Updated: Thursday, August 20, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, August 27, 2026
This Jacksonville fishing report covers the week of August 20, 2026, when the Northeast Florida coast sits in the deepest part of its summer pattern and kingfish lead the nearshore action. Ocean water holds in the low 80s, the river runs warm and stained from summer rain, and the sea breeze goes from nothing at daybreak to fifteen knots by early afternoon. Late August is a morning fishery, and a very good one if you are on the water before the sun clears the trees.
What’s Hitting
Kingfish are the headline on the nearshore reefs and wrecks, mixed with hard-charging Spanish mackerel and the occasional cobia. Mangrove snapper are excellent along the St. Johns jetty rock and the deeper river structure. Redfish work the marsh grass hard on the flood tide, with schools in the creek mouths on the fall. Flounder show up on the jetty rocks and the deeper creek bends. Offshore, bottom fishing in 90 to 130 feet is steady for a mixed bag.
Where to Find Them
Work the reefs and wrecks in 40 to 80 feet off Mayport for kings and macks, and look for bait on the sounder and working birds before you commit. The north and south jetties hold snapper and flounder on the last of the incoming. For redfish, the Nassau Sound marsh, the Clapboard Creek system and the flooded grass off Sisters Creek are the highest-percentage water. The Intracoastal dock lines north and south of the Sisters Creek bridge hold fish through the middle of the tide.
Tides & Conditions
Tidal range moderates off the waxing moon, but Northeast Florida still moves a lot of water, so plan the marsh work around the top of the flood. River water is stained and warm; ocean water clears quickly a couple of miles out. Morning seas run two feet or less with light wind, building to three feet and a chop by early afternoon. Afternoon thunderstorms are a daily fixture inland, with some drifting to the beaches.
Tackle & Tactics
- Kings: slow-troll a live pogy on a stinger rig with light wire, on 4000- to 6000-size spinners or light conventional gear with 30-pound braid, and be patient on the drop-back.
- Spanish: they hit the same baits, but a long shank hook and a fast retrieve convert more fish.
- Inshore: a 3000-size spinner with 20-pound braid and 25- to 30-pound fluorocarbon covers reds and flounder. A quarter-ounce jighead with a paddletail bumped along the bottom is the flounder rig; live mud minnows and cut mullet are the reliable redfish baits in the grass.
Local Intel This Week
The Sisters Creek Marine Park ramp is the workhorse launch for the jetties and the north marsh. Mayport’s Helen Cooper Floyd Park ramp puts you closest to the inlet, and the Goodbys Creek and Mandarin Point ramps serve the upper river. Shore anglers can fish the Huguenot Memorial Park side of the north jetty for snapper and flounder; time it for the last of the incoming. Fish concentrate on hard structure and current seams such as jetty rock, creek mouths and dock lines. Check current FWC and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
On the flood-tide marsh, do not fish the grass line; fish the drain. Every stretch of flooded spartina has one or two low spots where water pours back off the bank as the tide turns. Position down-current of a drain and let bait wash to you. That is where redfish set up, tide after tide.
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