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St. Augustine Fishing Report: Favorable Tides, Reds, Trout, and Tarpon Bite
Published 7 months, 4 weeks ago
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Artificial Lure here with your St. Augustine fishing report for Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025. Local tides, sunrise, weather, fish activity, and the hottest spots—let’s get right to it.
Tides today have been running favorable for inshore anglers. According to TidesChart, we hit a low tide this morning around 4:00 am and saw a strong high tide peak near 10:00 am, with another low on the way this afternoon around 4:00 pm. Expect the next high tide to push in just after 10:00 tonight. This swing means bait movement up around the flats and into the creeks through midday, ideal for stalking reds and trout.
Sunrise came at 6:49 am today, with sunset due at 8:11 pm. That longer daylight gives us prime evening action as water movement coincides with the changing light. Skies have been mostly sunny, humidity lingering, and winds out of the southeast at around 7 mph. Expect air temps hovering in the mid-80s with real feel creeping higher by afternoon.
Fishing’s been lively this week. Several local reports and chatter at the docks said good numbers of slot reds were found up near the bridges as the tide pushed in early, with a few keeper black drum mixed in tight to structure. Speckled seatrout have been making a strong showing along the east side of the Matanzas River and flats outside Salt Run, mostly on the incoming tide.
Tarpon are still swimming the deeper holes around the inlet for folks tossing big mullet or live crabs. A few anglers pulled in king mackerel and even the odd cobia out from the pier, following big schools of bait running north up the beaches. Spanish mackerel are thick outside the jetties and along the state park beaches, so bring a spoon or shallow plug if you want quick fun.
Best artificial choices right now are 4-5 inch paddle tails in new penny or electric chicken, rigged on a quarter-ounce jig head. MirrOlure suspending twitchbaits and topwater spooks have been drawing those early morning strikes, especially close to grass edges or oyster bars. For live bait, finger mullet have been gold—match them with a small circle hook on a short fluorocarbon leader. If you’re fishing from the beach, Fishbites in shrimp or chartreuse work wonders for whiting, pompano, and the occasional slot red according to local bait shops.
If you’re looking for a couple of hotspots, give these a try:
- **Vilano Bridge:** Work the pilings and shadow lines with live shrimp or paddle tails on the incoming.
- **Salt Run:** Early morning topwater for trout and reds as they cruise the edge of the spartina.
- **Matanzas Inlet:** For big action, drift the outgoing tide with live mullet or toss bucktail jigs for tarpon and snook.
Reports from longtime guides say the bite is best at tide change—target moving water and fish transition zones along channel drop-offs and oyster bars. As always, check local regulations, especially on seatrout, with FWC currently reviewing slot changes.
Thanks for tuning in to today’s St. Augustine report. Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss an update. 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
Tides today have been running favorable for inshore anglers. According to TidesChart, we hit a low tide this morning around 4:00 am and saw a strong high tide peak near 10:00 am, with another low on the way this afternoon around 4:00 pm. Expect the next high tide to push in just after 10:00 tonight. This swing means bait movement up around the flats and into the creeks through midday, ideal for stalking reds and trout.
Sunrise came at 6:49 am today, with sunset due at 8:11 pm. That longer daylight gives us prime evening action as water movement coincides with the changing light. Skies have been mostly sunny, humidity lingering, and winds out of the southeast at around 7 mph. Expect air temps hovering in the mid-80s with real feel creeping higher by afternoon.
Fishing’s been lively this week. Several local reports and chatter at the docks said good numbers of slot reds were found up near the bridges as the tide pushed in early, with a few keeper black drum mixed in tight to structure. Speckled seatrout have been making a strong showing along the east side of the Matanzas River and flats outside Salt Run, mostly on the incoming tide.
Tarpon are still swimming the deeper holes around the inlet for folks tossing big mullet or live crabs. A few anglers pulled in king mackerel and even the odd cobia out from the pier, following big schools of bait running north up the beaches. Spanish mackerel are thick outside the jetties and along the state park beaches, so bring a spoon or shallow plug if you want quick fun.
Best artificial choices right now are 4-5 inch paddle tails in new penny or electric chicken, rigged on a quarter-ounce jig head. MirrOlure suspending twitchbaits and topwater spooks have been drawing those early morning strikes, especially close to grass edges or oyster bars. For live bait, finger mullet have been gold—match them with a small circle hook on a short fluorocarbon leader. If you’re fishing from the beach, Fishbites in shrimp or chartreuse work wonders for whiting, pompano, and the occasional slot red according to local bait shops.
If you’re looking for a couple of hotspots, give these a try:
- **Vilano Bridge:** Work the pilings and shadow lines with live shrimp or paddle tails on the incoming.
- **Salt Run:** Early morning topwater for trout and reds as they cruise the edge of the spartina.
- **Matanzas Inlet:** For big action, drift the outgoing tide with live mullet or toss bucktail jigs for tarpon and snook.
Reports from longtime guides say the bite is best at tide change—target moving water and fish transition zones along channel drop-offs and oyster bars. As always, check local regulations, especially on seatrout, with FWC currently reviewing slot changes.
Thanks for tuning in to today’s St. Augustine report. Make sure to subscribe, so you never miss an update. 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