Late Summer Gulf Fishing Heats Up with Snook, Reds, and Mackerel Blitzes

It’s Artificial Lure here with your Wednesday, August 27, 2025, Gulf of Mexico Florida fishing report.

On the water early this morning, first light cracked just after 6:15 in Panama City and around 7:05 in Tampa Bay and Clearwater. Sunset will roll in between 7:10 and 8:00 pm depending where you’re at along the coast. The tide’s running high this week, driven by a big tidal coefficient—91 in both Mullet Key (Skyway) and Clearwater—so you can expect major incoming and outgoing movement, with strong currents and active fish through midday and again near dusk. Mullet Key’s high tides show at 12:47 pm, with lows around 7:28 pm, and Pensacola’s high rolls at 2:19 am and a low at 11:47 am.

Weather’s been steady—hot, humid, and mostly clear, with gentle north-to-northeast winds shifting east by the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Seas are running around a foot or less inshore, which keeps things calm and makes for great sight fishing in shallow water. Watch for afternoon pop-up storms as we head into the weekend, and plan your run early or chase the sunset bite if clouds start to build.

It’s late summer and water temps are hovering in the upper 80s—classic for this time of year. The bite’s on fire around the passes, jetties, nearshore reefs, and grass flats. According to recent local reports and catch logs from the Space Coast and Tampa Bay, snook are staged up near passes, ready to pounce ahead of the fall push. Tarpon schools are rolling at sunrise off beaches and around deeper channels. Redfish, both slots and big bulls, are cruising the flats and bars—especially thick near Shell Key and Fort De Soto, and the late afternoon high tide is your prime window.

Speckled trout are biting strong on the grass edges at dawn, and Spanish mackerel and ladyfish are blitzing bait balls just outside the passes. Mangrove snapper and good-sized sheepshead are holding tight to structure—bridge pilings and jetty rocks are loaded for anyone dropping shrimp or fiddler crabs.

Top baits and lures today: live pilchards and greenbacks are cash money nearshore, with cut mullet and pinfish drawing reds and snook out of heavy cover. Artificial anglers are scoring with paddletail soft plastics in bone or chartreuse, gold spoons over the grass for reds, and topwater plugs (think Walk-the-Dog) for dawn trout and scattered tarpon. Bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp are lethal for snapper and mackerel when the current swings. When water is clear and still, drop line sizes and go natural—fluorocarbon leaders and smaller hooks are scoring more hookups.

For those looking for a hot spot, you can’t go wrong with:
- Fort De Soto grass flats and Shell Key bars for redfish and snook.
- Clearwater’s Pier 60 and adjacent reefs, especially during high tide for mackerel and snapper.
- The passes and bridges at Skyway and John’s Pass for dawn snook, trout, and tarpon.
- Santa Rosa Sound up in Pensacola for trout and slot reds, early and late with popping cork rigs.

Recent catches up and down the coast: snook to 36” on live bait near Skyway, bull reds pushing 32” off Shell Key, and plenty of speckled trout 16-20” on topwaters at sunrise. Snapper are biting well if you anchor up on the wrecks or reef marks in 10-30 feet, with mangroves to 18” being common.

That’s the pulse of the Gulf today—strong tides, hot water, and a loaded bite if you set up on the moving water. Keep an eye on the weather and the tide clock, and you’re set up for a good day on the salt.

Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local reports and tips. 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):
It's artificial lore. Here with your Wednesday, August twenty seventh,
twenty twenty five dulf of Mexico, Florida fishing report on
the water early this morning, first like crack just after
six point fifteen in Panama City and around seven oh
five in Tampa Bay and clear Water. Sunset will roll
in between seven ten and eight o'clock PM, depending where

(00:20):
you're at along the coast. The tide's running high this week,
driven by a big tidle coefficient ninety one in both
Mullichy Skyway and clear Water, so you can expect major
incoming and outgoing movement with strong currents and active fish
through midday and again near dusk. Mullikey's high tides show
at twelve forty seven PM, with lows around seven twenty

(00:42):
eight pm, and Pensacola's high rolls at two nineteen am
and a low at eleven forty seven am. Weather's been steady, hot, humid,
and mostly clear, with gentle north to northeast winds shifting
east by the weekend. According to the National Weather Service,
seas are running around and a foot or less inshore,
which keeps things calm and makes for great site fishing

(01:04):
and shallow water. Watch for afternoon pop up storms as
we head into the weekend, and plan your run early
or chase the sunset bite of cloud start to build.
It's late summer and water temps are hovering in the
upper eighties, plastic for this time of year. The bites
on fire are around the passes, jetties, near shore, reefs
and grass flats. According to recent local reports and catch

(01:26):
logs from the Space Coast and Tampa Bay, snook are
staged up near passes ready to pounce ahead of the
fall push. Tarp and schools are rolling at sunrise off
beaches and around deeper channels. Redfish, both slots and big
bowls are cruising the flats and bars, especially thick near
Shell Key and Fort de Soto, and the late afternoon

(01:46):
high tide is your prime window. Speckled trout are biting
strong on the grass edges at dawn, and Spanish mackerel
and ladyfish are blitzing bait balls just outside the passes. Mangrove,
snapper and good sized sheep's head are holding tight to structure.
Bridge pilings and jetty rocks are loaded for anyone dropping
shrimp or fiddler crabs, top baits and lures. Today, live

(02:09):
pilchards and green backs are cash money mere shore with
cut mullet and pinfish drawing reds and snook out of
heavy cover. Artificial anglers are scoring with paddle tail, soft
plastics and bone or chartreuse gold spoons over the grass
for reds and top water plugs. Think walk the dog
for dawn trout and scattered tarpin. Bucktailed jigs tipped with

(02:31):
shrimp are lethal for snapper and mackerel when the current swings.
When water is clear and still, drop line sizes and go.
Natural fluorocarbon leters and smaller hooks are scoring more hookups.
For those looking for a hotspot, you can't go wrong
with Fort de Soto grass flats and shell key bars
for redfish and snoke. Clear waters, Pier sixty in adjacent reefs,

(02:55):
especially during high tide for mackerel and snapper. The passes
and bridge is at Skyway and John's Pass for dawn snook,
trout and tarpin Santa Rosa. Sound up in Pensacola for
trout and slot reds early and late with popping cork rags.
Recent catches up and down the coast snook to thirty

(03:15):
six inches on live bait near Skyway, bull reds pushing
thirty two inches off shell key and plenty of speckled
trout sixteen to twenty inches on top waters at sunrise.
Snapper a biting well if you anchor up on the
rex or reef marks and ten to thirty feet with
mangroves to eighteen inches being common. That's the pulse of
the Gulf today. Strong tides, hot water, and a loaded bite.

(03:38):
If you set up on the moving water, keep an
eye on the weather in the tide clock and you're
set up for a good day on the salt. Thanks
for tuning in, and don't forget to subscribe for more
local reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production.
For more check out Quiet Please dot ai