Updated: Thursday, October 29, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, November 5, 2026
This Jacksonville fishing report is a seasonal outlook for the St. Johns River, the Intracoastal marshes and the Mayport jetties. Cooling water is concentrating redfish in the creeks, trout on the grass and flounder near the river mouth. The week’s key variable is the tide: Northeast Florida’s big marsh tides decide when the creeks fish best.
What’s Hitting
Redfish are the most consistent target, schooling in marsh creeks and along oyster bars on a falling tide. Speckled trout are on the grass flats and around dock lights, and black drum hold near bridges. Flounder are staging around the jetties and river mouth as part of their fall movement, with the best activity usually in the first weeks of November. Sheepshead are starting on pilings and dock posts. Bluefish and Spanish mackerel are still showing at the jetties on warm afternoons, adding variety if the flounder or redfish bite slows.
Where to Find Them
Fish the marsh creeks around Sisters Creek, Nassau Sound and the Talbot Island area for redfish, especially at the creek mouths late in the falling tide. The lower St. Johns near Mayport holds flounder and trout around the jetties, ship channel edges and the Dames Point area bridge pilings. The grass flats near Fort George hold trout, and Intracoastal docks hold sheepshead. Jetty rocks at Mayport and the Fort George River inlet area also hold sheepshead and black drum, particularly around slack tide when current eases.
Tides & Conditions
With the moon waning, tides are easing but remain large by East Coast standards. The last two hours of the falling tide is the best window in the creeks, when marsh water drains and fish stack at creek mouths. On the river, moving water around the jetties improves flounder activity. Wind from the north can blow water out of the shallows, so plan around protected creeks.
Tackle & Tactics
Live shrimp under a popping cork or a paddle-tail on a quarter-ounce jighead handle redfish and trout. For flounder, a mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, dragged slowly along the bottom, is the standard. Use 15 to 20 pound fluorocarbon and wait a few seconds before setting the hook. In cool, clear water, slow everything down. A quarter-ounce bucktail tipped with a Gulp swimming mullet is a reliable flounder search lure when live bait is not available.
Local Intel This Week
Public access includes the Sisters Creek Marina ramp, the Dames Point boat ramp and the Little Talbot Island State Park area. Fish are concentrating on marsh creek mouths on the falling tide and around the Mayport jetties for flounder. Check current state and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish, especially redfish and flounder.
This Week’s Tip
Fish the last hour of the falling tide at a creek mouth. Redfish stack where the draining marsh meets deeper water, and the window can be short but productive.
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