Daytona / Space Coast fishing report for the week of September 17, 2026. The beach from Ormond down to Sebastian is alive with mullet this week, and the tarpon, snook, and jacks that follow them are putting on a show at first light. This is the peak of the fall run for the central Atlantic coast.
What’s Hitting
What’s hot is tarpon in the surf. Fish from 40 to well over 100 pounds are rolling on the mullet pods along New Smyrna, Daytona Beach Shores, and Playalinda, with the best action right at sunrise. Snook are in the surf too and at Ponce Inlet and Sebastian Inlet on the outgoing tide. Bull redfish are in the Ponce Inlet channel and along the jetty, and slot reds and trout are steady in the Mosquito Lagoon and the north Indian River. Big jacks, ladyfish, and Spanish mackerel round out the beach action, and the first flounder are showing at the inlets.
Where to Find Them
Tarpon are wherever the mullet pods are thickest, usually within casting distance of the beach at first light. Drive the beach at Daytona Beach Shores, check the New Smyrna Beach accesses, and look for rolling fish and nervous water. Snook are in the surf line and against the Ponce Inlet jetty rocks. Bull reds are on the channel edges inside Ponce Inlet on the falling tide. The Mosquito Lagoon flats and the spoil islands of the north Indian River hold slot reds and trout on the moving water.
Tides & Conditions
Moderate tides this week with the first-quarter moon Friday. The morning outgoing has been the best inlet window, and the beach bite has been best on the first two hours of light regardless of tide. Water temps are in the low to mid-80s and clear along the beach. Light west winds early, with the east breeze and scattered storms building after midday.
Tackle & Tactics
For beach tarpon, a live finger mullet on a 6/0 to 7/0 circle hook under a float, or free-lined behind the school, on 60-pound fluorocarbon and a heavy spinning rod with 40-pound braid. A large swimbait or a topwater plug will draw fish too. Snook in the surf want a live mullet or a flair hawk jig on 40-pound leader. For bull reds in the inlet, cut mullet or a crab on a 7/0 circle hook with a fish-finder rig. In the lagoon, a soft plastic or a live shrimp under a popping cork covers reds and trout.
Local Intel This Week
The Inlet Harbor ramp in Ponce Inlet and the Lighthouse Point Park area are the closest launches to the inlet, with the Riverbreeze Park ramp in Oak Hill and the Haulover Canal ramp serving the Mosquito Lagoon. Beach driving at Daytona Beach and New Smyrna gives shore anglers direct access to the mullet run. Fish are concentrating along the beach around the bait pods and at Ponce Inlet on the outgoing tide. Snook season is open on the Atlantic coast; check current FWC regulations, slot sizes, and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
For surf tarpon, fish the bait pod’s trailing edge, not the front. Tarpon push the school from behind, and a mullet that looks like it has fallen out the back of the pod is the one that gets crushed.
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