Florida fishing reports
794 reports for Florida — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Snook bite builds as mullet run stacks up on Florida's Treasure Coast
Atlantic-side water is running warm for late September: NOAA CO-OPS station 8722670 reads 85.8°F and station 8720218 reads 83.3°F, both consistent with the extended late-summer warmth holding along Florida's east coast. Snook Nook in Stuart reports the mullet run is building, with schools of larger mullet showing inshore and along the beaches, though the shop notes the migration is running later than usual after a cooler winter. The snook bite itself has stayed strong on live croakers and threadfins fished around the St. Lucie Inlet and jetty structure, per Snook Nook's recent reports.
Snook Fishing Turns On as Fall Season Kicks Off in Sarasota Bay
Water temperatures remain in the upper 80s across Tampa Bay and Sarasota, with NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520 reading 87.1°F and station 8726724 at 86.2°F, and the snook bite is turning on to match. Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay for snook, redfish and other species this past week. Capt. Brandon Naeve, also with CB's, notes the Gulf Coast's fall snook season opened September 1 and that the warm water has fish especially active right now. Capt. Rick Grassett's forecast for CB's adds that snook are staging around docks and bridges in the Intracoastal as they move along the beach ahead of their winter push.
Gulf snook push toward winter grounds as fall transition sets in
Gulf-side water temperatures are holding steady at 86°F this week, per NOAA CO-OPS readings off the Florida coast, still summer-warm as the calendar tips into fall. Sport Fishing Mag notes Gulf snook are feeling the shorter days and starting to migrate toward their winter holding areas, calling it one of the year's best windows as summer's heat breaks and the bite opens up on aggressive, feeding-up fish; Z-Man's Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ swimbaits are the recommended offerings for working that push. Separately, Florida Sea Grant scientists have detected a rare rust tide algal bloom, Margalefidinium polykrikoides, in Charlotte Harbor, an unusual sighting worth watching for anglers working Southwest Florida estuaries this week.
Snook and redfish shift into fall mode along the Panhandle
Water temperatures at NOAA CO-OPS stations 8729840, 8729108, and 8728690 are holding between 86 and 88°F this afternoon, still firmly in late-summer Gulf territory even as the calendar turns toward fall. Sport Fishing Mag's fall lineup notes that Gulf snook are beginning to feel the shorter days and start moving toward winter holding areas, calling the stretch ahead one of the best windows of the year for snook anglers on this coast. Salt Strong's latest lure guide points anglers toward bigger paddletails and topwater baits this fall for inshore redfish and snook as water starts to cool and bait moves shallow. The pattern read from these two sources is a building transition rather than a peak, with the warmer-than-typical readings likely holding the shift back a bit longer than usual this year.
Cooling Temps and Fall Snapper Season Fire Up the Keys
NOAA CO-OPS gauges in the Florida Keys read 86.9°F and 85.8°F this week, still full summer warmth, but ALL IN Key West reports the first real break in the heat, with cooler air easing in after a slow September. Florida's fall red snapper season reopened this week too: CCA Florida and Saltwater Sportsman both confirm the 14-day exempted-permit season approved for Florida anglers, adding another reason to get offshore before Keys air finally cools.
Snook Bite Heats Up Sarasota Bay as Fall Season Opens
Water temperatures are holding at 87°F in Tampa Bay per NOAA CO-OPS station 8726520, still summer-warm for late September. Snook fishing is the story this week: Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay for snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, and mangrove snapper, and Capt. Brandon Naeve notes the fall snook season on the Gulf Coast opened September 1, calling this stretch of coast some of the best snook water in the world. Redfish are showing alongside snook on the same Sarasota Bay flats, per Kurtz's report. Tarpon are in transition: Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast has adult migratory tarpon thinning out in the coastal Gulf as fish move to inside waters to rest and feed, staging around bridges or over deep grass flats before continuing their fall migration.
Snook feed up as Gulf Coast fall transition begins
Gulf water is still running warm this week, with our two Gulf Coast tide stations reading 83.7°F and 86.2°F this morning, typical late-September numbers before the real fall cooldown sets in. Sport Fishing Mag's fall coverage lines up with what we're seeing on the calendar: as summer's heat starts to break, Gulf snook feed up ahead of their push toward winter holding water, and aggressive fish are answering fast-moving swimbaits like the Mulletron and Diezel MinnowZ. Tides are swinging through a solid range today, a sign current is still moving well enough to concentrate bait along the usual fall travel lanes.
