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Fall Fishing Frenzy in St. Augustine: Redfish, Trout, and Mackerel Abound
Published 6 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your St. Augustine fishing report for October 15, 2025. First light broke around 7:27 AM and we’ll see sunset tonight at 6:56 PM, giving us just over 11 hours of solid daylight to cast a line, plan a run, or soak a few baits on favorite structure. The tide’s pendulum is swinging wide this week, and we’re in that prime fall window: high at 4:34 this morning, dropping out to low around 10:35 AM, then surging back to a robust evening high just after 5 PM. These strong swings mean you want to time your action for moving water—prime bite windows right at tide change, especially dawn and dusk for the bigger predators.
Weather’s finally stabilizing after that nor’easter swept through a few days back—skies clearing, a brisk WSW wind at sunrise calming by midday, warmer temps climbing into the low 80s, and fall humidity that keeps the mossy oaks damp but the fish snappish. The inshore waters are looking clearer after a sand-churning week, and with those tides running, baitfish are thick around the points and creek mouths.
Inshore, expect a strong bite on **redfish**—we’ve seen upper-slot reds coming off the flats behind Vilano and along the edges of Salt Run, mostly on finger mullet, shrimp-tipped jigs, or paddle-tail soft plastics worked slow on the bottom. Folks at the City Marina and English Landing are talking big catches at sunrise and right on the turn of the afternoon tide, especially pitching quarter-ounce jigheads with white gulp or live shrimp under a popping cork.
**Speckled trout** are stacking up at creek mouths and behind the spoil islands, with bigger fish in ambush on higher tides. Topwater plugs like the Super Spook Jr. are killer just before first light—switch to paddle tails or MirrOlure suspending lures as the sun gets up. Shrimp and mullet patterns are the golden ticket right now.
Some nice **flounder** were caught this week, especially along the channel edges in the Matanzas and San Sebastian, using mud minnows or chartreuse curly tail jigs. The legal keepers are mixed in with the shorts, but reports out of Camachee Cove and Butler Beach say persistence is paying off.
Nearshore, those pushing outside the rocks or trolling the beaches are jumping into **Spanish mackerel** and pods of **kingfish**, both following the fall mullet run. Silver spoons, Got-Cha plugs, and drifted sardines have been hot. A couple boats reported mahi-mahi on a deep push, chasing weedlines way offshore.
Hot spots today:
- Fish Island Marina for live bait, and quick access to productive inshore cuts.
- The confluence of Salt Run and Matanzas River, especially outgoing tide.
- For the bank angler, check Butler Beach early, especially at the points where wave breaks show deeper pockets.
Most productive baits this week: live finger mullet, mud minnows, and shrimp. Artificial favorites are white paddle tails, chartreuse curly tails, and topwater plugs at daybreak. For bait, remember—local shops like Surf Station and FirstCoast.Life have live and dead options and solid advice.
A quick reminder—recent storm surge means lots of debris and changed bottom contours, so check your favorite haunts, bring extra tackle, and be mindful of posted regs and bag limits. Popular species lately: redfish, trout, flounder, Spanish mackerel, kingfish—all showing up in both numbers and good eating size.
Thanks for tuning in to the St. Augustine fishing report with Artificial Lure! Subscribe so you never miss a tide change or hot bite. 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
Weather’s finally stabilizing after that nor’easter swept through a few days back—skies clearing, a brisk WSW wind at sunrise calming by midday, warmer temps climbing into the low 80s, and fall humidity that keeps the mossy oaks damp but the fish snappish. The inshore waters are looking clearer after a sand-churning week, and with those tides running, baitfish are thick around the points and creek mouths.
Inshore, expect a strong bite on **redfish**—we’ve seen upper-slot reds coming off the flats behind Vilano and along the edges of Salt Run, mostly on finger mullet, shrimp-tipped jigs, or paddle-tail soft plastics worked slow on the bottom. Folks at the City Marina and English Landing are talking big catches at sunrise and right on the turn of the afternoon tide, especially pitching quarter-ounce jigheads with white gulp or live shrimp under a popping cork.
**Speckled trout** are stacking up at creek mouths and behind the spoil islands, with bigger fish in ambush on higher tides. Topwater plugs like the Super Spook Jr. are killer just before first light—switch to paddle tails or MirrOlure suspending lures as the sun gets up. Shrimp and mullet patterns are the golden ticket right now.
Some nice **flounder** were caught this week, especially along the channel edges in the Matanzas and San Sebastian, using mud minnows or chartreuse curly tail jigs. The legal keepers are mixed in with the shorts, but reports out of Camachee Cove and Butler Beach say persistence is paying off.
Nearshore, those pushing outside the rocks or trolling the beaches are jumping into **Spanish mackerel** and pods of **kingfish**, both following the fall mullet run. Silver spoons, Got-Cha plugs, and drifted sardines have been hot. A couple boats reported mahi-mahi on a deep push, chasing weedlines way offshore.
Hot spots today:
- Fish Island Marina for live bait, and quick access to productive inshore cuts.
- The confluence of Salt Run and Matanzas River, especially outgoing tide.
- For the bank angler, check Butler Beach early, especially at the points where wave breaks show deeper pockets.
Most productive baits this week: live finger mullet, mud minnows, and shrimp. Artificial favorites are white paddle tails, chartreuse curly tails, and topwater plugs at daybreak. For bait, remember—local shops like Surf Station and FirstCoast.Life have live and dead options and solid advice.
A quick reminder—recent storm surge means lots of debris and changed bottom contours, so check your favorite haunts, bring extra tackle, and be mindful of posted regs and bag limits. Popular species lately: redfish, trout, flounder, Spanish mackerel, kingfish—all showing up in both numbers and good eating size.
Thanks for tuning in to the St. Augustine fishing report with Artificial Lure! Subscribe so you never miss a tide change or hot bite. 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