St Augustine Fishing Report Today

St Augustine Late May Fishing: Reds, Trout, and Flounder on the Incoming Tide

Morning, folks—Artificial Lure here with your St. Augustine fishing report. It’s been a pretty classic late-May setup along the First Coast: warm, muggy air, light coastal breeze, and enough cloud cover at times to keep the heat from getting mean too early. NOAA’s forecast for the St. Augustine area calls for a warm day with scattered showers possible, so keep an eye on the sky and give yourself a little rain gear. For tides, this morning is shaping up around a strong incoming phase, which is money around the inlets, creek mouths, and bridges. Around St. Augustine Inlet and the Matanzas area, that moving water should have bait stacking and predators feeding. If you can fish the first of the incoming or the last of the outgoing, that’s usually the sweet spot. Sunrise is around 6:27 AM, and sunset lands near 8:16 PM, so we’ve got plenty of daylight to work with and a good stretch of evening bite after the sun drops. Fish activity has been solid lately. According to local reports from area guides and bait shops, redfish are showing in good numbers on the flats and around dock lines, with a mix of slot fish and a few solid bulls. Trout have been picking up on grass shorelines and tidal drains, and flounder are starting to show better around ambush points near deeper cuts. Near the inlet and bridge pilings, anglers have also been hooking Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and the occasional ladyfish when the bait gets pushed through. Offshore, when the weather allows, reports have included kingfish, mangrove snapper, and a few cobia cruising structure and buoys. Recent catches have been looking like this: reds in the 18- to 26-inch range, trout mostly 14 to 20 inches, flounder from keeper size on up, and a decent mix of 2- to 5-pound Spanish mackerel on live bait and shiny stuff. A few backwater crews have been reporting double-digit redfish mornings when the tide is moving right. Best bait right now? Live shrimp is still hard to beat, especially under a popping cork for trout and reds. Mud minnows and finger mullet are excellent for flounder and bigger inshore reds. If you’re fishing the inlet or bridge shadow lines, live pilchards, cut mullet, or small menhaden are all strong choices. Best lures: a 3-inch paddletail on a jig head for the grass flats, gold spoons for cruising reds, and topwater plugs early and late if the water’s calm. Around deeper water and current breaks, try a bucktail or a twitch bait. For Spanish and bluefish, a small silver spoon or gotcha-style lure does the trick. Couple of hot spots to check: St. Augustine Inlet for moving-water action and mixed species, and the Matanzas River marsh drains and creek mouths for reds, trout, and flounder. If the wind lays down, the bridge pilings and nearby channel edges can be very productive too. That’s your local rundown—get out there early, fish the moving water, and don’t be afraid to change baits if the bite slows. Thanks for tuning in, and make sure you subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Spring Reds and Trout at the First Coast: Chase the Falling Tide

This is Artificial Lure with your St. Augustine fishing report. We’re working a mild spring pattern along the First Coast. Light northeast breeze early, building onshore by afternoon. Air temps running mid‑60s at first light, pushing upper 70s later, with partly cloudy skies and just enough chop to keep things interesting. According to NOAA tide tables for St. Augustine Inlet, we’ve got a predawn high followed by a mid‑morning fall, then a mid‑afternoon low and an evening push back in. That dropping water after sunrise is the money window: bait flushed off the flats and out of the creeks, predators stacking at the edges and mouths. Sunrise is right around that six‑ish mark, with sunset roughly twelve and a half hours later, giving you a long day to work both ends of the tide. Inshore, the reds and trout have been the main story. Local reports from the Intracoastal around the 312 bridge and Vilano say slot reds have been chewing well on the first half of the outgoing, especially where oysters meet deeper cuts. Anglers drifting the edges with live shrimp under popping corks or cut mullet on fish‑finder rigs are putting a handful of keepers in the box, plus plenty of underslot dinks. Speckled trout are still active along grass lines and creek mouths from Salt Run up toward the Guana area. The night and first‑light bite has been strong on topwater walkers in bone or mullet patterns. As the sun gets up, switch to 3–4 inch paddle tails in new penny, opening night, or natural mullet colors on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads. Slow roll them along drop‑offs and you’ll pick off trout with the occasional flounder mixed in. Speaking of flounder, numbers are improving. Folks working the docks and pilings in Salt Run and around the Bridge of Lions with mud minnows or finger mullet on Carolina rigs are seeing a steady pick, mostly 14–17 inches, with a few doormats when the water’s clean. Work tight to structure and be patient on the hookset. Nearshore, when the wind lays, boats sliding just off the beach have found pods of bait and the usual suspects behind them. Kingfish have started to show on the reefs and wrecks in 50–70 feet; slow‑trolled live pogies are the ticket. You’ll also see scattered cobia cruising rays and buoys—keep a jig ready, something heavy in chartreuse or white, and toss it right on their nose. Surf fishing along Anastasia and south toward Crescent Beach has produced whiting and pompano on the better days, with a few drum in the mix. Best results come on the last of the incoming and first of the outgoing, with double‑drop rigs tipped with fresh shrimp, sand fleas, or Fishbites in shrimp or clam. Scale your tackle down for more bites; these fish have seen a lot of hardware lately. For artificial fans, you can’t go wrong with a small arsenal: topwater walkers at dawn, gold spoons for covering water over grass, and soft plastics on light jigheads once the sun’s up. Natural colors on clear water, darker or more vibrant on that wind‑stirred tide. Couple of local hotspots to circle: First, Salt Run and the adjacent flats inside the inlet. Work the early falling tide along the grass and around the docks for reds, trout, and flounder. Keep a close eye on the current seams near the channel. Second, the ICW stretch between the 312 bridge and Vilano. Target creek mouths with good oyster presence and a little deeper water close by. Those ambush points have been holding some of the better slot reds and a healthy trout bite. That’s the rundown from in and around St. Augustine. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Late Spring Setup: Northwest Breeze, Steady Bite, Reds and Trout on the Move

