UTERFlorida fishing is good every month, but the fish move. Winter is for sheepshead, redfish, pompano and sailfish. Spring brings the migrants: cobia, kingfish, Spanish mackerel and the first tarpon. Summer is for tarpon, snook and snapper. Fall brings the mullet run, schooling redfish and bull reds. April and October are the two months when the most fish feed at once.
This calendar comes from the season data inside the Fish Scouter app, which tracks each species month by month in each of Florida's ten saltwater regions, from Pensacola to Key West to Jacksonville. Each month below covers inshore, nearshore and offshore, with links to the guide for that fish in that water. For the deep dives, see tarpon season, snook by season, redfish, pompano, the fall mullet run and Tampa Bay by month.
The year at a glance
| Month | Inshore | Nearshore | Offshore |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Sheepshead, redfish schools, black drum, snook in canals | Atlantic pompano, blacktip migration, cobia on rays | Sailfish, wahoo, kingfish (south) |
| February | Sheepshead spawn, black drum spawn, gator trout | Pompano, whiting, Spanish (south) | Sailfish, blackfin |
| March | Snook out of the canals, trout on the grass, tailing reds | Spring pompano, Spanish and cobia arrive | Last sails, blackfin on the Keys humps |
| April | Everything: snook, trout, reds; tarpon at the Keys bridges | Cobia peak (Panhandle), kingfish spring run | Mahi arrive, permit spawn on Keys wrecks |
| May | Tarpon (Boca Grande, Homosassa), snook to the passes | Permit on the wrecks, kings, cobia (north) | Mahi peak |
| June | Peak tarpon, beach snook at dawn | Mangrove snapper, tripletail | Mahi, red snapper season |
| July | Tarpon (Panhandle, Atlantic), night snook | Mangrove snapper spawn, tripletail | Red snapper (short Atlantic season), sailfish (Panhandle) |
| August | Redfish schools forming, lagoon tarpon | Snapper, the first mullet schools | Bluewater slows; wahoo start (Keys) |
| September | Schooling reds, bull reds, the mullet run | Fall kings, tarpon on the mullet | Wahoo (Atlantic), blackfin |
| October | Mullet run peak, bulls, snook, trout | Kings and Spanish fall run, fall pompano | Wahoo, blackfin |
| November | Flounder run, trout on the grass | Fall pompano peak, kings | Sailfish begin, wahoo on the full moon |
| December | Sheepshead, black drum, roe mullet run | Atlantic pompano, blacktips arrive, cobia (south) | Sailfish, wahoo, gag inshore |
January
Inshore: the cold is the story. Sheepshead are on every piling, bridge and dock. Redfish school tight in clear, shallow water, giving the best sight fishing of the year in the First Coast creeks and on Mosquito Lagoon. Big black drum school on the lagoon flats. Snook sit in canals, rivers and power-plant outflows, so leave cold-stunned fish alone. Miami's resident tarpon roll under the bridge lights at night.
Nearshore: pompano peak on the beaches from Hobe Sound to Fort Pierce. The blacktip migration packs the beaches from Jupiter to Boca. Cobia ride manta rays off the Palm Beach beaches. Spanish mackerel are thick on the Keys' Gulf-side shoals.
Offshore: the heart of the sailfish run off Stuart, Jupiter and Palm Beach, plus Miami and the Keys reef edge. Fish kites and live baits behind the fronts. Kingfish winter south of the Keys, and blackfin tuna follow the shrimp boats off Tampa Bay.
February
Inshore: the sheepshead spawn. Big convict fish move to the pass jetties and nearshore reefs, and the Mayport jetty rocks hold the biggest fish of the year. Black drum spawn in the St. Johns and Nassau Sound. It's gator trout month on the Indian River Lagoon, with the biggest seatrout of the year on warm afternoons.
Nearshore: Atlantic pompano are still at their peak. Whiting fill the surf on the days pompano don't show. The first migrant tarpon reach the Keys bridges late in the month if the water warms.
Offshore: sailfish behind the fronts. Gag grouper spawn on the deep shelf-edge reefs, where seasons and protected areas apply, so check MyFWC.
March
Inshore: the turn. Snook leave the canals for the mangrove points and passes. Trout spread back over the grass. Redfish tail on the Big Bend oyster bars at low water. Bonefish start tailing on the Keys oceanside flats once the water passes about 74°F. The shrimp-run nights in Biscayne Bay bring peak spring tarpon at the Miami bridges and cuts.
Nearshore: the spring pompano run hits the Gulf beaches from Clearwater to Naples. Spanish mackerel flood Tampa Bay. The Panhandle cobia run starts mid-month, with tower boats scanning the beach from Destin to Pensacola.
Offshore: the last good sailfish month. Blackfin tuna are on the Islamorada and Marathon humps.
April
Inshore: the best inshore month in much of the state. Snook, trout and reds are all on the flats and points, and the first tarpon show at the Skyway by month's end. In the Keys, tarpon month begins: Bahia Honda, Seven Mile and every bridge on the night outgoing.
