Florida Fishing Reports

Water temps running 78–80°F across the Gulf (NOAA buoys 42036 and 42013) have Tampa Bay and Sarasota's inshore fishery in full stride. Capt. Brandon Naeve of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports Jack Crevalle actively schooling in Sarasota Bay this month, targeting baitfish near oyster bars, seawalls, and inlets — early-morning topwater, poppers, and fast-retrieved jigs are drawing the most aggressive strikes. Capt. Chuck Cress, also at CB's Saltwater Outfitters, put his clients on multiple upper-slot Redfish alongside solid Trout in recent sessions, including 20–25-inch Reds on catch-and-release. Captain Rick Murphy (FL Insider) confirms the trout bite is on statewide right now. Light winds near 4 knots are keeping sea conditions calm and sight-fishing viable. Snook are entering their pre-spawn staging phase — a seasonal transition typical of mid-May in Southwest Florida — putting this week squarely inside one of the better inshore windows of the year.

May 11

Water temperatures holding at 78°F across NOAA buoys 42036 and 42039 mark the heart of Gulf Coast Florida's spring bite window. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters is reporting conditions "as good as it gets for this time of year," with consistent sight-fishing for large permit, steady kingfish action on plugs and flies, and cobia plus amberjacks filling out the offshore menu. Inshore, Captain Rick Murphy (FL Insider) declares the trout bite "on across Florida" — a claim well-supported by the warm, settled nearshore temperatures. Winds at just 2 m/s at both buoys are keeping offshore runs accessible. Up in the Panhandle, the Pensacola Fishing Forum logs blue water pushing close to the Oriskany area, where anglers report amberjacks and snappers in the mix — corroborating the region-wide offshore warmup. The Last Quarter moon moderates tidal swings this weekend; plan around early-morning and late-afternoon transitions on the flats for the best permit and trout windows.

May 10

Water temps reading 77–78°F at NOAA buoys 42036 and 42013 signal the heart of Florida's late-spring inshore season. Capt. Chuck Cress, reporting through CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota), put clients on multiple upper-slot redfish in the 20–25-inch range alongside sea trout on recent trips. At the same shop, Capt. Brandon Naeve calls Jack Crevalle the can't-miss bite right now in Sarasota Bay — schools are surfacing near oyster bars, seawalls, and inlets throughout April and May, with fast-retrieved topwater poppers or jigs at first light the proven play, especially where birds are diving. Naeve also notes fly fishing is "starting to cook." Captain Rick Murphy (FL Insider) confirms the trout bite is firing across the state. Light winds around 2 m/s and modest 1.6-foot seas keep conditions comfortable for bay and nearshore runs alike. Anglers targeting the inshore grand slam — trout, redfish, and snook — have all three species within reach this week.

May 10

The mutton snapper spawn is delivering exceptional fishing across the Florida Keys. ALL IN Key West reports that with May's full moon window now upon us, 'mutton snappers are chewing like crazy' — a predictable annual aggregation that turns bottom fishing into a near-guaranteed bite. Yellowtail snapper are equally fired up, described by the same Key West charter as 'practically jumping in the boat.' On the Gulf side, recent ALL IN Key West trips produced groupers, cobia, barracuda, kingfish, and mahi-mahi, with the Gulf of America described as 'full of life.' NOAA buoy 41114 put water temps near 78°F in late April, consistent with prime Keys conditions. Winds are light-to-moderate at roughly 11 mph at Keys buoys SMKF1 and SANF1, with air temps hovering in the low 80s Fahrenheit. Tarpon, historically peaking on the flats through May and June, round out an already busy spring bite.

May 10

Tactical Bassin reports the bluegill spawn is in full swing and big bass are prowling shallow cover with topwater the early-May play — a pattern that translates directly to Lake Okeechobee's pad fields and the St. Johns River's vegetated backwaters. Early May marks a prime multi-pattern window with lingering spawners mixed alongside post-spawn fish beginning their shift to deeper structure; frog, swimbait, and finesse setups like a Karashi-style soft plastic all produce, per Tactical Bassin. On the St. Johns, USGS gauge 02232000 recorded 95.3 cfs in the pre-dawn hours of May 10 — a moderate-to-low flow that tends to concentrate fish along channel edges, submerged grass lines, and dock pilings. No water temperature was returned by the gauge. The bluegill spawn's peak makes Okeechobee one of the most reliable topwater fisheries in Florida right now, with big largemouth pushed into the pads and grass lines during low-light windows. Florida Sea Grant's ongoing invasive-species roundup work in South Florida canals is a reminder to report non-native catches.

May 10

Snook Nook's May 2026 report from Stuart declares this "historically one of the best months for inshore fishing" on the Treasure Coast, with late-spring snook heating up across the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers as fish move into pre-spawn mode. Warmer water, calming conditions, and an influx of baitfish are combining to push the bite, with slot-sized and over-slot fish making more regular appearances. Offshore, Coastal Angler Magazine logged a 59 lb mahi bull off the Palm Beach cut, while charter reports via Tidal Fish — Florida describe Fort Lauderdale boats finding active sailfish and wahoo over natural reefs. Tarpon are in the mix as well — Coastal Angler Magazine noted a fish taken in the South Fork on live mullet, consistent with the spring migration push. Captain Rick Murphy (FL Insider) also signals the sea trout bite is on statewide. Framing the next few weeks: CCA Florida and Coastal Angler Magazine confirm the South Atlantic red snapper season runs 39 days starting May 22, the longest window since 2010.

