Indian River Lagoon Seasonal Fishing Calendar

Month Top Species Peak Technique Conditions & Notes
January Redfish, Snook, Permit (Sebastian) Sight-casting in clear cool water, crab flies Best clarity of the year; trophy redfish and permit at Sebastian Inlet
February Redfish, Permit, Snook Sight-casting IRL flats, Sebastian crab flies Excellent permit and redfish sight-fishing in crystal clear water
March Redfish, Tarpon (early), Snook Sight-casting, live mullet First tarpon of the season appear in the IRL channels
April Tarpon, Redfish, Permit Live crabs and mullet, sight-casting Tarpon migration through the lagoon; permit at Sebastian Inlet
May Tarpon, Snook, Redfish Live bait, topwater at dawn Peak IRL tarpon season; snook pre-spawn feeding aggressively
June Tarpon, Snook Live mullet at Sebastian Inlet Tarpon excellent at Sebastian; snook spawn then return
July Tarpon, Snook, Redfish Live bait, topwater dawn and dusk Tarpon still active; excellent inshore fishing morning and evening
August Snook, Redfish, Seatrout Topwater, jigs, live shrimp Excellent all-around inshore; dawns especially productive
September Snook, Redfish, Permit Topwater, sight-casting, crab flies Snook reopens Sept 1; redfish schooling; fall permit at Sebastian
October Redfish, Snook, Permit (PEAK fall) Sight-casting, crab flies, topwater One of the best months of year for permit and redfish in the IRL
November Redfish, Seatrout, Snook Soft plastics, live shrimp, topwater Fall season excellent throughout the 156-mile lagoon system
December Redfish, Snook, Permit Sight-casting in clear water Clear winter water returns — excellent sight-fishing conditions