Florida fishing reports
574 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Treasure Coast snook bite stays red-hot through the summer closure
Snook fishing has been excellent the past few weeks on Florida's Treasure Coast, per Snook Nook's August report out of Stuart — anglers are putting up steady numbers of quality fish, including plenty in the 40-inch-plus range, with the best action coming from the St. Lucie Inlet and the adjacent beach on live croakers and threadfins. Atlantic-coast snook season is typically closed this time of year (Snook Nook notes the local closure runs June 1 through September 1), so plan on catch-and-release until it reopens. Offshore, red snapper access stays unsettled: CCA Florida reports a federal court granted a preliminary injunction blocking the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot programs just hours before the season opener, and Saltwater Sportsman notes Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are now pushing a fallback October 1-31 season, with public comment open through August 25. Offshore trollers are still finding mahi-mahi action per Florida Insider Fishing Report.
Low-light weed bite carries the bass pattern on Okeechobee, St. Johns
No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River today, so this update leans on regional technique intel and typical August patterns rather than on-the-water numbers. On The Water's recent coverage of low-light summer largemouth describes bass sliding onto shoreline shallows and weed flats to feed on wakebaits and swimbaits once the sun drops, a pattern that tracks well for Okeechobee's grass flats and the St. Johns' vegetated banks this time of year. Tactical Bassin's latest "summer junk fishing" notes add that bass are grouping tightly in the heat, rewarding anglers who cover water and rotate baits through likely cover rather than parking on one spot. Expect typical Florida August conditions otherwise: warm surface water, bass and panfish pushed toward dawn and dusk feeding windows, and catfish staying active after dark. Check state regs before harvesting anything you keep.
Snapper Bite Carries Into Late-Summer Keys Season
Yellowtail and mutton snapper have been the story of the Keys this season, with ALL IN Key West reporting "huge yellow tails" and mutton snappers "chewing like crazy" during the spring spawn push, a pattern that typically holds fish active on the reef well into late summer. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada early-summer report pegged June and early July as prime time, with tarpon working the bridges and mahi mahi showing offshore in the Gulf Stream. Regulatory news is also front and center right now: Saltwater Sportsman reports Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are pushing for a month-long October red snapper season after a court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic pilot program, with a public-comment window open through NOAA Fisheries until Aug. 25, per CCA Florida. No fresh buoy or gauge readings are available for this update, so check a local source before running offshore.
Trout bite peaks in Sarasota Bay as tarpon linger along the Gulf
Spotted seatrout are the story in Sarasota Bay right now, with Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reporting anglers landing keeper-class trout up to 27 inches on the bay's grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and passes as the peak summer bite holds — CB's calls Sarasota Bay one of the state's best speckled trout fisheries, with sunrise and sunset feeding windows producing the most consistent action. Redfish are cooperating too: Capt. Chuck Cress hooked multiple reds on a rising morning tide using popping corks and live shrimp, with a handful of undersized snook mixed in and released. Offshore of the immediate bay, Capt. Rick Grassett's August outlook has coastal Gulf tarpon still around early in the month on flies and DOA Baitbusters/Shrimp before they push inside to bridges and deep grass flats, feeding alongside surface-schooling ladyfish. No fresh buoy or gauge readings came through for this update, so lean on the bite reports above for on-the-water conditions.
Gulf Coast anglers beat the summer slump as snook, gag season near
Salt Strong's weekly regional game plan tracks the Florida Gulf Coast as one of its zones, and this stretch's midsummer note is blunt: the redfish, snook, and trout bite that was rolling a few weeks back has cooled as water temperatures climbed into the upper 80s and 90s, per Salt Strong (articles). Their fix is timing, not location — sliding trips toward dawn, dusk, or low-light tide changes to find fish still feeding through the heat. Coastal Angler Magazine flags both snook season and gag grouper season as 'around the corner,' a seasonal marker Gulf Coast anglers watch closely this time of year. Earlier-season dispatches from Naples Offshore Fishing Charters described a strong permit-and-tarpon push mixing with cobia, amberjack, and kingfish on reefs and structure, a reminder of the variety this fishery holds once the heat eases. Check current state regulations before targeting or harvesting any of these species.
Snook Bite Stays Hot on the Treasure Coast as Snapper Season Stalls
Snook fishing has been excellent up and down the Treasure Coast over the past few weeks, per Snook Nook (FL), with steady numbers of quality fish including many in the 40-inch-plus range coming from anglers working the St. Lucie Inlet and running the beach on live croakers and threadfins; when the inlet bite slows, a dead threadfin fished on bottom has also produced. Remember snook season stays closed through August, reopening September 1, so it's catch-and-release only for now. Offshore, red snapper is stuck in limbo: CCA Florida reports a federal court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper Exempted Fishing Permit pilot programs just hours before Florida's season was set to open, and Saltwater Sportsman notes Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are now pushing NOAA for a fallback Oct. 1-31 season. Closer to the beach, sailfish showed up too, with a Snook Nook-led crew going 7-for-9 on bites at the One More Bite Sailfish Challenge.