This is Artificial Lure with your St. Augustine fishing report. We’ve got a classic late‑spring pattern setting up. A cool, light northwest breeze at daybreak will swing onshore by late morning with winds around 8–12 knots off the ocean. Skies are mostly clear, temps starting in the low 70s and pushing into the mid‑80s this afternoon. Barometer is steady, and that’s helped keep the bite pretty consistent the last few days. According to the National Weather Service marine forecast out of Jacksonville, seas are running 2–3 feet nearshore, a little lumpier past 10 miles but very manageable for smaller boats early. NOAA tide tables for the St. Augustine Inlet show a pre‑dawn incoming tide, topping out around mid‑morning, then falling through early afternoon. That first couple hours of incoming has been the money window for most inshore folks. Sunrise comes just after 6:20 a.m., sunset a bit after 8:10 p.m., so you’ve got a long day to pick your shots. Dawn and the last hour of light are still the best for topwater work around the grass and docks. Inshore, the usual suspects have been chewing. Local shop reports from places like Avid Angler and Fishbites Trading Post say reds have been steady in the creeks off the ICW north and south of town—think Moses Creek, Pellicer, and the back of Salt Run. Most fish are slot reds with a few over-slots mixed in. Trout are hanging on the edges of deeper bends and around shell bars, especially halfway through the outgoing tide. For artificials, a 3–4 inch paddle tail in new penny, electric chicken, or anything with some chartreuse has been hot, rigged on a 1/8–1/4 oz jighead. Topwater plugs like a Spook Jr. or Skitter Walk have been drawing some explosive strikes at first light over flooded grass and along oyster edges. Live shrimp under a popping cork and mud minnows on a jighead remain the go‑to for folks who’d rather soak bait. Flounder reports have picked up around the Vilano Bridge pilings and along the rocks at the inlet. Most are keepers, with a few doormats. Finger mullet and mud minnows on a sliding egg sinker rig or bucktail jigs sweetened with a strip of mullet are getting bit. Nearshore, local captains out of the St. Augustine Marina and Camachee Cove have been putting customers on good numbers of king mackerel on the beach when the water cleans up—slow‑trolled live pogies and ribbonfish around bait pods and near the shrimp boats. Spanish mackerel and bluefish are mixed in, hitting small silver spoons and gotcha plugs. A few cobia are still popping up on rays and along color changes just off the beach, so keep a big bucktail or an eel-style soft plastic ready on a heavier rod. Water clarity has been decent on the higher tides in the river and around the inlet, but gets pretty stained on the bottom of the outgoing, especially after any afternoon storms. Adjust lure color accordingly—go natural when it’s clear, brighter or darker profiles when it muddies up. If you’re looking for a couple of hot spots to start your day: First, work the oyster bars and grass lines along the ICW between the 312 bridge and the 206 bridge on the first of the incoming for reds and trout. Second, hit the rocks and channel edges around the St. Augustine Inlet at the top of the tide for flounder and a mixed bag of jacks, drum, and the occasional snook. That’s your St. Augustine fishing rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

St. Augustine Hot Bite: Reds, Trout, and Offshore Action on Monday

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St. Augustine Sunday Bite: Reds and Trout Fire Up in Perfect May Weather

Hey y'all, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to gal for all things fishin' down here in St. Augustine. It's early Sunday mornin', May 3rd, 2026, kickin' off at 3 AM Eastern, and I'm pumped to break down today's action on the water. Weather's lookin' prime courtesy of the National Weather Service—mostly sunny with highs pushin' 82°F, light southeast winds at 5-10 knots, and just a 10% chance of a stray shower later. Perfect for castin' lines without gettin' soaked. Sunrise hits at 6:30 AM, sunset at 8:05 PM per timeanddate.com, givin' us a solid 13.5 hours of daylight to chase 'em. Tides are on point from NOAA's Tides and Currents: low tide at 4:17 AM (-0.2 ft), high at 10:32 AM (5.1 ft), then low again at 4:45 PM (0.1 ft). Fish the incomin' tide mid-mornin' when the Matanzas Inlet starts pushin' bait in. Fish activity's heatin' up this May—reports from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and local charter logs show redfish, trout, and black drum goin' strong in the shallows. Anglers pulled 15-20 slot reds per trip last week off Vilano Beach, plus flounder and sheepshead on the flats. Offshore, mahi and kings are poppin' 20-40 miles out, with a few cobia sightings. Inshore, snook are legal and feisty post-spawn. Best lures? Gold Johnson Silver Minnows or paddle-tail soft plastics in chartreuse for reds and trout—work 'em slow on the retrieve. Topwater plugs like the Heddon Zara Spook at dawn for explosive strikes. Live bait kings it: shrimp under a popping cork or finger mullet free-lined. Cut mullet for drum on the bottom. Hot spots: Hit the Vilano Causeway pilings for sheepshead and trout—drop shrimp right at the barnacle line. Or pole the backcountry flats around Guana River for tailin' reds; look for nervous water. Get out there safe, check your regs, and tight lines! Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more St. Augustine scoops. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.