Nearshore: Panhandle cobia peak. The spring kingfish run fills the reefs off Egmont and off Canaveral. Panhandle pompano are in every cut in the bar.
Offshore: mahi arrive on the weed lines off Jupiter and Palm Beach. Permit gather to spawn on the Keys wrecks around the full moon.
May
Inshore: tarpon. Boca Grande Pass fills with fish, the Homosassa giants cruise the Nature Coast flats, and pods move up the Tampa Bay beaches. Snook gather at the passes and inlets to spawn, so check MyFWC for closed seasons.
Nearshore: permit gather on the wrecks off Boca Grande and Sanibel. Cobia peak on the Mayport buoys and reefs. Spring kings peak off Jacksonville.
Offshore: mahi peak, with big bulls on the weed lines off the Keys. Follow the frigatebirds.
June
Inshore: peak tarpon statewide. It's the spawn month at Boca Grande, and the hill tides around the full and new moons flush crabs out of the Pass. Snook cruise the beach trough in a foot of water at first light. Northeast Florida reds push into the flooded spartina on the top of the tide.
Nearshore: mangrove snapper on every reef and bridge. Tripletail on crab-trap floats and channel markers. The Panhandle tarpon beach run gets going.
Offshore: red snapper season on the Panhandle wrecks and reefs. The dates are short and set by FWC and federal managers, so check MyFWC. Mahi run on the Atlantic weed lines.
July
Inshore: fish dawn and dark. Tarpon peak on the Panhandle and the Mayport pogy pods. Snook feed under the dock lights at night.
Nearshore: the mangrove snapper spawn. Between the July and August full moons, fish leave the backcountry and bridges for the Keys reef. It's also the best snapper fishing of the year off Tampa Bay.
Offshore: big Atlantic red snapper on the live bottom off Jacksonville during a very short season (check MyFWC). Summer sailfish on the Panhandle bluewater.
August
Inshore: the hottest month, so the tide is everything. Fish the strongest tide of the day in the shade. Redfish start schooling on the flats late in the month. Lagoon tarpon bust bait in the Indian River.
Nearshore: the first finger-mullet schools gather on the First Coast and Treasure Coast beaches. Bull reds start stacking at the St. Johns and Mayport jetties.
Offshore: a quieter bluewater month. Hurricane season is underway, so watch the seven-day outlook.
September
Inshore: redfish month. Schools of a hundred fish work the Big Bend bars and the Charlotte Harbor flats. FWC's surveys found bull red spawning aggregations off Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor from late August into November. Snook return to the mangroves.
Nearshore: the mullet run pours down the Atlantic beaches, with snook, tarpon, jacks and sharks behind it. Fall kings return to the Treasure Coast reefs.
Offshore: fall wahoo begin on the northeast Florida ledges.
October
Inshore: the other best month. The mullet run peaks from Palm Beach to Miami, giving the best beach snook of the year. Bull reds stack in Pensacola Pass. Mosquito Lagoon has its best month as the water drops through the 70s.
Nearshore: the fall kingfish and Spanish mackerel runs in Tampa Bay and off the Panhandle. The fall pompano run returns to the Panhandle surf. Flounder stage at the passes.
Offshore: wahoo on the Panhandle rigs. Fall blackfin return to the Keys humps.
November
Inshore: the flounder run. Fish pour out through the passes on the outgoing, headed offshore to spawn, at Pensacola, the Tampa Bay passes and St. Augustine and the St. Johns. A fall closure applies, so check MyFWC. Trout are thick on the grass as the water drops through the 70s.
Nearshore: peak fall pompano in the Gulf passes and on the Space Coast. Fall kings on the reefs off Boca Grande.
Offshore: sailfish season begins on the Keys reef edge. Wahoo work the Keys dropoffs and humps around the full moon.
December
Inshore: winter sets up. Sheepshead return to the pilings and black drum to the flats and bridges. Roe mullet pour out of the Panhandle bays and the Tampa Bay passes to spawn offshore. Tripletail sit on the Keys' Gulf-side lobster-trap floats.
Nearshore: Atlantic pompano build toward the winter peak. Blacktip sharks arrive off Palm Beach. Gag grouper move inshore onto the Tampa Bay rocks and ledges as the water cools (check MyFWC for the season).
Offshore: Miami and Fort Lauderdale sailfish on the edge in 100 to 200 feet after the fronts. Wahoo on the edge off Stuart and Palm Beach.
Seasons, limits and closures
This calendar shows when fish are around and feeding. It doesn't tell you when you can keep them. Florida's saltwater seasons, size limits and bag limits are set by FWC (and federal managers for many offshore fish) and change often. Read the current rule at MyFWC before you keep a fish.
Today's version of this calendar
A month is a broad window. Fish Scouter narrows it to today and your water. We think Fish Scouter is the best way to know what's biting, because it does what a printed calendar can't: it combines this season calendar with the live water temperature from the nearest reporting sensor, the NOAA tide and the wind, ranks every species for the water you're on each hour, and explains each ranking in plain words. A seven-day outlook shows which day is the one. Browse your water's page, or try Fish Scouter free.