Summer heat pushes Okeechobee bass into tight, huntable schools
No fresh NOAA buoy or USGS gauge readings came through for Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns River this cycle, and today's angler-intel feeds didn't carry a direct on-the-water report from either fishery, so this update leans on general late-summer patterns rather than a specific temperature or flow number. One useful technique signal did come through: Tactical Bassin's coverage of Lake Chickamauga this week describes bass grouping tightly in summer heat and rewarding anglers who cover water and rotate baits rather than sit on one spot, a pattern that typically holds true across Florida's warm-water lakes and rivers too. Expect largemouth to bunch around matted vegetation, deeper cover, and shade during peak daylight, with the better bite windows at dawn and dusk. Bluegill should stay catchable around shoreline cover, catfish typically turn on after dark in this heat, and crappie usually slip deeper and get tougher this time of year. Check current FWC regulations before harvesting.
Mutton and yellowtail snapper stay red-hot in the Keys
Yellowtail snappers are practically jumping in the boat and mutton snappers are chewing like crazy, per ALL IN Key West Fishing Charters, which describes reef and Gulf-side trips loaded with both species alongside grouper, cobia, and kingfish. Bud n' Mary's in Islamorada echoes that early-summer pattern, calling it prime time for tarpon on the bridges, mahi offshore, and yellowtail on the reef. Sailfish have stayed active on live bait along the reef edges, with captains working heavier leads to hold bottom in strong Gulfstream current. On the regulatory side, a court injunction blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot season, and Florida is now pushing for a fall Oct. 1-31 window, per Saltwater Sportsman, with public comment open through Aug. 25. No live buoy or gauge readings came through this cycle, so treat water temps as typical for the season until fresh data arrives.
Sarasota Bay trout and reds fire through the peak summer bite
Sarasota Bay's summer inshore bite is holding strong. Capt. Brandon Naeve at CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports spotted seatrout aggressively biting this week on inshore grass flats, mangrove shorelines, and local passes, including a released 27-inch trout, and notes Sarasota Bay is one of the best spots in Florida for speckled trout right now. Capt. Chuck Cress, also with CB's, put anglers on redfish using a popping cork and live shrimp on a rising morning tide, with several small snook released in the same trip. Offshore of the beaches, Capt. Rick Grassett's August forecast has tarpon still working the coastal Gulf early in the month before shifting into bridges and deep grass flats as beach schools thin out, with juvenile tarpon mixed in around bait pods. No live buoy or gauge data came through this cycle, so treat sky, wind, and tide timing as check-before-you-go. Overall, this reads as a textbook peak-summer Tampa Bay/Sarasota pattern.
Permit steady as Gulf Coast tarpon run tails off ahead of grouper season
Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has spent recent trips working the tarpon migration in the mornings before switching to sight-fishing large permit in the afternoons, and that pairing has anchored Gulf Coast action into summer. Today's feed carries no fresh buoy or gauge readings, so exact water temps aren't available, but Florida's Gulf side typically runs warm and stable through mid-August. Tarpon activity is easing off its spring peak as the migration tails out, while permit continue holding up well on the flats, per the same Naples reports. Offshore, Sport Fishing Mag flags gag grouper as the one to plan around: the Gulf-side gag season only runs a short window in September, so trollers are prepping gear rather than fishing it yet. Mangrove snapper, a reliable summer species in this region, should be active around structure. Check current local conditions before heading out.
Panhandle Gulf sticks to classic August script amid quiet feeds
No buoy or gauge readings synced for the Destin-Pensacola stretch this cycle, and this week's shop, charter, and state-agency feeds carried nothing region-specific for the Panhandle Gulf either — the closest saltwater intel came from Pompano Beach and Atlantic-coast sources, which don't reflect Gulf-side conditions. In the absence of fresh local reports, the mid-August pattern anglers typically ride in Destin and Pensacola holds: red snapper and other structure-oriented bottomfish over nearshore wrecks and reefs, king mackerel roaming bait pods along the beaches, mahi mahi showing on weed lines and floating debris offshore, and redfish/speckled trout working the grass flats and passes at first light before the heat pushes them deeper. Water clarity and typical late-summer heat should keep inshore fish concentrated in early-morning and evening windows. Check with local Panhandle shops for the freshest bite specifics, as no shop or charter source in this cycle's feed covered Destin or Pensacola directly.
Snapper Bite Stays Red-Hot in the Keys as Red Snapper Season Hangs in Limbo
Yellowtail and mutton snapper have been the story on the reef, with ALL IN Key West describing "huge yellowtails" and mutton snapper "chewing like crazy" during recent full-moon spawns, a pattern that typically carries reef action well into late summer. Bud n' Mary's Islamorada echoed the same theme in its early-summer report, pointing anglers toward tarpon on the bridges, mahi offshore in the Gulf Stream, and yellowtail on the reef as the season's most productive stretch. Offshore, mixed-bag trips have turned up grouper, cobia and kingfish per ALL IN Key West. The bigger story for Keys bottom fishermen right now is regulatory: CCA Florida and Saltwater Sportsman both flag a federal court injunction that blocked the 2026 South Atlantic red snapper pilot season, with states now pushing a fallback Oct. 1-31 window and a public comment period open through Aug. 25. Check current state and federal regulations before targeting or harvesting red snapper this month.