Late September Gulf Fishing Report: Thriving Baitfish, Mackerel Mayhem, and Trout on the Flats

Artificial Lure here, bringing your local Gulf of Mexico fishing report for Saturday, September 27, 2025. Let’s jump straight in—early fall’s in the air on the Florida coast, and anglers across the Gulf are seeing a classic September transition, with clear, bait-rich water, active tides, and some stellar mixed-bag fishing from the panhandle down to Tampa Bay.

The sun rises at 6:42 a.m. with sunset at 6:40 p.m., so there’s a solid 12-hour window for action. Tides are lively today: a high at 2:15 a.m. and a low around 2:58 p.m. Local tidal coefficients are high, meaning strong currents and active fish, especially around passes and flats—prime setup for the bite to pop through mid-morning and just before sundown, according to Tide-Forecast.com and Tides4Fishing.

Weather-wise, it’s classic late September: expect partly cloudy skies, temps hovering mid-80s, and a slight breeze out of the southeast, according to Great Days Outdoors. Visibility's high, with rain earlier in the week pushing bait schools thick in both bays and along the beaches.

Fish activity is bouncing back after a long, hot summer. Northwest Florida beaches and nearshore waters are loaded with finger mullet and glass minnows, drawing in Spanish mackerel, bonita, and some surprising blackfin tuna—in fact, Navarre’s piers had reports of a sailfish, blackfin tuna, and plenty of bonita just this week, as noted by Navarre Newspaper.

On the inshore side, grass flats from Choctawhatchee Bay to Sarasota are rich with speckled trout and redfish. Sarasota fishing guides are seeing steady trout action on both live pilchards and soft plastics, with mackerel thick over reefs—best bet are silver spoons and small, flashy jigs, reports Captain Experiences.

Best lures right now are:
- MirrOlure suspending twitch baits and gold spoons for reds and trout.
- Got-Cha plugs for Spanish mackerel and other speedsters.
- White and chartreuse soft plastics on jigheads are crushing it over grass flats, especially early and late in the day.
Live baiters are scoring with pilchards, mullet, and live shrimp—anything lively and match-the-hatch.

Offshore, expect action to continue for king mackerel, with wahoo and the last of the summer mahis being caught around floating debris. However, a heads-up: greater amberjack season is CLOSED as of today according to recent FWC notices, so make sure you’re targeting legal species.

As for hotspots:
- The Destin East Pass edges are lighting up on the falling tide for bull reds and slot trout.
- Venice jetties and Anna Maria’s nearshore reefs are packed with Spanish and kings—just follow the bait balls and diving birds.
- Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge pilings around sunrise are solid for snook and mangrove snapper, with a few tarpon still lingering.

If you’re pier or beach fishing, keep a long rod rigged with live finger mullet or a flashy spoon—mackerel and even the occasional tarpon are pushing bait close right now. Light rain this past week has the panhandle bayous looking lively, so fish the creek mouths for reds, especially on a moving tide.

Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Gulf fishing report. If you found this helpful, don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss 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 war here bringing your local Gulf of Mexico fishing
report for Saturday, September twenty seventh, twenty twenty five. Let's
jump straight in early falls in the air on the
Florida coast an angle is across the Gulf. Are seeing
a classic September transition with clear bait, rich water, active tides,

(00:20):
and some stellar mixed bag fishing from the Panhandle down
the Tampa Bay. The sun rises at six forty two
am with sunset at six forty pm, so there's a
solid twelve hour window for action. Tides are lively today,
a high at two fifteen am and a low around
two fifty eight pm. Local tidal coefficients are high, meaning

(00:41):
strong currents and active fish, especially around passes and flats,
prime set up for the bite to pop through mid
morning and just before sundown. According to tidefoecast dot com
and Tides for fishing. Weatherwise, it's classic late September. Expect
partly cloudy skies, temps hovering mid seventies, and a slight
brief out of the southeast. According to Great Days Outdoors,

(01:03):
Visibilities high with rain earlier in the week, pushing bait
schools thick in both bays and along the beaches. Fish
activity is bouncing back after a long hot summer. Northwest
Florida beaches and nearshore waters are loaded with finger, mullet
and glass minnows drawing in Spanish mackerel, banita, and some
surprising black fintuna. In fact, Navarre's piers had reports of

(01:25):
a sailfish, black fin tuna, and plenty of benita just
this week, as noted by Navarre newspaper. On the inshore side,
grass flats from Choctahatchie Bay to Sarasota are rich with
speckled trout and redfish. Sarasota fishing guides are seeing steady
trout action on both live pilchards and soft plastics with

(01:45):
mackerel thick over reefs. Best bet are silver spoons and
small flashy jigs, reports captain experiences. Best lures right now
are Mirro lures, suspending twitch baits and gold spoons for
reds and trout, Gotcha plugs for Spanish mackerel and other speedsters.
White and chartreuse soft plastics on jigheads are crushing it

(02:07):
over grass flats, especially early and late in the day.
Live baters are scoring with pilchards, mullet, and live shrimp.
Anything lively and match the hatch. Offshore, expect action to
continue for king mackerel, with wahoo and the last of
the summer mahies being caught around floating debris. However, a

(02:28):
head's up greater. Amberjack season is closed as of today
according to recent FWC notices, so make sure you're targeting
legal species. As for hotspots, the destined east pass edges
are lighting up on the falling tide for bowl reds
and slot trout. Venice jetties and Anna Maria's near shore

(02:48):
reefs are packed with Spanish and kings. Just follow the
bait balls and diving birds. Tampa Bay Skyway bridge pilings
around sunrise are solid for snook and mangrove snapper, with
a few tarpins still lingering. If you're peer or beach fishing,
keep a long rod rigged with live finger, mullet or

(03:09):
a flashy spoon. Mackerel and even the occasional tarpin are
pushing bait close right now. Light rain this past week
has the Panhandle Bay us looking lively, so fish the
creek mouse for reds, especially on a moving tide. Thanks
for tuning in to artificial lures Gulf Fishing Report. If
you found this helpful, don't forget to subscribe so you

(03:31):
never mess a bite. This has been a quiet please production.
For more check out Quiet Please dot ai