UTERThe best time to fish Jacksonville and St. Augustine is fall. In September, bull redfish spawn at the Mayport jetties and the St. Johns River mouth, and in October and November, reds, trout and the flounder run fill every creek and inlet. Spring brings the kingfish and cobia runs, summer brings tarpon to the jetties, and winter has some of the best sight fishing for redfish in Florida, in the clear low-water creeks.
This guide covers the First Coast from Daytona to Fernandina: spartina marsh, oyster-lined creeks and the Intracoastal from Ponce Inlet to the Georgia line, the St. Johns River and the Mayport jetties, St. Augustine and Matanzas inlets, Nassau Sound, and the beaches. It fishes more like Georgia's lowcountry than the rest of Florida. The months come from the First Coast page of Fish Scouter's season calendar.
Jacksonville and St. Augustine fishing calendar at a glance
| Month | Headline | Top targets |
|---|---|---|
| January | Sheepshead on the jetties; winter red schools in the creeks | Sheepshead, redfish, trout, black drum |
| February | Sheepshead spawn; big drum on the bridges | Sheepshead, black drum, redfish |
| March | Trout and reds spread through the marsh | Sheepshead, trout, redfish, whiting, pompano |
| April | The spring king run starts | Kingfish, trout, redfish, cobia, whiting |
| May | Kings and cobia peak; first tarpon | Kingfish, cobia, tarpon, pompano, redfish |
| June | Tarpon at the jetties; reds in the flooded grass | Tarpon, redfish, flounder, trout |
| July | Peak jetty tarpon; offshore red snapper window | Tarpon, redfish, kings, snapper |
| August | Bull reds stack in the river | Redfish, tarpon, flounder, jacks |
| September | Bull red spawn; the mullet run starts | Redfish, tarpon, jacks, flounder |
| October | Fall peak: reds, trout and flounder everywhere | Redfish, trout, flounder, pompano, kings |
| November | The flounder run peaks | Flounder, trout, redfish, sheepshead |
| December | Winter pattern sets up | Sheepshead, redfish, trout, black drum |
Winter: December to February
December
Fish the jetties and docks for sheepshead, the low-water creeks for redfish on sunny days, and the deep river and ICW bends for trout. Fall bluefish come down the coast, and weakfish (gray trout) settle into the deep holes of the St. Johns and the Nassau River.
January
The coldest water on Florida's east coast. Winter reds school in the clear creeks at low tide. With the marsh drained and the water clear, you can see schools of fish on the mud and pole or wade to them with a jig or a fly. Sheepshead are on the Mayport jetties and every dock, so fish fiddler crabs tight to the structure. Black sea bass are on the nearshore live bottom off Jacksonville.
After a cold front: fish hold in the deep creek bends, the river and ICW channels, and on the jetty rocks. The clear, cold water after a front is when the creek reds are easiest to see.
February
The biggest sheepshead of the year spawn on the jetty rocks and nearshore reefs, and this far north the spawn runs into April. The big black drum spawn in the St. Johns and Nassau Sound, so fish crab halves on the bottom at the bridges. Offshore, gag spawn on the shelf-edge live bottom (check MyFWC for the season).
Spring: March to May
March
The last of the sheepshead spawn. Trout and reds move out of the deep holes onto the marsh edges as the water warms. Spring bluefish head north through the inlets, and the first pompano and whiting show in the surf at Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
April
The spring kingfish run starts on the nearshore reefs and off the Mayport jetties. The first cobia show on the buoys. Trout feed on the flooded grass at high water, and whiting are in the surf on shrimp and Fishbites. Spanish mackerel arrive on the beaches and at the jetties. Offshore, spring wahoo show on the ledges.
May
Big kings and cobia peak on the reefs, the Mayport channel buoys and the rays off the beach. The first tarpon reach the St. Johns River mouth and the jetties. Spring pompano peak on the beaches. Reds and trout feed at the creek mouths on the outgoing. Offshore, the Gulf Stream mahi run is on off Jacksonville and Mayport.
