Florida fishing reports
793 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Redfish push toward Panhandle beaches as summer warmth lingers
Water temperatures across our three Panhandle tide stations are holding in the mid-80s this week, ranging from 83.3°F to 85.1°F, keeping the Gulf in late-summer mode even as the calendar turns toward October. That's warm enough to keep bait pods active and predators feeding aggressively before the seasonal cool-down really takes hold. One offshore angler posting to the Pensacola Fishing Forum described a tough Sunday trip out past the #3 red buoy: cigar minnows and hardtails on the bait grounds, fish marking well on sonar, but a reluctant bite on the bigger targets through the morning. Closer to shore, Coastal Angler Magazine reports a young Gulf-coast angler landing a 22-inch redfish in Coden, Alabama this week, a sign redfish are on the move as the water starts its slow cool-down.
Sarasota snook bite builds as tarpon fade toward fall
Water sat at 83.1°F across Sarasota Bay and lower Tampa Bay this week, per NOAA CO-OPS stations 8726520 and 8726724, still solidly in the warm-season range. Snook season reopened September 1st, and Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay for snook and redfish. Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast has adult migratory tarpon thinning out of the coastal Gulf, sliding into inside waters to rest before pushing on from the area.
Rare Rust Tide Surfaces in Charlotte Harbor as Gulf Waters Stay Warm
Water on Florida's Gulf Coast is still running warm for late September. NOAA CO-OPS readings from this afternoon show 82.9°F at station 8725520 and 80.2°F at station 8727520, both consistent with an extended late-summer pattern holding into fall. The more notable development this week comes from Florida Sea Grant, which reports researchers have detected a rust tide alga (Margalefidinium polykrikoides), rarely seen in Southwest Florida, blooming in Charlotte Harbor. It's a different organism than red tide, but anglers working that stretch should watch water clarity and any changes in fish behavior while scientists continue monitoring the bloom. Separately, CCA Florida notes a new Gulf red snapper stock assessment is now underway, a process that could shape allocation decisions anglers should watch in the months ahead.
Panhandle anglers grind through a slow full-moon bite
Water held in the low-to-mid 80s across the Panhandle this week, per our tide-station readings, typical for late September before fall's cooldown begins. One angler fishing out of Pensacola described a tough Sunday on the water, according to a report on the Pensacola Fishing Forum: an early bite on bait around the #3 red can gave way to fish that marked on the sounder but wouldn't commit through the morning, with the bite finally turning on over deep bottom structure by early afternoon. The angler tied the slow start to Saturday night's full moon, a pattern familiar to anyone working nearshore reefs and deeper structure this time of year.
Snook and redfish stay active in Sarasota Bay as fall settles in
Tampa Bay water sat at 82.4°F this morning at NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520, with the Clearwater Beach station reading 81.5°F, still solidly summer-warm for late September. Inshore, Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key reports an active bite on snook and redfish in Sarasota Bay this week. Capt. Brandon Naeve notes the Gulf Coast fall snook season, which opened September 1, is drawing anglers south toward Fort Myers. Florida Sea Grant also flagged a rare rust tide algae detection in nearby Charlotte Harbor, worth watching before a trip that direction.
Snook Push Toward Winter Grounds as Gulf Bite Builds
Gulf water held summer-warm this week, with NOAA buoy 42036 reading 85°F under light 9 to 11 mph winds and calm seas across the offshore buoys. Buoy 42039 showed similarly settled conditions, with winds near 4 meters per second and air temperatures close to 28°C, underscoring how calm the pattern is across both buoys right now. Sport Fishing Mag reports Gulf snook are already feeling the shorter days and starting to migrate toward their winter holding areas, calling this stretch one of the year's best fishing opportunities as swimbaits like Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ start producing on aggressive fish. Salt Strong's latest fall lure guide lists redfish among the species anglers are targeting as they size up their lures for the season. Closer to shore, CO-OPS station 8725520 read 82.6°F and station 8727520 read 80.4°F, both a few degrees cooler than the offshore buoy, a sign the fall cooldown is starting nearshore first.
