Back Bay Fishing Calendar >

Deep Sea Fishing

January, February Some of the year’s best bottom action for fish including grouper, snapper, triggerfish, sheepshead and a variety of other reef fish.
March Good bottom action for grouper, snapper, sea bass, triggerfish and other reef dwellers. Amberjack begin to appear on the deeper wrecks, and by month’s end the spring run of mackerel will get underway.  Shark fishing begins to heat up.
April Peak month for the spring run of Spanish mackerel and king mackerel, lots of barracuda and amberjack on the wrecks. Steady bottom fish action for grouper and snapper. Shark fishing is good.
May Spanish mackerel, kingfish, grouper, snapper and barracuda can be caught. Large sharks show in the area in conjunction with the spring tarpon run. Goliath grouper stack up on the wrecks. Permit also show up on the wrecks.
June Barracuda, bonita and some mackerel are caught near the surface and grouper and snapper are found on the bottom. Goliath grouper and permit are schooled on offshore wrecks.
July, August Barracuda, bonita and mackerel can be caught near the surface and bottom fish for grouper and snapper is steady. It’s near the peak of the Goliath grouper spawning season so they’re really bunched up on the wrecks and artificial reefs.
September Barracuda and a few large king mackerel are found over the offshore wrecks. Goliath grouper and snapper are on the bottom around the wrecks, grouper and snapper provide steady action on rocky outcroppings.  A few Spanish mackerel are caught around the Pass.
October The fall runs of Spanish mackerel and king fish will begin in earnest this month. Grouper and snapper can be caught on the bottom. Barracuda and amberjack will be found on the wrecks.
November The fall runs of Spanish mackerel and king fish peak in November. Barracuda, bonita and some bluefish can be caught too. Bottom fishing improves as the Gulf water cools.
December Bottom fishing is approaching the winter peak as the annual inshore migration of gag grouper brings these fish close to shore. Snapper, triggerfish, sheepshead and other reef fish are caught as well. A few late season mackerel and king fish are caught in December.

 Back Bay Fishing

January, February Trout fishing is very good. Sheepshead, mangrove snapper, pompano and some redfish will be caught.
March Trout, bonnethead sharks and some cobia will be caught on the flats. Redfish and snook are possible, and the spring Spanish mackerel run will get underway. Sheepshead are very good.
April April is perhaps the very best snook month of the year, small sharks are showing up in the harbor, Spanish mackerel will appear off and on and the first tarpon of the year are usually caught.
May May is a great inshore tarpon month. Snook season is closed, but catch-and-release action on these fish is very good. Shark fishing is great, cobia will intercept a few shark baits, and flats fishing for redfish is steady. Spanish mackerel and trout are caught too.
June June is one of the best tarpon months of the year. Catch-and-release snook fishing is very strong, shark fishing is good and redfish action on the flats is good.
July, August, September Tarpon are good all summer in the bays and rivers. Snook, redfish and trout are all steady. Mangrove snapper start to show up.  Shark fishing is good in the lower harbor.
October Snook, redfish and trout are all good. Good numbers of mangrove snapper, and some Spanish mackerel.
November Trout, snook and redfish are very good. Mangrove snapper in the canals and Spanish mackerel in the open water are both good.
December Trout, redfish, mangrove snapper and sheepshead garner the most inshore attention this month.