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Reel in the Riches: A St. Augustine Fishing Report for October 24th
Published 6 months ago
Description
This is Artificial Lure coming at you with your Friday, October 24th fishing report for the St. Augustine area, and let me tell you, the water is calling your name today. If you’re thinking about sneaking out before work or making a day of it, conditions are lining up to make this a memorable one.
Let’s start with the **tides**, because around here, timing matters. Today’s low tide rolled through at 4:38 this morning, with the first high hitting at 10:57 AM and a solid 5.14 feet—expect that classic St. Augustine push around mid-morning. Another low trickles in at 5:26 PM before a late-night high around 11:12 PM. That means your best fishing will be stacked up from sunrise until late morning and again late afternoon into early evening, riding the moving water for hungry fish. **Sunrise was at 7:33 AM and sunset will tuck us in at 6:44 PM**.
The **weather’s nothing short of primo**—bright skies, a light north breeze, highs topping out at 78 degrees, and no real threat of rain. That’s textbook fall action for us on the First Coast. Water’s cooling, the mullet run’s in full swing, and just about everything inshore is on the feed.
Reporting on the bite: word on the docks and the sand is the **redfish and speckled trout are stacked in the creeks, tidal drains, and around the grass edges**. Been a bunch of slot reds—folks throwing finger mullet and live shrimp are filling their limits quick. Artificial-wise, your tried-and-true **paddle tails (white/chartreuse), MirrOlure 17MRs, and gold spoons** are pulling strikes all day. On top of that, the trout bite’s hot at first light—walk-the-dog topwaters like the Zara Spook or the Rapala Skitter Walk are calling up numbers until the sun gets up, then it’s soft plastics and live shrimp under a popping cork.
On the beach side, **pompano and whiting are making solid showings in the suds at St. Augustine Beach and Butler Beach**—look for deep troughs and pitch a sand flea, shrimp, or Fishbites into the wash. Some folks have been lucky with pompano jigs in the chartreuse/pink combo. Reports of a few big black drum up by the jetties too, so bring a stout rod and fresh crab or shrimp if you want to tangle with a true bruiser.
Offshore and around the inlets, the mullet run still has **tarpon and snook moving through Vilano and the Matanzas Inlet**—early morning on an outgoing tide with a live mullet freelined is a recipe for heartbreak or heroics.
Now, let’s talk **hot spots**:
- The **Matanzas Inlet**—clean water, moving tides, and bait everywhere; reds and flounder are thick near the rocks.
- **Salt Run**, tucked just east of the Bridge of Lions, is a perennial favorite for working topwaters at dawn for trout and reds.
- If surf casting, head to **Butler Beach just south of town**—the troughs have been loaded with pompano and whiting.
- For boaters, outside bends along the **ICW between the 312 Bridge and Devil’s Elbow** are stacked with bait and feeding fish.
Local chatter says a couple crews limited out on reds and picked up a few nice flounder dragging finger mullet and Gulp! swimming mullet along dropoffs, especially in the late afternoon outgoing. Big black drum closer to the jetty—fresh blue crab is the ticket.
Literal can’t-miss baits for today:
- **Live finger mullet** (for just about everything inshore)
- **Live shrimp under a popping cork**
- **Z-Man paddle tails, white or chartreuse**
- **Gold weedless spoons**
- **Sand fleas or Fishbites for surf**
That’s the scoop from dock to dune. Weather’s perfect, tides are moving, and the bite’s full-on. Get out there, stay safe, and tag me if you get that bragging-rights red or gator trout.
Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe to stay in the know for every tide and every bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deal
Let’s start with the **tides**, because around here, timing matters. Today’s low tide rolled through at 4:38 this morning, with the first high hitting at 10:57 AM and a solid 5.14 feet—expect that classic St. Augustine push around mid-morning. Another low trickles in at 5:26 PM before a late-night high around 11:12 PM. That means your best fishing will be stacked up from sunrise until late morning and again late afternoon into early evening, riding the moving water for hungry fish. **Sunrise was at 7:33 AM and sunset will tuck us in at 6:44 PM**.
The **weather’s nothing short of primo**—bright skies, a light north breeze, highs topping out at 78 degrees, and no real threat of rain. That’s textbook fall action for us on the First Coast. Water’s cooling, the mullet run’s in full swing, and just about everything inshore is on the feed.
Reporting on the bite: word on the docks and the sand is the **redfish and speckled trout are stacked in the creeks, tidal drains, and around the grass edges**. Been a bunch of slot reds—folks throwing finger mullet and live shrimp are filling their limits quick. Artificial-wise, your tried-and-true **paddle tails (white/chartreuse), MirrOlure 17MRs, and gold spoons** are pulling strikes all day. On top of that, the trout bite’s hot at first light—walk-the-dog topwaters like the Zara Spook or the Rapala Skitter Walk are calling up numbers until the sun gets up, then it’s soft plastics and live shrimp under a popping cork.
On the beach side, **pompano and whiting are making solid showings in the suds at St. Augustine Beach and Butler Beach**—look for deep troughs and pitch a sand flea, shrimp, or Fishbites into the wash. Some folks have been lucky with pompano jigs in the chartreuse/pink combo. Reports of a few big black drum up by the jetties too, so bring a stout rod and fresh crab or shrimp if you want to tangle with a true bruiser.
Offshore and around the inlets, the mullet run still has **tarpon and snook moving through Vilano and the Matanzas Inlet**—early morning on an outgoing tide with a live mullet freelined is a recipe for heartbreak or heroics.
Now, let’s talk **hot spots**:
- The **Matanzas Inlet**—clean water, moving tides, and bait everywhere; reds and flounder are thick near the rocks.
- **Salt Run**, tucked just east of the Bridge of Lions, is a perennial favorite for working topwaters at dawn for trout and reds.
- If surf casting, head to **Butler Beach just south of town**—the troughs have been loaded with pompano and whiting.
- For boaters, outside bends along the **ICW between the 312 Bridge and Devil’s Elbow** are stacked with bait and feeding fish.
Local chatter says a couple crews limited out on reds and picked up a few nice flounder dragging finger mullet and Gulp! swimming mullet along dropoffs, especially in the late afternoon outgoing. Big black drum closer to the jetty—fresh blue crab is the ticket.
Literal can’t-miss baits for today:
- **Live finger mullet** (for just about everything inshore)
- **Live shrimp under a popping cork**
- **Z-Man paddle tails, white or chartreuse**
- **Gold weedless spoons**
- **Sand fleas or Fishbites for surf**
That’s the scoop from dock to dune. Weather’s perfect, tides are moving, and the bite’s full-on. Get out there, stay safe, and tag me if you get that bragging-rights red or gator trout.
Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe to stay in the know for every tide and every bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deal