Summer: June to August
June
The Mayport tarpon fishery gets going, with pogy (menhaden) pods at the jetties and along the beach to Nassau Sound. The big tides flood the spartina, and reds push up into the grass on the top of the tide, tailing where you can see them. Flounder sit on the creek drops. Tripletail float on the tide rips and crab floats.
July
Peak tarpon on the menhaden schools off the beach and at the jetties. Fish a live pogy on a circle hook. Bull reds feed around the jetties too. Marsh reds tail in the grass on the flood, and trout feed early on the ICW points. Summer kings are on the reefs and live bottom, and it's tournament season in Jacksonville. Big Atlantic red snapper sit on the live bottom off Jacksonville. The Atlantic recreational season is very short, so check MyFWC for the dates.
August
Big bull reds stack in the St. Johns and off the jetties as the spawn approaches. Tarpon work the beach bait pods and push into the river and Nassau Sound. Flounder sit on the drops. Late in the month, the first northeast wind kicks off the mullet run.
Fall: September to November
September
The best bull redfish of the year, at the Mayport jetties and the river mouth, where the bulls gather to spawn. Use cut bait or a live menhaden on the bottom and release the big fish quickly. The mullet schools move south down the beaches with jack crevalle and tarpon behind them. Fall pompano start in the surf as the water cools.
October
The fall peak. Reds and trout feed in every creek on the falling tide as the water cools, and spawning bulls are still at the jetties. The flounder run starts through the inlets and creek mouths. Pompano peak as they move south down the beach. The last kings feed on the reefs before they head south. Tarpon leave with the mullet, and the first big northeaster ends it. Offshore, fall wahoo are on the ledges.
November
The flounder run peaks on the outgoing tide at St. Augustine Inlet, the St. Johns and Nassau Sound. Drag a mud minnow or a jig along the bottom where the current spills out of the creek mouths. FWC has a fall flounder closure, so check MyFWC before you keep one. Trout stack in the deeper creek bends, sheepshead come back to the docks and jetties, and the last pompano leave before the cold.
Tides on the First Coast
This is where Florida's tides get big. The tide is semidiurnal, two highs and two lows a day, and the range runs four to six feet at the St. Johns and Nassau. The marsh floods and drains completely twice a day, and the fish move with it.
- Creek mouths: the falling tide, when bait drains out of the marsh.
- Flooded spartina: the top of the big moon tides, for tailing reds.
- Jetties: the tide change, and the outgoing for bull reds and flounder.
- Winter creeks: dead low, when the reds are bunched up in the clear water.
Baits that work around Jacksonville
- Live shrimp: trout, reds, whiting and black drum, year-round.
- Mud minnows: flounder on the drops and creek mouths.
- Fiddler crabs: sheepshead on the jetties and docks.
- Live pogies (menhaden): tarpon, kings, cobia and bull reds.
- Crab halves and cut bait: black drum and bull reds.
- Sand fleas and Fishbites: pompano and whiting in the surf.
Rules
Northeast Florida is its own FWC management region for some inshore species, and the Atlantic reef fish (red snapper, gag, sea bass) follow South Atlantic seasons that change often. Read the current rules at MyFWC before you keep a fish.
Know the day, not just the month
With six feet of tide, the hour matters as much as the month: the same creek mouth can be dead at the top of the tide and loaded two hours later. We built Fish Scouter around that, and we think it's the best fishing app for tide-driven water like the First Coast. It combines this season calendar with the NOAA tide for the nearest station, the live water temperature from the nearest reporting sensor, the wind and the seven-day outlook, and ranks every species for the spot you're on, each hour, with the reasons in plain words. See our Florida redfish guide, the fall mullet run and the winter sheepshead guide, and, one coast north, the Charleston guide, or try Fish Scouter free.