Full Moon Widens Tides as Florida's Atlantic Coast Baitfish Push Builds
Water temperatures split sharply between the two Atlantic Coast tide stations we're tracking this week: 86°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670 against 80.1°F at station 8720218, a real spread for readings taken along the same stretch of coast this morning. Stuart-area shop Snook Nook reports the seasonal baitfish push finally building along the beaches and inlets after a slower start tied to last winter's cooler stretch, with inshore activity following the bait. Tonight's full moon is stacking tide ranges coastwide, concentrating movement around the swing between low and high water.
Snook bite ignites off Sarasota as tarpon start their fall exit
Water off Sarasota and Tampa Bay is running near 83°F this week, and captains say the fall snook bite is finally in gear. Capt. Brandon Naeve at CB's Saltwater Outfitters calls the Gulf-side snook season, which reopened September 1, some of the best snook water anywhere, and Capt. Kelly Kurtz reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay for snook and redfish, with fish setting up around docks and bridges. Capt. Rick Grassett's September outlook has migratory tarpon thinning out along the coastal Gulf as fish slide into passes and deep grass flats to rest before pushing on. Florida Sea Grant also flagged a rare rust tide alga detection in nearby Charlotte Harbor worth keeping an eye on this week.
Full moon tides set the pace for Panhandle anglers this week
Gulf water off the Panhandle held firmly in the mid-80s heading into the weekend, with the region's three NOAA tide stations reading 84.9°F at station 8729840, 83.7°F at station 8729108, and 83.5°F at station 8728690 as of Sunday afternoon. The narrow spread between the three readings, roughly a degree and a half from east to west, points to consistently warm water across the stretch rather than any one section running noticeably cooler. That's warm water for the back half of September, keeping the coast in a late-summer holding pattern rather than an early fall one. Tonight's full moon is the bigger story for anyone planning a trip: it's stacking larger tidal swings across Destin and Pensacola, and station 8728690 has a predicted high tide landing around 4:37 p.m. local time. Bigger moon tides mean stronger current through passes and along structure, concentrating whatever's feeding into shorter, more predictable windows around the tide change.
Full Moon Sets Up Bigger Tide Swings on the Panhandle
Water across the Panhandle is running warm for late September. Three NOAA CO-OPS stations covering this stretch of coast are reading between 82.4°F and 84.4°F as of this morning, water that reads more like high summer than the tail end of the month. A full moon tonight is stacking bigger tidal swings on top of that warmth. Station 8728690 shows its next low at 10:07 a.m. local, building to a high around 4:37 p.m., while station 8729108 is already sliding toward a low before 6:30 a.m. and station 8729840 follows with a late-morning low near 8:38 a.m. Those staggered lows and highs give anglers a workable tide window on either end of the day rather than one narrow one for the whole coast.
Fall snook run heats up in Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay flats
Water temperatures are holding warm at 83°F in Tampa Bay and 81°F off Clearwater Beach, and CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports the fall snook season is in full swing across the Sarasota-to-Fort Myers stretch, calling it some of the best snook water anywhere. Capt. Kelly Kurtz, fishing out of CB's on Siesta Key, describes an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay this week for snook and redfish. Capt. Rick Grassett's outlook for the month has snook staging around docks and bridges in the Intracoastal as fish move away from passes toward their wintering areas, with live shrimp near structure and pilchards on the shallow flats doing the work. Tarpon, by contrast, are thinning out of the coastal Gulf as the migratory push winds down, with stragglers holding around bridges and deep grass flats before clearing out for the season. It's a full moon this week, adding extra push to the tide swings anglers are working around.
Keys anglers eye the turn from summer heat toward fall
Water is still holding onto summer heat across the Keys: 86°F at NOAA CO-OPS station 8724580 in Key West and 85.5°F at station 8723970 up the chain, both read this morning. Captains are already talking about the shift ahead of the numbers catching up. ALL IN Key West reported this week that "the weather is finally starting to break" after a long, muggy stretch, and the captain is gearing back up for trips through the cooler months to come after taking September off for boat upgrades. Today's full moon is stacking the tides toward the high end of the cycle: at Key West, low water falls near 4:28 a.m. with the next high around 11:14 a.m., while the Vaca Key gauge shows low tide near 7:27 a.m. and high near 4:14 p.m.