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

St. Augustine Early Summer Fishing: Redfish, Trout, and Flounder on the Incoming Tide

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your St. Augustine fishing report. We’re sitting on a warming early‑summer pattern: light southwest to southeast breeze this morning, building sea breeze by mid‑day, muggy, with a good chance of a passing thunderstorm inland pushing out toward the beach late afternoon. Skies start mostly clear, clouds stacking up after lunch. Air temps climbing into the upper 80s, feeling hotter on the flats. Water inshore is running stained to lightly tannic from recent rains. Sunrise is right around 6:25 a.m., with sunset about 8:25 p.m., so you’ve got a nice long window to work low light on both ends of the day. Tides around the St. Augustine Inlet are running about a 4–5 foot swing. We’ve got a predawn high, with water dumping out mid‑morning and a strong outgoing through late morning, then a mid‑afternoon low and a flood pushing in toward sunset. That falling tide this morning and the first couple hours of the incoming late day are your prime chew windows. Inshore, the usual suspects have been cooperating. Local dock talk has slot redfish chewing along shell bars and flooded grass edges from Vilano up toward the ICW creeks, especially on the last of the incoming and first of the outgoing. A few upper‑slot fish have been coming off the edges of the Matanzas River bars. Trout catches have picked up on the deeper bends and around the, ahem, “no‑name” docks south of the 312 bridge, with some keeper specks mixed in with dinks at first light. Flounder action’s been decent but not on fire: scattered fish on sandy pockets along the ICW and around inlet rocks, with a few nice ones reported by guys dragging slow near the bottom. Mangrove snapper are starting to stack on bridges and rock piles, great option if the wind or boat traffic turns the creeks into a mess. Off the beach, when the seas settle, folks have been finding Spanish mackerel and the occasional king skying on bait pods just outside the breakers, with a few cobia still shadowing rays and buoys. Surf anglers along A1A are picking up whiting, a few pompano stragglers, and slot reds in the cuts, especially on that last half of the rising tide. Best baits inshore right now: live shrimp, mud minnows, and finger mullet if you can net them at first light. For artificials, keep it simple: - For reds and trout at dawn: small walk‑the‑dog topwaters in bone or mullet patterns, plus suspending twitchbaits in natural colors. - For flounder: 1/4‑ounce jighead with a white or new penny paddletail, dragged painfully slow along the bottom. - For mangroves and mixed bag around structure: small live shrimp on a light knocker rig or freelined with just enough weight to get down. Surf: fresh dead shrimp, sandfleas if you can dig them, and small cut mullet will get whiting, drum, and reds. A couple local hot spots to circle: - The St. Augustine Inlet and surrounding rocks, including the Vilano Bridge area and nearby channel edges. Work the moving water around the rocks on the change of the tide for reds, trout, flounder, and Spanish when bait’s pushing through. - The ICW creek mouths and oyster bars between the 312 bridge and Matanzas Inlet. Hit them on the last of the incoming and first of the outgoing with live bait or paddletails, keeping your casts tight to the shells and grass. That’s the rundown from your buddy Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next 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 Early Summer Pattern: Dawn Topwater and Moving Tides

