing broadly across the bay. Capt. George Hastick (Coastal Angler Magazine) notes that summer heat makes rock piles, reefs, and wrecks the productive play when the open flats slow through midday. Down in Southwest Florida, Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has been running a successful morning-tarpon, afternoon-permit rotation, with the tarpon migration 'fully underway' and fish actively intercepting as they push through. Cobia and amberjacks have been showing up as offshore bonuses. The waning gibbous moon sets up favorable pre-dawn feeding windows through the Fourth of July weekend, making early starts the smart play.
Snook Schools Rebound at Stuart Inlet; Red Snapper Season in Legal Limbo
Snook Nook in Stuart reports a notable uptick in inlet snook action this July after dredging operations at St. Lucie Inlet paused. Anglers running side-scan sonar are marking large schools holding near the detached jetty and the Hole in the Wall, with live Croakers and Pilchards producing consistent action. Keep in mind that snook are closed to harvest through August 31 in Atlantic waters — strictly catch-and-release, but the fishing is productive with fish staging ahead of their annual spawn. Offshore, South Atlantic red snapper access is in limbo: CCA Florida reports that a U.S. District Court issued a preliminary injunction blocking Florida's exempted fishing permit pilot program just hours before the Atlantic season was set to open, leaving anglers without a confirmed harvest window. The Waning Gibbous moon this week moderates tidal swings slightly — a useful factor for timing inlet runs heading into the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Sarasota Seatrout Firing Hot as Tarpon Work July Travel Lanes
Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports spotted seatrout are 'aggressively biting' across Sarasota Bay right now, with the peak summer bite locked in on inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes. Capt. Rick Grassett's July forecast from the same shop notes that July fish are 'usually more aggressive' — spin anglers are scoring by drifting live baits under floats along beach travel lanes at first light, while fly rodders stake out bar edges for shots at laid-up fish. Capt. Chuck Cress had redfish and bluefish on an upper Sarasota Bay oyster bar this week, and shark action — bull sharks, blacktips, and lemon sharks — remains elevated through fall per Capt. Naeve. In Tampa Bay, Capt. Joshua Taylor (Coastal Angler Magazine) calls current conditions as good as it gets this summer. Capt. Frank Hutchko adds that keeper hogfish are 'plentiful' on nearshore structure for those willing to make the run offshore.
Dog-Day Bass Hunker Into the Grass on Okeechobee and the St. Johns
No buoy readings, USGS gauge data, or dedicated on-water reports arrived in this cycle for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River. MidCurrent's recent coverage of Everglades conservation battles offers a reminder of the land-use pressures bearing on South Florida's freshwater fisheries, but nothing in the current intel feeds addresses what's biting on these specific waters this week. Seasonally, the first week of July places both systems squarely in the dog days: water temperatures on Okeechobee's shallow, expansive basin and along the St. Johns corridor typically run in the low-to-mid 80s°F, afternoon thunderstorms fire almost daily, and largemouth bass compress their feeding windows to first light and dusk. Productive water for bass is found tight to lily pad mats, reeds along Okeechobee's south rim, and shaded bridge pilings and dock structure on the St. Johns. The big lake's open expanse makes afternoon lightning a genuine safety hazard — plan an early exit.
King Mackerel and Mahi Running Strong Off the Panhandle
The Pensacola Fishing Forum reports a landmark tournament result: a local crew won the king mackerel division of the Busch Lite tournament after 35 years of competing, a signal that quality kings are in position offshore. Bottom fishing trips at 170 to 250 feet have been producing vermilion snapper (beeliners) and the occasional blueline tilefish, though deeper 250-foot structure has been inconsistent. FAD fishing is yielding mahi-mahi, consistent with the summer pelagic patterns O-Sea-D Fishing documents for Gulf waters, with wahoo also in the mix at the FADs. Heavy scattered sargassum is frustrating trolling runs but concentrating bait along grass edges. No real-time buoy data was available for this update; anglers should verify current sea state and wind before departing. Per Salt Strong, summer speckled trout are retreating from open water and holding tight to specific structure, a pattern directly applicable to Panhandle inshore flats and grass beds through the heat of July.