St. Augustine fishing report for the week of September 10, 2026. The mullet run has reached the First Coast this week, and the beaches from Vilano to Crescent have had tarpon, jacks, and bluefish on the bait every morning. The flounder have started their fall move through St. Augustine Inlet, and the bull reds are showing at the inlet and in the deeper holes of the Intracoastal. This is the week the fall fishing here really begins.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week is flounder. Fish are along the inlet rocks, the Vilano jetty area, and the docks and creek mouths along the Intracoastal from the Matanzas River up to the Tolomato. Bull redfish are staging at the inlet and around the bridge pilings, with fish from 30 to 40 inches. Slot reds and trout are in the creeks and along the oyster bars on the falling tide. On the beach, the mullet run has brought tarpon, jacks, and bluefish, and the surf anglers at Crescent Beach and Vilano have had steady action.
Nearshore, kingfish and Spanish mackerel are on the bait pods just off the beach, and the reefs in 60 to 90 feet have kings and some cobia.
Where to Find Them
Flounder are on the rocks at the inlet, the Vilano jetty, the docks along the Intracoastal near the Bridge of Lions and the 312 bridge, and the creek mouths of the Matanzas. Bull reds are at the inlet on the tide changes and in the deeper holes near the Vilano bridge. Slot reds and trout are on the oyster bars and creek mouths of the Guana and Matanzas rivers on the falling tide. Beach action is on the mullet pods from Vilano Beach down through Crescent Beach at dawn.
Tides & Conditions
The new moon this weekend brings strong tides through the inlet, which is prime for flounder and bull reds. Winds have been northeast at 10 to 15 with a moderate surf, which has pushed the mullet tight to the beach. Water temps are in the low 80s in the river and the beach. Clarity in the Intracoastal is fair on the incoming tide and drops on the outgoing after rain.
Tackle & Tactics
For flounder, a live mud minnow or finger mullet on a 1/4 to 1/2-ounce jig head, or a Gulp swimming mullet, worked slowly along the bottom at the rocks and docks. Bull reds want cut mullet or blue crab on a 7/0 circle hook with a fish-finder rig at the inlet. Slot reds and trout are taking live shrimp under a cork and soft plastics on the bars. In the surf, a live mullet or a big swimbait for tarpon, and a topwater popper for jacks and blues.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps: the Vilano Beach boat ramp is the closest to the inlet, the Lighthouse Park ramp on Salt Run serves the south side of the inlet and the Matanzas, and the Palm Valley ramp covers the north Intracoastal. Shore anglers have been catching flounder and reds from the Vilano jetty and the rocks at the St. Augustine Inlet, and tarpon and jacks from the beach at Vilano and Crescent. Fish are concentrating at the inlet on the tide changes and in the creek mouths on the falling tide. Check current FWC regulations before keeping fish — bull reds over the slot must be released, and flounder have a fall closed season in Florida that anglers should confirm before targeting them to keep.
This Week’s Tip
The flounder at the inlet are on the sandy bottom right at the base of the rocks, facing into the current. Work your jig along the seam where the sand meets the rock, and keep it moving slowly with short hops. A jig dragged along the open sand away from the rocks misses the fish, and one bounced in the rocks gets hung.
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