This is Artificial Lure with your St. Augustine fishing report. We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern setting up along the Ancient City coast. The National Weather Service calls for light southwest winds this morning turning onshore by afternoon, seas running 2 to 3 feet, and just a slight chop on the ICW. Skies are partly cloudy with a small chance of an afternoon shower. Weather Underground and Windy both show barometric pressure steady to slowly falling, which usually perks up the bite on the moving tides. Sunrise is right around a quarter after six, with sunset just before eight-thirty this evening, giving you a long, fishable day with prime low-light windows at both ends. Those dawn and dusk edges are when your topwater and shallow presentations will shine. Tides along the St. Augustine Inlet, per NOAA, show a predawn high followed by a mid-morning outgoing that drains hard through the inlet and into the creek mouths. Expect the strongest current around the lower half of the outgoing and the first push of the incoming early afternoon. That’s when the predators pin bait against the edges and structure. Local tackle shops around town have been reporting steady action on **slot redfish**, **trout**, and a few **flounder** inshore, with **mangrove snapper**, **jacks**, and **ladyfish** mixed in around the bridges and rocks. Offshore and nearshore, anglers are still finding **king mackerel**, **cobia** sliding through, and a mix of **vermilion snapper** and **sea bass** on the bottom when the current allows. Pier regulars say whiting and pompano slowed some, but there are still **spanish mackerel** and **bluefish** pushing bait when the water’s clean. Inshore, think early and late for the best bite. On the flats behind Vilano and north in the Palm Valley stretch, redfish have been cruising edges 1–3 feet deep, especially where oyster meets grass. A 3-inch paddle tail in new penny, opening night, or natural mullet on an 1/8-ounce jig head has been the day-in, day-out producer. Live shrimp under a popping cork remains king for numbers of trout and mixed bag action. For trout, hit the drop-offs along the Matanzas River and the ICW, especially where smaller feeder creeks dump into deeper bends. MirrOlure-style hard baits, small suspending twitch baits, and walk-the-dog topwaters at first light are putting better fish in the boat. Once the sun gets up, slide a bit deeper and slow it down with soft plastics or live bait. Flounder have been coming from dock lines, riprap, and the inlet rocks. Slow-roll a mud minnow or finger mullet on a jig right along the bottom. Don’t be afraid to let them chew a second before you set the hook. Two local hot spots to circle today: • St. Augustine Inlet and the adjacent jetties – Work the last of the outgoing and first of the incoming for reds, flounder, mangroves, jacks, and the occasional snook. Use live shrimp, mud minnows, or small finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bounce 1/4-ounce jigs tight to the rocks. • Tolomato River and creeks off the ICW between the Vilano Bridge and Guana River – On the lower tide, target creek mouths with oysters for redfish and trout. On high water, push back into the grass with weedless soft plastics and topwaters. Best all-around lures today: 3–4 inch paddle tails, gold spoons, and small topwater plugs in bone or mullet patterns. Best bait: live shrimp, mud minnows, small mullet, and cut mullet for the bigger reds. This is Artificial Lure reminding you to fish the moving water, keep an eye on the storms, and respect the local spots and fellow anglers. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to 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

Early Summer St. Augustine: Reds, Trout, and Tarpon on the Incoming Tide

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your St. Augustine fishing report. We’ve got a classic early summer pattern setting in around the Ancient City. First light’s coming quick, with sunrise just after 6:20 a.m. and sunset a little after 8:20 p.m., so you’ve got a long window to work both the low-light and tide changes. Mornings are starting off in the low 70s, afternoons pushing upper 80s to low 90s with that typical onshore breeze and building humidity. Expect a southeast sea breeze to pick up by late morning, kicking the chop up along the beaches but keeping things fishy in the inlet and intracoastal. Tides around St. Augustine Inlet are running a solid mid-range. We’re looking at an early morning low, a late-morning incoming, and an afternoon high that sets up nicely for working current edges and creek mouths. The incoming has been the money tide for cleaner water on the inside, while the first of the outgoing is flushing bait out of the grass and oyster bars. Inshore, the redfish bite has been strong on the higher stages of the tide up on the flooded grass edges and around oyster points. Anglers have been picking off slot and a few upper-slot reds, with some overs thrown in, working soft-plastic paddletails in natural colors, gold spoons, and live shrimp or finger mullet under popping corks. Trout have been chewing the best at first light along deeper shell banks and bends in the ICW, especially around areas with 4–8 feet of water and moving current. Topwaters at dawn—walk-the-dog style plugs in bone or mullet patterns—are getting smoked, then switching to suspending hard baits or soft plastics once the sun gets up. Flounder are starting to show better around docks, creek mouths, and sandy drop-offs near oyster bars. Folks bouncing mud minnows or small finger mullet on jig heads close to the bottom are putting a few nice flatfish in the cooler. Black drum and sheepshead are hanging around bridge pilings and heavier structure; fiddler crabs and shrimp on a simple rig tight to the structure are doing the trick. Nearshore, the beach bite has had tarpon rolling on the bait pods when conditions line up, and there’ve been Spanish mackerel, bluefish, and jacks blitzing glass minnows and small pogies. Shiny spoons, small gotcha-style plugs, and white bucktail jigs are good choices if you’re chasing the schools along the beach. Keep a heavier rod ready with a big swimbait or live bait for when the tarpon slide through. Best lures right now: – Topwater plugs at daybreak for trout and mixed bag. – 3–4 inch paddletail soft plastics on 1/8–1/4 oz jig heads for reds and trout. – Gold spoons for covering water on the flats. – White bucktails or silver spoons nearshore for Spanish and jacks. Best baits: – Live shrimp, finger mullet, and mud minnows inshore. – Pogies and mullet nearshore and around the inlet. A couple of local hot spots to keep on your radar: – The Vilano area and bridges on the ICW: good for trout at dawn, reds on the edges, and drum around pilings. – Matanzas River and its feeder creeks south of town: cleaner water on the incoming and a nice mix of reds, trout, and flounder around oyster bars and creek mouths. Work those moving tides, fish early or late to dodge the heat, and match the hatch with either small baitfish or shrimp imitations and you’ll stay tight to fish around St. Augustine right now. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to 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

