St. Augustine Early Summer Pattern: Dawn Topwater and Moving Tides

This is Artificial Lure with your St. Augustine fishing report. We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern setting up along the Ancient City coast. The National Weather Service calls for light southwest winds this morning turning onshore by afternoon, seas running 2 to 3 feet, and just a slight chop on the ICW. Skies are partly cloudy with a small chance of an afternoon shower. Weather Underground and Windy both show barometric pressure steady to slowly falling, which usually perks up the bite on the moving tides. Sunrise is right around a quarter after six, with sunset just before eight-thirty this evening, giving you a long, fishable day with prime low-light windows at both ends. Those dawn and dusk edges are when your topwater and shallow presentations will shine. Tides along the St. Augustine Inlet, per NOAA, show a predawn high followed by a mid-morning outgoing that drains hard through the inlet and into the creek mouths. Expect the strongest current around the lower half of the outgoing and the first push of the incoming early afternoon. That’s when the predators pin bait against the edges and structure. Local tackle shops around town have been reporting steady action on **slot redfish**, **trout**, and a few **flounder** inshore, with **mangrove snapper**, **jacks**, and **ladyfish** mixed in around the bridges and rocks. Offshore and nearshore, anglers are still finding **king mackerel**, **cobia** sliding through, and a mix of **vermilion snapper** and **sea bass** on the bottom when the current allows. Pier regulars say whiting and pompano slowed some, but there are still **spanish mackerel** and **bluefish** pushing bait when the water’s clean. Inshore, think early and late for the best bite. On the flats behind Vilano and north in the Palm Valley stretch, redfish have been cruising edges 1–3 feet deep, especially where oyster meets grass. A 3-inch paddle tail in new penny, opening night, or natural mullet on an 1/8-ounce jig head has been the day-in, day-out producer. Live shrimp under a popping cork remains king for numbers of trout and mixed bag action. For trout, hit the drop-offs along the Matanzas River and the ICW, especially where smaller feeder creeks dump into deeper bends. MirrOlure-style hard baits, small suspending twitch baits, and walk-the-dog topwaters at first light are putting better fish in the boat. Once the sun gets up, slide a bit deeper and slow it down with soft plastics or live bait. Flounder have been coming from dock lines, riprap, and the inlet rocks. Slow-roll a mud minnow or finger mullet on a jig right along the bottom. Don’t be afraid to let them chew a second before you set the hook. Two local hot spots to circle today: • St. Augustine Inlet and the adjacent jetties – Work the last of the outgoing and first of the incoming for reds, flounder, mangroves, jacks, and the occasional snook. Use live shrimp, mud minnows, or small finger mullet on a Carolina rig, or bounce 1/4-ounce jigs tight to the rocks. • Tolomato River and creeks off the ICW between the Vilano Bridge and Guana River – On the lower tide, target creek mouths with oysters for redfish and trout. On high water, push back into the grass with weedless soft plastics and topwaters. Best all-around lures today: 3–4 inch paddle tails, gold spoons, and small topwater plugs in bone or mullet patterns. Best bait: live shrimp, mud minnows, small mullet, and cut mullet for the bigger reds. This is Artificial Lure reminding you to fish the moving water, keep an eye on the storms, and respect the local spots and fellow anglers. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn