Artificial Lure with your Thursday morning fishing report from beautiful St. Augustine. Cool, crisp fall air out here today—thanks to a fresh front last night, the skies are clear, humidity’s down, and it’s a picture-perfect day to be on the water.
Sunrise hit at 7:32 this morning, with sunset at 6:45 this evening—plenty of daylight for anglers to chase a limit or two. Temps are starting off around the low 60s, warming into the mid-70s by afternoon, and we’ve got a light breeze from the north-northeast around 10 to 12 knots. Water clarity is looking solid so far, especially around the inlets and the flats, a little stirred near the beaches from that breeze overnight.
Tide-wise, your early window was a low at 4:05 a.m., but the big event is a 5.2-foot high tide pushing in at 10:20 a.m.—that flood’s going to flush bait deep into the grass lines and over the oyster bars. Next low is at 4:48 p.m., so you’ve got prime outgoing flow midday for chasing predatory fish on the prowl.
Let’s talk fish activity. Back At It Fishing Charters and other local guides have been raving about the redfish bite the past couple weeks. Big schools are working the shallows and creek mouths, with plenty of upper-slot and a handful of over-slot reds coming to hand. Live shrimp is king for numbers—drift one under a popping cork along the St. Johns Inlet or across the Matanzas flats for fast action. For lures, it’s hard to beat soft plastic paddle tails on a 1/8-ounce jighead, or gold spoons when the sun’s high and water gets a little dirty.
Speckled trout have been thick at first light, especially along grass edges on the east side of the Intracoastal and at the drop-offs near Salt Run. MirrOlure suspending twitchbaits and topwaters like Super Spooks or Skitter Walks have worked wonders early—then go to live finger mullet or shrimp on a light jighead as the bite slows.
King mackerel are still lighting up nearshore, especially around the shipping channel and the North Beach reefs. Troll big diving plugs or slow-troll live menhaden for your shot at a smoker. A few big spanish mackerel are mixed in, and near those same reefs there have been cobia and even some late tarpon showing if you’ve got stout tackle ready.
For sheepshead, the cold snap means they’re stacking up on the Bridge of Lions pilings and the Vilano pier rocks. Fiddler crabs or shrimp tight to structure is your ticket—bottom-sweeper jigs are a favorite for precise vertical action.
Best bait for the day overall: live shrimp for inshore and fiddlers for sheeps; finger mullet in the creeks if you’re after trout or flounder. If artificial’s more your thing, go with soft plastics in natural colors—shrimp or mullet imitations rule this time of year.
A couple hot spots you shouldn’t miss right now: the St. Augustine Inlet just inside the jetties, especially two hours each side of high tide for bull redfish and trout; and the Salt Run flats for early morning topwater action. The Matanzas River oyster bars are holding mixed bags, especially when that tide’s moving.
Fishing overall has been excellent—steady action and good chances at a trophy. This is peak fall bite and local captains report “limits of reds with big smiles” and “plenty of mackerel off the beaches.” The mullet run is still winding down, so predator fish are feeding heavy.
That’s the word from the water. Thanks for tuning in—if you like these reports, make sure to subscribe so you never miss a bite.
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