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St. Augustine Fishing Report: Hot Reds, Trout & Flounder on the Move
Published 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Good morning, this is Artificial Lure with your Friday fishing report for St. Augustine and nearby waters, September 12th, 2025.
Local anglers, we’re looking at another steamy late-summer start with air temperatures right around 79 to 80 degrees and water temps staying warm at an average of 83. Patchy clouds hang overhead, humidity is up, and there’s a persistent southeast wind at 14 mph with gusts to 20, so expect a little chop on open water. Sunrise came at 7:09 this morning, sunset will wrap up the day at 7:34 tonight, giving you a good twelve and a half hours to wet a line.
Tide action is strong today with a big swing, so pay attention: the morning low tide hit early at 5:43 am, followed by a high at 12:16 pm pushing up to 5.58 feet. We’ll close the evening with a slight ebb at 6:39 pm dropping to 0.16 feet. These bigger tides, as reported by TidesChart and Tides-Forecast, mean extra current in the creeks and around inlets—perfect for kickstarting fish activity and flushing bait out of hiding.
Best fishing activity today lines up with those tidal moves and the lunar major from 8:07 to 10:07 am and 8:25 to 10:25 pm, so plan to anchor up or drift through likely spots during those windows.
The bite this week? Redfish and trout remain center stage, especially around deeper creek bends near Salt Run and the Matanzas Inlet flats, both firing off on the falling tide. Reds are pushing up along oyster bars and marsh edges at first light and during the last hour before sunset. Flounder numbers are picking up on sandy drop-offs—try just inside the Matanzas Inlet or along the Vilano Bridge causeway. Surf anglers are seeing action from whiting, pompano, and the occasional black drum, especially on the incoming tide when those big pushes bring fresh bait into the troughs.
Most local catches this week have been keeper slot reds in the 20 to 25-inch range, plenty of schoolie trout, and a handful of 16 to 20-inch flounder for the lucky few. Some snapper are popping up, mostly on the nearshore reefs and under shrimp boats, so if you’re heading out, bring that light tackle.
Lure selection has been classic for summer’s end—topwater plugs like the Skitter Walk or Zara Spook at daybreak, paddle-tail soft plastics in new penny or electric chicken under popping corks, and gold spoons if the water’s murky after rains. For live bait, you can’t beat a finger mullet or mud minnow for reds, and shrimp under a cork will get trout and flounder to eat just about anywhere right now.
Two local hotspots to target today: first, the creek mouths at Pellicer Flats for sight-casting laid-up redfish, especially with the early outgoing tide. Second, the Vilano Bridge pilings just before high tide—trout and drum are staging there, picking off wash-through bait.
Whether you’re wading the marsh, drifting the inlet, or poking around your favorite bridge, today’s shaping up for steady action if you play the tides and downs. Roll with the breeze and be ready for quick showers, but rest assured, the fish are feeding.
Thanks for tuning in to your St. Augustine angling report. Don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of local fishing knowledge. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease 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
Local anglers, we’re looking at another steamy late-summer start with air temperatures right around 79 to 80 degrees and water temps staying warm at an average of 83. Patchy clouds hang overhead, humidity is up, and there’s a persistent southeast wind at 14 mph with gusts to 20, so expect a little chop on open water. Sunrise came at 7:09 this morning, sunset will wrap up the day at 7:34 tonight, giving you a good twelve and a half hours to wet a line.
Tide action is strong today with a big swing, so pay attention: the morning low tide hit early at 5:43 am, followed by a high at 12:16 pm pushing up to 5.58 feet. We’ll close the evening with a slight ebb at 6:39 pm dropping to 0.16 feet. These bigger tides, as reported by TidesChart and Tides-Forecast, mean extra current in the creeks and around inlets—perfect for kickstarting fish activity and flushing bait out of hiding.
Best fishing activity today lines up with those tidal moves and the lunar major from 8:07 to 10:07 am and 8:25 to 10:25 pm, so plan to anchor up or drift through likely spots during those windows.
The bite this week? Redfish and trout remain center stage, especially around deeper creek bends near Salt Run and the Matanzas Inlet flats, both firing off on the falling tide. Reds are pushing up along oyster bars and marsh edges at first light and during the last hour before sunset. Flounder numbers are picking up on sandy drop-offs—try just inside the Matanzas Inlet or along the Vilano Bridge causeway. Surf anglers are seeing action from whiting, pompano, and the occasional black drum, especially on the incoming tide when those big pushes bring fresh bait into the troughs.
Most local catches this week have been keeper slot reds in the 20 to 25-inch range, plenty of schoolie trout, and a handful of 16 to 20-inch flounder for the lucky few. Some snapper are popping up, mostly on the nearshore reefs and under shrimp boats, so if you’re heading out, bring that light tackle.
Lure selection has been classic for summer’s end—topwater plugs like the Skitter Walk or Zara Spook at daybreak, paddle-tail soft plastics in new penny or electric chicken under popping corks, and gold spoons if the water’s murky after rains. For live bait, you can’t beat a finger mullet or mud minnow for reds, and shrimp under a cork will get trout and flounder to eat just about anywhere right now.
Two local hotspots to target today: first, the creek mouths at Pellicer Flats for sight-casting laid-up redfish, especially with the early outgoing tide. Second, the Vilano Bridge pilings just before high tide—trout and drum are staging there, picking off wash-through bait.
Whether you’re wading the marsh, drifting the inlet, or poking around your favorite bridge, today’s shaping up for steady action if you play the tides and downs. Roll with the breeze and be ready for quick showers, but rest assured, the fish are feeding.
Thanks for tuning in to your St. Augustine angling report. Don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of local fishing knowledge. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease 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