Updated: Thursday, September 17, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, September 24, 2026
This St. Augustine fishing report covers mid-September, when the fall pattern is in full swing on the First Coast. Flounder are the lead target, gathering at both inlets, while bull reds sit on the bars and the mullet run brings the beach alive at first light from Vilano south to Crescent Beach. Plan around the morning outgoing tide, which sets up the inlet bite. On a good morning you can work the inlet early and still be home for lunch.
What’s Hitting
Flounder lead the week. Expect fish stacking on the sandy edges of the St. Augustine Inlet rocks, along the Vilano side and at Matanzas Inlet as they begin their fall push toward the ocean, with steady keepers and some 5-pound-plus fish mixed in.
Bull redfish sit on the inlet bars and channel edges on the falling tide, and slot reds work the Intracoastal creeks and oyster bars. The mullet run puts tarpon, big jacks and Spanish mackerel on the beaches, and the first blues of the fall show in the surf. Trout are on the creek mouths and grass edges early, and black drum sit on the bridge pilings.
Where to Find Them
Fish flounder on the sandy bottom against the inlet rocks, along the Vilano jetty, at the Matanzas Inlet edges, and around the docks and creek mouths on the Intracoastal on the outgoing tide. Bull reds hold on the bars at the mouth of St. Augustine Inlet and in the channel on the falling tide. Along the beach, tarpon and jacks are wherever the mullet pods are thickest, so cover ground from Vilano south to Crescent Beach and watch for birds. Slot reds and trout sit in the creeks off the Intracoastal and around the oyster bars of the Guana and Tolomato rivers.
Tides & Conditions
Moderate tides between the moons put the best inlet water on the morning outgoing. Expect water in the low 80s and clearing after the summer rains. Mornings are calm with a light west wind, and the northeast breeze builds later in the day, so fish the surf early when it is most fishable.
Tackle & Tactics
- Flounder: a live mud minnow or finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or a Gulp on a quarter-ounce jig head, dragged slowly along the bottom at the rocks and edges on a 7-foot medium spinning rod with 15-pound braid.
- Bull reds: cut mullet or a blue crab half on a 7/0 circle hook with a fish-finder rig.
- Beach tarpon and jacks: a live finger mullet under a float or a large paddle tail.
- Creeks: a popping cork with a shrimp or soft plastic covers trout and slot reds.
Local Intel This Week
The Vilano Beach ramp is the closest launch to St. Augustine Inlet, with the Lighthouse Park ramp on Salt Run, the Frank Butler Park ramp for the Matanzas River and the Palm Valley ramp for the northern Intracoastal. Shore anglers can reach flounder and reds from the Vilano jetty, the Matanzas Inlet bridge and shoreline, and the St. Augustine pier. Time inlet trips for the outgoing tide and beach trips for the mullet pods. Flounder have a fall closed season on the Atlantic coast. Check current FWC and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Flounder at the inlet face into the current and sit right where the sand meets the rock. Drag your bait slowly down-current along that seam, and when you feel weight, count to three before you set. The fish grabs the bait crosswise first and turns it before it swallows.
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