Snook shift into fall pattern as Gulf Coast tarpon season winds down
Gulf Coast water is still summer-warm, reading 84.2°F at one NOAA CO-OPS station and 87.6°F at another early this morning, and that heat is exactly what's driving the season's hand-off. Sport Fishing Mag's read on the fall transition holds here: as days shorten, Gulf snook begin pushing toward their winter holding areas, and swimbaits like a Z-Man Mulletron or Diezel MinnowZ worked over deeper water are the go-to as fish key on the shift. That tracks with what Naples Offshore Fishing Charters has logged out of Naples waters, where tarpon action carried strong through the warm months before fish start thinning out this time of year. One water-quality note worth flagging: Florida Sea Grant scientists recently detected a rare 'rust tide' alga bloom in Charlotte Harbor, a different organism than red tide but one worth checking local advisories for before working that stretch of coast.
Snook and Redfish Keep the Sarasota Bite Alive Into Fall
Water temperatures are still solidly warm across Tampa Bay this week, reading 87.6°F at St. Petersburg and 85.6°F at Clearwater Beach on NOAA CO-OPS gauges, and the inshore bite is holding strong through the seasonal transition. Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an active inshore bite for snook and redfish in Sarasota Bay this week. Capt. Chuck Cress, fishing out of the same Sarasota shop, corroborates it: working a popping cork with live shrimp on a rising morning tide produced several redfish, with snook mixed in along the way. Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast, also via CB's Saltwater Outfitters, notes snook still holding in the surf and around passes as the month winds down, with live shrimp and pilchards working docks and bridges. Grassett adds that adult tarpon are thinning out of the coastal Gulf, staging near bridges and deep grass flats ahead of their fall migration.
Snook and redfish stay hot as Sarasota-area tarpon begin fall exit
Water temperatures are holding at 87.4°F off St. Petersburg and 85.5°F off Clearwater Beach (NOAA CO-OPS stations 8726520 and 8726724), classic late-September warmth for Tampa Bay and Sarasota. Capt. Kelly Kurtz of CB's Saltwater Outfitters reports an active inshore bite in Sarasota Bay this past week, with snook and redfish both coming to hand, and Capt. Chuck Cress landed multiple redfish along with a few snook on a popping cork tipped with live shrimp during a rising morning tide. Capt. Rick Grassett's September forecast for the same shop adds that snook fishing should stay good through the month, with fish holding in the surf and around passes, while adult tarpon are thinning out of the coastal Gulf and moving toward bridges and deep grass flats to rest before their fall migration.
Panhandle snook push toward winter holds as fall transition begins
Gulf water temperatures are holding in the mid-to-upper 80s across the Panhandle, with NOAA CO-OPS readings of 87.1°F at Pensacola (station 8729840), 86.2°F at Panama City (station 8729108) and 86.7°F near Apalachicola (station 8728690) as of this morning. That warmth still reads more like late summer than fall, but the seasonal shift is underway. Sport Fishing Mag reports Gulf snook are feeding up and starting to move toward their winter holding areas as days shorten, calling the fall transition one of the year's better windows for the species. Salt Strong's weekly Weekend Game Plan lineup lists Florida Panhandle & Big Bend among this week's featured regions, a sign local patterns are worth watching closely right now. Redfish remain a steady target through the transition, with Salt Strong pointing anglers toward a rotating fall lure lineup for bigger inshore fish as water cools.
Tarpon and snook set up for the Keys' fall transition
Water temperatures are holding at 87°F off Key West and 86.7°F off Marathon, typical late-September Keys warmth that's kept the bite steady into the fall transition. Bud n' Mary's reported strong bridge tarpon action through its recent stretch of reports, and Sport Fishing Mag notes Gulf snook are feeding up hard as they push toward winter holding areas, calling it one of the best windows of the year for the species. Salt Strong's fall lure rundown puts redfish among the inshore targets worth working now, favoring soft plastics that adjust to skittish fish in skinny water. Field & Stream reported a September 17 White House executive order aimed at loosening federal fishing-tackle restrictions for saltwater anglers, a regulatory shift worth watching this fall.