Spring
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
|---|---|
| March | 79° / 61° |
| April | 83° / 65° |
| May | 87° / 70° |
Action: Spanish mackerel and kingfish kick off on reefs and hard bottom; cobia cruise markers and wrecks; permit and pompano show on nearshore structure.
Slow: Post-front mornings in early March can be inconsistent.
Tips: Slow-troll live baits for kings, pitch small crabs to permit, use jigs/shrimp for pompano, and keep a live bait ready for cobia around buoys.
Summer
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
|---|---|
| June | 90° / 74° |
| July | 91° / 75° |
| August | 91° / 75° |
Action: Tarpon roam just off the beaches; kings and Spanish remain active; barracuda stack on reefs; snapper bite well on nearshore ledges at dawn/dusk.
Slow: Midday heat flattens the bite and pushes fish deeper.
Tips: Live crabs/threadfins for tarpon, slow-trolled baits for kings, large plugs for ’cuda, and light chum with small live baits for mangrove snapper.
Fall
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
|---|---|
| September | 90° / 74° |
| October | 86° / 69° |
| November | 81° / 63° |
Action: Excellent fall runs of Spanish and kings; cobia reappear; permit linger on wrecks; lane/mangrove snapper steady on structure.
Slow: Tarpon mostly gone by mid-fall.
Tips: Troll spoons/planers for mackerel, free-line live baits for cobia, and drop knocker rigs with shrimp or cut bait for snapper.
Winter
| Month | Avg. Air Temps °F (Hi/Lo) |
|---|---|
| December | 76° / 57° |
| January | 74° / 55° |
| February | 76° / 56° |
Action: Sheepshead and black drum stack on nearshore reefs and rock piles; lane snapper dependable; kings pop up on warm spells.
Slow: Most pelagics scarce during strong cold fronts.
Tips: Fiddler crabs for sheepshead, cut shrimp/crab for drum, squid or small cut bait for snapper; fish leeward structure after fronts.