May 10

Water temps of 77–78°F off the Florida Gulf Coast — logged at NOAA buoys 42036 and 42039 on the morning of May 10 — have pushed the spring bite into full stride. Naples Offshore Fishing Charters reports conditions 'as good as it gets for this time of year,' with captains consistently sight fishing large permit and scoring steady kingfish action on plugs and flies. Cobia and amberjack have also joined the offshore mix, creating what the charter describes as a 'very dynamic fishery.' Inshore, Captain Rick Murphy (FL Insider) confirms the trout bite is on across Florida right now. Seas are running a comfortable 2–2.3 feet with light winds, making for ideal conditions across both inshore and offshore targets. Salt Strong has flagged the Florida Gulf Coast among its May 8–10 weekend target zones, and their recent content highlights topwater presentations as a top spring pick. The Last Quarter moon on May 10 brings moderate tidal movement — a favorable window for the flats and offshore structure alike.

May 10

NOAA buoy 42039 recorded 77°F water temperatures south of Destin early Thursday, with buoy 42012 reading 73°F closer to the Pensacola area — warm, consistent conditions signaling the Panhandle's offshore season is fully underway. Three-foot seas and 13-mph winds off Destin leave most runs manageable, though the Pensacola area is running a touch choppier at 18 mph (buoy 42012). No charter or tackle-shop reports for the Destin/Pensacola corridor populated this intel cycle, so species assessments below draw on seasonal norms at these water temperatures rather than confirmed catches. At 73–77°F in early May, cobia traditionally move along nearshore structure and the beach corridor — the textbook migration timing for the Panhandle. Spanish mackerel and king mackerel typically occupy nearshore reefs in 20–60 feet, and amberjack stack on deeper live-bottom. Inshore, speckled trout and redfish hold on grass flats near bay passes through morning. The Waning Gibbous moon supports pre-dawn bite windows through the weekend.

May 7

Water temps at NOAA buoys 42036 and 42013 are holding at 76°F with just 1-foot wave heights and light 4 m/s winds — near-ideal inshore conditions for early May. Capt. Brandon Naeve out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters (Sarasota) reports jack crevalle are stealing the show right now in Sarasota Bay, schooling near the surface and hammering baitfish around oyster bars, seawalls, and inlets. Early morning topwater and popper action has been most productive — follow the diving birds and you'll find the fish. Snook are also building toward their summer peak; CB's Saltwater Outfitters logged a full inshore slam — trout, redfish, and snook — out of Boca Grande recently, and Snook Nook (FL) confirms the statewide snook bite is heating up as fish prepare to stage for the spawn. Spotted sea trout and redfish remain reliable on the shallow grass flats with paddletails or live bait presentations.

May 7

Mutton snapper fishing is at a full-season high in the Florida Keys right now, with ALL IN Key West reporting fish "chewing like crazy" in the days surrounding the recent full moon spawn aggregation. Yellowtail snapper are also firing — captains describe them as nearly jumping into the boat on the reef. A recent Gulf-side run out of Key West turned up groupers, snappers, cobia, barracudas, and kingfish in a single trip, signaling that the broader summer offshore pattern is firmly in place. Live bait has been the top producer: ALL IN Key West notes king mackerel, tuna, and sailfish have all been responding well to live presentations near the reef edges. Water temps were holding at 78°F per NOAA buoy 41114 as of late April — a comfortable range for the species mix now showing. Winds at NOAA buoys SMKF1 (Sombrero Key) and SANF1 (Sand Key) are running 11–15 mph, which is workable for most offshore runs. The waning gibbous moon still carries residual tidal pull from the full, keeping snapper aggregations active through the early part of the week.

May 7

With the St. Johns River reporting 132 cfs at USGS gauge 02232000 as of early May 7, both Okeechobee and the St. Johns system are in the heart of the post-spawn largemouth transition — historically one of Florida's most reliable freshwater windows. Tactical Bassin's early-May breakdown documents bass now splitting between shallow cover and open water as spawn recovery winds down, with topwater, finesse, and swimbait patterns all logging bites simultaneously. Morning flat edges and grass-line perimeters are the priority zones; the Karashi-style finesse bite excels on pressured fish mid-day, and swimbaits skipped around woody structure have also been productive, per Tactical Bassin. Field & Stream points to the buzzbait as a durable shallow-cover option worth keeping rigged through early morning. Water temperature is not currently reporting at the gauge. Crappie and bluegill remain seasonally predictable bites through May on both systems, though no region-specific reports are in this week's feed. The waning gibbous moon favors pre-dawn and evening feeding windows.

May 7

Snook Nook's May 2026 report out of Stuart declares this 'one of the best times of the year for Snook fishing' as fish begin staging for their pre-spawn run in the Indian and St. Lucie Rivers. Slot-sized and over-slot fish are appearing with increasing regularity, per Snook Nook, as warming spring water drives inshore predators into full feeding mode. Coastal Angler Magazine confirms the trout story independently: Fort Pierce is 'full of quality trout right now,' signaling excellent spotted sea trout action across the mid-coast inshore zone. A 31-inch redfish out of Mosquito Lagoon — reported by Coastal Angler Magazine — shows that quality reds remain accessible to kayak and canoe anglers working the lagoon corridors. Offshore, Saltwater Sportsman and Sport Fishing Mag both report that Florida's South Atlantic anglers will see significantly expanded red snapper seasons this summer under newly approved exempted fishing permits. NOAA buoys 41009 and 41008 recorded moderate winds of 12–16 knots and comfortable air temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s°F as of early May 7.

May 7