St. Augustine Early June Bite: Tide Changes, Inlet Action, and Morning Topwater Blowups

Good morning, this is **Artificial Lure** with your St. Augustine fishing report for today. With no live feed pulled in right now, I’m sticking to the usual early-June playbook: expect a **warm, building day**, a **strong morning bite**, and the best action lining up around **moving water** near the inlets, creeks, and the beach troughs. Around St. Augustine, the **tide timing** is the big deal today. On days like this, the bite usually turns on best when the tide is **slack-to-starting flow**, especially the last part of the outgoing and the first push of incoming water. That’s when bait gets flushed, predators set up tight, and you’ll find more willing **redfish, speckled trout, flounder, black drum, ladyfish, and the occasional snook** in the mix. For **weather**, June in northeast Florida usually means **hot, humid, and breezy**, with a real chance of afternoon pop-up storms. The smarter move is to fish **early and late**, and keep an eye on that wind once the sun gets up. The **sunrise** is around **early daylight near 6:25 a.m.**, and **sunset** is around **8:20 p.m.**, giving you a long window if the weather holds. Recent fish activity in these waters has been centered on **bait schools, dock edges, creek mouths, and inlet current seams**. The better reports lately have been a mix of **slot redfish**, **trout on grass edges**, and **flounder holding on sand-and-rock transitions**. If the water is clean, topwater can still get a morning blowup. If it’s a little stained, slow down and fish deeper edges. Best **lures** right now: - **Soft plastic paddle tails** in white, pearl, new penny, or root beer - **Topwater plugs** at daylight for trout and reds - **Suspending twitch baits** for cleaner water and deeper edges - **Jigs with scented soft plastics** around docks, oysters, and creek mouths Best **bait**: - **Live shrimp** is hard to beat for just about everything - **Mud minnows** for flounder and reds - **Small finger mullet** if you can find them - **Cut bait** for drum and opportunistic reds If you want a couple of **hot spots**, I’d start with **the St. Augustine Inlet** for moving-water action, then slide over to **Creek mouths and the Matanzas side edges** where bait funnels hard on tide changes. **Dock lines and bridge shadow lines** can also fish well once the sun gets higher and the bite gets tougher. If you’re on foot, work the **first gut at the beach** early. If you’re in a skiff or kayak, focus on **current breaks, oyster edges, and little drains emptying into bigger water**. That’s where the fish stack up when the tide starts moving. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to **subscribe** for more local fishing reports. 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 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