Florida fishing reports
793 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Snook Lead the Bite as Sarasota Flats Shift to Fall Pattern
Water temperatures are holding at 83°F and 82°F across Tampa Bay's two NOAA tide stations, keeping the Gulf's fall snook pattern locked in through early October. Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) says the fall snook season, which opened September 1 on the Gulf Coast, is in full swing, calling the stretch south to Fort Myers some of the best snook water anywhere right now. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, also out of CB's, reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay this week for snook and redfish, landing a solid redfish for a visiting angler before release. Capt. Rick Grassett's October forecast for the area has snook pulling off the passes and beaches, staging toward docks, bridges, and shallow ICW flats as they begin their move to wintertime grounds.
Fall mullet run has Snook, Tarpon stacked up on FL's Atlantic Coast
Water temps are holding firm along Florida's Atlantic Coast, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670 reading 84°F and station 8720218 at 82°F as of early this morning. Per Snook Nook in Stuart, the fall mullet run has inshore waters alive with Snook and Tarpon stacking up on the bait schools, alongside jacks and sharks working the same pods. The shop notes the recent full moon and higher king tides slowed things late in the month, but anglers fishing the early morning and evening windows kept finding the better bite.
Snook shift into fall pattern as Sarasota Bay bite holds strong
Water temps across Tampa Bay and Sarasota are holding in the low 80s, 83.3°F at Port Manatee and 82.6°F at Clearwater Beach as of today, keeping snook aggressive as the fall season opens. Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters says the Gulf Coast's fall snook season, which opened September 1, is in full swing, pointing to the overall warm water this time of year as the driver behind the strong activity. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, fishing out of CB's on Siesta Key, reports an active inshore bite for snook and redfish in Sarasota Bay this past week, including a nice redfish for client Hannah before release. Capt. Rick Grassett's October forecast for the shop adds that snook are beginning their seasonal shift, moving away from passes and along the beach toward inside waters as they work toward wintertime holding areas, with fish staging around docks and bridges in the Intracoastal Waterway and on shallow flats.
Fall mullet run fuels snook, tarpon bite on FL's Atlantic coast
Water along Florida's Atlantic coast is still running warm for early October, with NOAA CO-OPS stations reading 84.6°F and 82.8°F this morning. That warmth lines up with what Snook Nook in Stuart is reporting this month: the annual fall mullet run has inshore waters alive with bait schools, and snook, tarpon and a mix of other predators, including redfish, are feeding hard on them. The shop notes the full moon and higher king tides made the back half of last month tougher fishing, but anglers working early morning and evening hours kept finding fish consistently.
Redfish keep biting as Florida's Gulf Coast holds onto summer warmth
Gulf Coast water is still running late-summer warm to open October, with NOAA's Clearwater Beach station reading 81.9°F and the Panama City gauge at 82.8°F. Those numbers are keeping redfish in the mix, and Fin & Fly Charters' latest report noted a solid redfish landed during a recent outing. The waning gibbous moon overhead this week tends to spread the bite across the tide rather than stacking it at one peak, worth building into a trip plan along the coast.
Snook push toward structure as Tampa Bay redfish turn on
Water temps are holding at 82-83°F across Tampa Bay and Sarasota, per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8726724 and 8726520, and the fall shoulder season is in full swing. Capt. Rick Grassett's October forecast for CB's Saltwater Outfitters calls it "a good month for snook," with fish moving off the passes and beaches toward docks, bridges, and shallow ICW flats ahead of their wintertime holding spots; live shrimp around structure and smaller lures and flies are getting bites. Capt. Brandon Naeve, also with CB's, notes the overall warm water this time of year keeps snook most active, with the Gulf Coast's fall snook season in full swing since its September 1 opener. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, fishing out of the same Siesta Key shop, reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay with snook and redfish both cooperating this past week. Across the bay, Capt. Sergio Atanes writes in Coastal Angler Magazine that October ranks among the best months of the year for large redfish in Tampa Bay, with reds pushing hard as the water eases down from summer highs.
Florida Keys Anglers Welcome the First Signs of Fall Relief
Water temperatures in the Lower Keys are holding at 84.4°F per NOAA's Key West tide station (8724580), still summer-warm but trending toward the seasonal shift anglers wait for all year. ALL IN Key West reports the heat is finally breaking after a hot summer, with the captain back from a late-summer break and opening availability for fall and winter trips. Tide is building toward an afternoon high near 2:41 PM Eastern, with the next low around 6:46 PM; a secondary Atlantic-side station (8723970) logged this morning's low near 10:47 AM. On Florida's Gulf coast, Coastal Angler Magazine's October dispatch calls it "Red October," with redfish feeding well as water starts to cool.
Snook heat up Sarasota Bay as fall pattern kicks in
Water temps are running warm at 84.6°F and 82.8°F across our two local NOAA CO-OPS stations, still holding onto late-summer heat as September closes out in the Tampa Bay and Sarasota region. Conditions remain solidly within the warm-season range for game-fish activity. Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay right now, with anglers connecting on snook and redfish alongside a mix of other inshore species this week. Capt. Brandon Naeve, also out of CB's, says the fall snook run is in full swing along the stretch down toward Fort Myers, calling it some of the best snook water anywhere this time of year.
Redfish keep biting as Gulf Coast waters hold steady
Water temperatures are holding at 83.5°F across both NOAA CO-OPS stations covering this stretch of the Gulf Coast, keeping the water squarely in late-summer range as September closes out. Redfish are the story worth telling: Coastal Angler Magazine's latest dispatches out of the Charlotte Harbor area show Fish Face Charters putting clients on reds between passing showers and lingering heat, while young angler Harvey Henke boated a solid red in the same stretch of water. With a Waning Gibbous moon overhead, reds are staying active on the shallow flats typical for this point in the season.
Fall mullet run keeps snook and tarpon feeding on FL's Atlantic coast
Water temperatures are running warm across Florida's Atlantic coast, with NOAA CO-OPS stations reading 84.7°F and 82.2°F this week, right in line with the tail end of the fall mullet run. Snook Nook in Stuart reports snook, tarpon, jacks and sharks still feeding hard on schools of mullet moving down the beaches, with the better action coming early morning and evening as the full moon and higher king tides made midday timing tougher. Coastal Angler Magazine noted a redfish win for Fish Face Charters this week, worked in between afternoon showers.
Warm Gulf Water Persists as Statewide Redfish Bite Builds
Water temperature at NOAA CO-OPS station 8729840 read 84.4°F this morning, with station 8729108 at 84.7°F and station 8728690 at 84.9°F, all still full summer warmth as September closes out. Coastal Angler Magazine reports redfish action this week for Florida anglers, an early marker of the fall shift building along the Gulf coast, though that report is out of other Florida waters rather than the immediate Destin-Pensacola stretch. Closer to home, anglers on the Pensacola Fishing Forum describe an active bait-gathering trip near Ft. Morgan, working diving birds and structure between rain squalls, a sign baitfish are stacking up as the season turns.
Key West cool-down signals bite kicking back into gear
Water temperatures across the Keys remain warm, with NOAA CO-OPS stations at Key West and Vaca Key reading 84.9°F and 83.1°F this evening. That warmth held through the peak of summer, when ALL IN Key West described the season's action as some of the best in 16 years of running trips, with bait and fish stacked up throughout the backcountry and reef. The captain has now returned from a September break for boat upgrades and reports the first real crack in the heat, cooler air finally breaking up the summer swelter as fall approaches. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada echoed the same pattern through early summer, citing warm water, calm seas and heavy bait as the hallmarks of the season's strongest stretch across the flats, reef and Gulf Stream.