Gulf Fishing Forecast: Reds, Trout, and Kings Dominate Florida's Panhandle to Suncoast

Artificial Lure here with your Gulf of Mexico fishing report for Saturday, September 13, 2025, focused on Florida’s sweet stretch from the Panhandle through the Suncoast.

Sun’s peeking over the horizon at 7:14 AM, setting at 7:37 PM—plenty of daylight for those hungry early-risers and evening bait soakers. Weather’s shaping up mild and pleasant again, with little to no wind chop, and nothing in the way of rain chances this week. That means the bite window should stay nice and wide for most of the day, especially around the tide swings.

Today’s tides look promising; high tide hits at 4:54 AM, and a gentle low moves in around 1:15 PM, with another smaller high at 7:33 PM. The move from high to low will get fish feeding, so don’t sleep on those early and midday tide changes. Tidal coefficient is on the lower side, meaning less current, but that hasn’t slowed down the action lately. Water clarity is above average, so bring some lighter leader for the sharp-eyed trout and snapper.

According to the latest Red Tide update from Florida Fish and Wildlife, there are only background levels of Karenia brevis detected in the Gulf right now—no fish kills or respiratory issues reported anywhere between Bay County and the Suncoast. That makes for clean fishing across the whole Florida Gulf side.

The action’s been hot this week, especially for red snapper, king mackerel, slot reds, and big speckled trout. Offshore, anglers are pulling in solid ARS (American Red Snapper) up to 20 pounds just a few miles off the reefs and wrecks, with reports of steady king mackerel and Spanish macks blitzing bait schools—especially off Destin and Clearwater artificial reefs. Cobia are starting to show on the move again, and scattered mahi are still within striking distance for those working weed lines further south.

Inshore, it’s been lights out for speckled trout and redfish at first light. The grass flats around St. Joe Bay and Charlotte Harbor have produced steady action, especially on topwaters before 9 AM—think bone or silver Super Spooks and MirrOlures. Jigs tipped with Gulp! shrimp are dynamite when the sun gets overhead. Live shrimp and pinfish under popping corks are fooling bruiser reds in potholes and along mangrove edges. The mouths of tidal creeks in the Apalachicola area have been loaded with slot reds, while trout are stacking on outgoing tide edges.

If you’re bottom fishing offshore, sardines and squid are standard, but live pinfish have been king for the bigger snapper and grouper. Closer to shore, freelined finger mullet and cut ladyfish are both pulling reds and hungry snook out of ambush. Don’t overlook cut blue crab for big drum in the deeper passes.

For lure anglers, local shops are recommending DOA shrimp, Gulp! jerk shads, and spinnerbaits for murkier water following recent showers in the Big Bend. If you see birds working or surface bait, tie on a white bucktail jig or a chrome spoon and hang on tight—Spanish mackerel and jacks are blitzing just off the beaches near Fort De Soto and St. George Island.

Hot spots this week:
- The Destin East Pass and Crab Island flats at high tide for keeper reds and trout.
- Nearshore artificial reefs off Clearwater for snapper, macks, and more on live baits and spoons.
- The Ten Thousand Islands for snook and mangrove snapper—especially around creek mouths on a falling tide.

That’s your Gulf coast update. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide or a bite. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lore. Here with your Gulf of Mexico fishing report
for Saturday, September thirteenth, twenty twenty five, focused on Florida's
sweet stretch from the Panhandle through the Suncoast. Sun's peeking
over the horizon at seven fourteen am setting at seven
thirty seven pm, plenty of daylight for those hungry early
risers and evening bait soakers. Weathers shaping up mild and

(00:22):
pleasant again with little to no wind chop and nothing
in the way of rain chances this week. That means
the bite windows should stay nice and wide for most
of the day, especially around the tide swings. Today's tides
look promising. High tide hits at four fifty four am
and a gentle low moves in around one fifteen pm,
with another smaller high at seven thirty three pm. The

(00:45):
move from high to low will get fish feeding, so
don't sleep on those early and midday tide changes. Tidal
coefficient is on the lower side, meaning less current, but
that hasn't slowed down the action lately. Water clarity is
above at so bring some lighter leader for the sharp
eyed trout and snapper. According to the latest red tied

(01:06):
update from Florida Fish and Wildlife. There are only background
levels of koreem according to the Gulf Right now, no
fish kills or respiratory issues reported anywhere between Bay County
and the sun Coast.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
That makes for clean fishing across the whole Florida Gulf side.
The action's been hot this week, especially for red snapper,
king mackerel, slot reds, and big speckled trout. Offshore anglers
are pulling in solid ars American red snapper up to
twenty pounds just a few miles off the reefs and wrecks,
with reports of steady king mackerel and Spanish max blitzing

(01:39):
bait schools, especially off destined and clearwater artificial reefs. Cooba
are starting to show on the move again, and scattered
mahi are still within striking distance for those working weed
lines further south inshore, it's been lights out for speckled
trout and redfish at first light. The grass flats around
Saint Joe Bay and Charlotte Harbor have produced steady app

(02:00):
especially on top waters before nine am. Think bone or
silver super spooks and marrow lures. Digs tipped with gulp
shrimp are dynamite when the sun gets overhead. Live shrimp
and pinfish under popping quarks are fooling bruiser reds in
potholes and a long mangrove DGEs. The mouths of tidal
creeks in the Appalachicola area have been loaded with slot reds,

(02:20):
while trout are stacking on outgoing tide edges. If you're
bottom fishing offshore, sardines and squid are standard, but live
pinfish have been king for the bigger snappering grouper. Closer
to shore. Freelined finger melleck and cut ladyfish are both
pulling reds and hungry snook out of ambush. Don't overlook
cut blue crab for big drum in the deeper passes.

(02:41):
For lower anglers, local shops are recommending doa shrimp gulp,
jerk shads and spinner baits for murkier water following recent
showers in the Big Bend. If you see birds working
or surface bait, tie on a white buck tail jig
or a chrome spoon and hang on tight. Spanish mackerel
and jacks are blitzing just off the beaches near Fort
to Soto and same George island hot spots this week

(03:02):
the Dustined East Pass and Crab Island Flats at high
tide for keeper reds and trout. Near shore artificial reefs
off clear water for snapper max and more on live
baits and spoons. The ten Thousand Islands for snook and
mangrove snapper, especially around creek mouths on a falling tide.
That's your Gulf Coast update. Thanks for tuning in. Don't

(03:22):
forget to subscribe so you never miss a tide or
a bite. This has been a quiet please production. For
more check out Quiet please dot ai