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St. Augustine Fishing Report: October 5, 2025 - Tides, Temps, Bites, and Hot Spots
Published 6 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your St. Augustine fishing report for Sunday, October 5, 2025. Let’s break it down so you can find the bite and make the most of your time on the water.
The sun crept up at 7:22 this morning and you’ll have light to work with until about 7:07 tonight, giving us nearly 12 hours to fish. If you’re planning to hit it early, the first high tide rolled in around 8:54 AM with another peak at 2.1 feet just after lunch, about 2:27 PM. After that, the outgoing tide will pull water and bait out of the marshes and flats, usually firing up feeding activity along the edges. The tidal coefficient is riding high at 98, meaning we’re seeing vigorous tidal swings – perfect for stirring up bait and getting predators on the move. The weather is seasonably warm, calm early, and a light breeze is expected to pick up by midmorning, with clear skies overhead – a classic early October pattern.
The bite’s been solid across the inshore, with recent action heating up as water temps have started their slow fall. Over the last few days, anglers have been bringing in solid redfish catches, especially targeting the grass edges and oyster bars just inside the Matanzas and the San Sebastian. Overslot reds are cruising at the top of the tide and tailing on the flats, while slot fish are stacked deep around creek bends and deep holes.
Speckled trout are schooling up as well – you’ll find them at first light drifting shrimp or soft plastics near the mouths of the creeks or under docks, especially on the outgoing tide. Topwater plugs like the Super Spook Jr. have nailed a couple of gators for those hitting the flats around sunrise. Later in the day, switch to a paddle tail or a live finger mullet under a popping cork to keep your bait in the strike zone.
Flounder have been pretty thick, mostly around pier pilings and dropoffs near the Vilano Bridge and in the deeper cuts of Salt Run. Quarter-ounce jigheads rigged with Gulp! swimming mullet or a live mud minnow are money. A few doormat flatties over 20 inches have been landed this week.
For surf anglers, the sandbars at Anastasia State Park are turning up keeper pompano on Fishbites and sand fleas, and there’s still a stray whiting or bluefish grabbing baits in the wash. Daybreak and dusk are seeing the best bite as the heat kicks in toward midday.
If you want hot spots, two of my favorite picks right now:
- The flats just south of the 312 bridge, especially on a falling tide for redfish and flounder.
- The Matanzas Inlet rocks at first light for a mixed bag: slot reds, snook, and even a handful of mangrove snapper on live pilchards or shrimp.
Shrimp is the go-to live bait everywhere, but don’t be shy about throwing artificial lures like Z-Man MinnowZ, Gulp shrimp, or a gold spoon if you want to cover water and trigger reaction strikes when the reds are tailing or cruising the banks.
Remember, action ramps up on moving water, so plan your trip with the tides. And if you get a photo of that personal best, send it in – we love to see locals landing big ones!
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for the latest conditions and fishing tips. 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
The sun crept up at 7:22 this morning and you’ll have light to work with until about 7:07 tonight, giving us nearly 12 hours to fish. If you’re planning to hit it early, the first high tide rolled in around 8:54 AM with another peak at 2.1 feet just after lunch, about 2:27 PM. After that, the outgoing tide will pull water and bait out of the marshes and flats, usually firing up feeding activity along the edges. The tidal coefficient is riding high at 98, meaning we’re seeing vigorous tidal swings – perfect for stirring up bait and getting predators on the move. The weather is seasonably warm, calm early, and a light breeze is expected to pick up by midmorning, with clear skies overhead – a classic early October pattern.
The bite’s been solid across the inshore, with recent action heating up as water temps have started their slow fall. Over the last few days, anglers have been bringing in solid redfish catches, especially targeting the grass edges and oyster bars just inside the Matanzas and the San Sebastian. Overslot reds are cruising at the top of the tide and tailing on the flats, while slot fish are stacked deep around creek bends and deep holes.
Speckled trout are schooling up as well – you’ll find them at first light drifting shrimp or soft plastics near the mouths of the creeks or under docks, especially on the outgoing tide. Topwater plugs like the Super Spook Jr. have nailed a couple of gators for those hitting the flats around sunrise. Later in the day, switch to a paddle tail or a live finger mullet under a popping cork to keep your bait in the strike zone.
Flounder have been pretty thick, mostly around pier pilings and dropoffs near the Vilano Bridge and in the deeper cuts of Salt Run. Quarter-ounce jigheads rigged with Gulp! swimming mullet or a live mud minnow are money. A few doormat flatties over 20 inches have been landed this week.
For surf anglers, the sandbars at Anastasia State Park are turning up keeper pompano on Fishbites and sand fleas, and there’s still a stray whiting or bluefish grabbing baits in the wash. Daybreak and dusk are seeing the best bite as the heat kicks in toward midday.
If you want hot spots, two of my favorite picks right now:
- The flats just south of the 312 bridge, especially on a falling tide for redfish and flounder.
- The Matanzas Inlet rocks at first light for a mixed bag: slot reds, snook, and even a handful of mangrove snapper on live pilchards or shrimp.
Shrimp is the go-to live bait everywhere, but don’t be shy about throwing artificial lures like Z-Man MinnowZ, Gulp shrimp, or a gold spoon if you want to cover water and trigger reaction strikes when the reds are tailing or cruising the banks.
Remember, action ramps up on moving water, so plan your trip with the tides. And if you get a photo of that personal best, send it in – we love to see locals landing big ones!
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for the latest conditions and fishing tips. 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