Updated: Thursday, August 13, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, August 20, 2026
This Palm Beach fishing report covers mid-August and the classic summer draw: a two-mile run to blue water, flat morning seas and a hard afternoon storm that ends the day early. With the Gulf Stream pushed in tight, short offshore trips are genuinely worthwhile, and mahi on the current edges are the lead target. The condition to plan around is the new moon at the end of the week, which cranks up the inlet tides and puts the tarpon crowd on alert.
What’s Hitting
Mahi are the offshore headline, holding on weedlines and color changes in 200 to 600 feet. Mutton snapper feed well on the reef in 70 to 120 feet, especially around the new moon. Blackfin tuna and bonito work the deeper wrecks at first light, and sailfish are scattered along the edge, with a few raised on the right day.
Inshore, tarpon stack at the Palm Beach and Boynton inlets on the night tides, and snook sit on the same structure, catch-and-release only under the closed harvest season. Snapper and jacks fill in around the inlet rocks for shore anglers.
Where to Find Them
The current edge sets up 2 to 6 miles out most mornings. Look for a color change with grass and bait rather than committing to a depth. The reef edge off Juno and Boynton gives up muttons on the drift.
Palm Beach Inlet, Boynton Inlet and the Intracoastal bridges hold tarpon and snook after dark. The Lake Worth Lagoon dock lights are worth a late-night snook pass, since the lights pull bait and the fish set up on the shadow line.
Tides & Conditions
Expect offshore water from 84 to 86 degrees with a strong north-setting current close to the beach, and high 80s inshore. New-moon tides bring the biggest exchange of the month through both inlets, and the outgoing after dark is when tarpon feed hardest. Morning seas run 1 to 2 feet and build with the afternoon storms, so fish offshore early and plan to be at the inlet after dark.
Tackle & Tactics
- Mahi: keep a light spinning rod rigged with a bucktail or a small ballyhoo for pitching; a 40-pound fluorocarbon leader gets more bites than heavier.
- Muttons: a fresh ballyhoo or pinfish on a long leader and a knocker rig fished on the drift.
- Inlet tarpon: live mullet and crabs on 60- to 80-pound leader, or a heavy flair hawk jig swum in the current.
- Bridge snook: live pilchards or a swimbait worked across the shadow line.
Local Intel This Week
The Riviera Beach municipal ramp and Boynton Harbor Marina are the practical launches for inlet and offshore access, with Riviera Beach close to Palm Beach Inlet and Boynton Harbor at the Boynton Inlet. Shore anglers can target snook, snapper and jacks from the Boynton Inlet catwalk and the Juno Beach Pier. Concentrate on the inlets and the current edge rather than spreading over the flat reef.
Snook harvest is closed on the Atlantic coast and reef species carry federal restrictions. Check current FWC and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Fish the inlet on the outgoing, not the incoming. Bait flushes out of the Lake Worth Lagoon and the tarpon set up in the rip just outside the jetty tips to intercept it. Position outside the fish and let your bait swing to them.
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