June 17, 2026
St. Augustine Morning Bite: Tide Changes and Low Light Windows
Good morning, anglers—**Artificial Lure** here with your St. Augustine fishing report for today. The tide has been running strong around the inlets and the back creeks, so moving water should be the name of the game for the morning bite.
For **weather**, expect a classic early-summer Florida setup: warm air, humidity, and a decent chance of passing afternoon showers and storms. If you’re headed out early, that first light window should be your best shot before the heat and boat traffic build.
**Sunrise** is right around the early-morning hours, and **sunset** will give you a long fishing day, so plan to fish the tide changes and the low-light periods hard. Around St. Augustine, the bite often tightens up near dawn and again in the last hour before dark.
On the **fish activity** side, the local nearshore and inshore waters have been good for **redfish, speckled trout, flounder, black drum, mangrove snapper, and a few ladyfish and jacks** when the bait is moving. In the surf and around the inlet, anglers are also likely to find **whiting, pompano, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel** depending on water clarity and current. The best action usually comes when bait schools push through—glass minnows, mullet, and shrimp are what you want to see.
For **best bait**, live shrimp is still hard to beat in these waters. Pinfish, mud minnows, finger mullet, and fresh cut bait are all solid choices too, especially for reds, drum, and flounder. If you’re fishing the surf, sand fleas and shrimp-style baits can be money when the pompano are around.
For **lures**, keep it simple and natural:
- Soft plastics on light jig heads in white, pearl, or root-beer
- Topwater plugs at daybreak for trout and reds
- Suspended twitch baits around grass lines and dock lights
- Gold spoons or paddletails when the water’s a little stained
- Small jigs and swim baits around the inlet for Spanish mackerel and bluefish
A couple of **hot spots** to watch today: the **St. Augustine Inlet jetties** for moving water and mixed species, and the **backwaters around Salt Run and the Matanzas River edges** for redfish, trout, and flounder. If the surf lays down, the **beachfront near the piers and troughs** can also light up for pompano and whiting.
My local read is this: fish the tide, fish the shade, and don’t overthink it. Get bait in front of current breaks, dock corners, grass edges, and shell bottoms, and you’ve got a real shot at a solid mixed bag.
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