St. Petersburg Fishing Reports (May 2026)

St. Petersburg Weather Forecast

Fishing reports straight from our guides in St. Petersburg

Ray Culver
Seminole, Florida
Reported: 1 week ago

Ray Culver Seminole, Florida Reported: 1 week ago

Tarpon and permit fishing is on fire right now, and it’s the perfect time to get on the water. Big tarpon are rolling and feeding hard, giving you a real shot at an unforgettable fight, while nearshore permit are showing up in numbers and ready to eat.

This is prime time—these opportunities don’t last long, and the bite has been as good as it gets. If you’ve been thinking about chasing tarpon or checking a permit off the list, now’s your window.

Spots are filling fast, so don’t wait. Reach out and lock in your tarpon and permit trip while the bite is this hot.

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Ryan Wagner
Treasure Island, Florida
Reported: 2 weeks ago

Some solid trips as of late! 1. Family hogfish on a 1/2 day trip 2. Nice gag grouper on a friend trip 3. Nice half day action. Hogfish and grey snapper

Ryan Wagner Treasure Island, Florida Reported: 2 weeks ago

Some solid trips as of late!

1. Family hogfish on a 1/2 day trip
2. Nice gag grouper on a friend trip
3. Nice half day action. Hogfish and grey snapper

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Marc Christenson
St. Petersburg, Florida
Reported: 2 weeks ago

Marc Christenson St. Petersburg, Florida Reported: 2 weeks ago

Trout was the hot action for spring. Pretty much every flat they can be found. Fish the shallow pot holes early then push out a little deeper as it gets later in the day. Moving water is the ticket either incoming or outgoing tide. Good to see trout in our area coming back after Piney Point disaster lots of small fish but there's some bigger over 20" fish mixed in. Spanish mackerel and king mackerel have started showing up good numbers nearshore in the gulf. They make for exciting action with their long fast runs pulling drag. I like to anchor up and chum for them with live bait but trolling planers and spoons works good as well. Just have to pick your days right now with the wind. Lots of action right now I will be switching to snook fishing starting May and maybe a few tarpon as well.

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Luke Bonner
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Reported: 2 weeks ago

April the hogfish and snapper bite has been really good nearshore. The visibility has been great for freedive spearfishing.

Luke Bonner Tarpon Springs, Florida Reported: 2 weeks ago

April the hogfish and snapper bite has been really good nearshore. The visibility has been great for freedive spearfishing.

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Phil Dyer
Bradenton, Florida
Reported: 2 weeks ago

Phil Dyer Bradenton, Florida Reported: 2 weeks ago

the past few weeks have been some good spring fishing with lots of trout, mackerel, jacks, blue fish, lady fish and an occasional shark on deeper grass flats. Snook, redfish, trout, and flounder have been in shallower water and mangrove areas.
Gulf fishing has been pretty good on bottom fishing for snapper, porgies, trigger fish and grouper. Gulf fishing had some recent mackerel and kingfish, but this last week has produced a few cobia.

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Joseph Dephillips
Wesley Chapel, Florida
Reported: 3 weeks ago

Kingfish fish

Joseph Dephillips Wesley Chapel, Florida Reported: 3 weeks ago

Kingfish fish

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Robert Denbo
Trinity, Florida
Reported: 3 weeks ago

Redfish and trout bite is on fire!

Robert Denbo Trinity, Florida Reported: 3 weeks ago

Redfish and trout bite is on fire!

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Andrew Crabtree
St. Petersburg, Florida
Reported: 3 weeks ago

Bite is on good for spanish mackerel, Snook, trout, etc! They are chewing!

Andrew Crabtree St. Petersburg, Florida Reported: 3 weeks ago

Bite is on good for spanish mackerel, Snook, trout, etc! They are chewing!

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★★★★★
My son and I did a 6 hour off shore fishing charter with Capt. Mike and had a fantastic time. Mike made contact with us immediately after we booked. His communication was clear, concise and accurate. He contacted us again the day before our trip to see if we had any questions and asked if we had any particular type of fish that we wanted to fish for. On the day of the trip, we arrived 15 minutes before our scheduled departure. Mike already had the boat in the water and the fishing poles rigged and ready. After a brief safety discussion and orientation to the boat, we took off. Mike took us 40 miles off shore before we started fishing. Using his electronics on the boat and past experience, he expertly moved us around and it didn’t take long before my son and I caught some nice size Grouper. Mike kept the fish we caught on ice until we got back to the dock. There, he quickly filleted our fish and had zip lock bags for us to put them in. One thing I couldn’t help but notice was Mike seemed to be having as much fun as we were. I would highly recommend Mike for your next fishing charter.
Doug P. | May 9, 2026

Trip: Sarasota Offshore W/ Capt Mike
★★★★★
Went out on a solo flats trip with Captain Brad and had a great time. Slow morning picked up towards midday when we started pitching docks. Captain Brad was a great teacher, explained technique well and got us on fish. Friendly, knowledgeable, and a lot of fun had on the day
Steven K. | May 8, 2026

Trip: Clearwater Nearshore - 22’ Dusky
★★★★★
Very knowledgeable and fun a Fish with will definitely call him every time. I’m in town give him a 10+.
Judson K. | May 8, 2026

Trip: Tampa Bay Inshore
★★★★★
Awesome experience. Captain Brad and Ben were fantastic. Caught lots of fish. His experience was invaluable. Can’t wait to book him again.
Patrick F. | April 30, 2026

Trip: Clearwater Nearshore - 22’ Dusky
★★★★★
Nick is a great host. Very friendly and willing to share info to help us understand the fish and the waters we were fishing. Helped us have an awesome experience.
Kim J. | April 30, 2026

Trip: Tampa Bay Fishing - 22’ Aguasport
★★★★★
Kick ass time with Captain Nick and first mate Adam! 38 fish caught on a deep fish. They prepped the meat after and I’m still eating it every other night. Had a blast highly recommend
Daniel R. | April 30, 2026

Trip: Bottom Fishing
★★★★★
Nice trip and experience. Jim
James G. | April 28, 2026

Trip: In Or Near Shore Experience
★★★★★
We had a great time!! Very knowledgeable captain in the waters of Tampa Bay! I highly recommend for anyone.
Joe J. | April 28, 2026

Trip: Tampa Bay Inshore Rodeo
★★★★★
Great was Great ! Aiden was also very good! We had a Great time and caught some Nice fish! Great boat too!
Bryan K. | April 27, 2026

Trip: St. Pete Offshore Experience
★★★★★
Captain Phil was great and we all enjoyed the trip. The fish didn't cooperate at first, but Captain Phil moved us to another spot and we got better action. We had a miscommunication with the booking but Trey at Captain Experience was very helpful and we got everything worked out. Thanks Guys! I would book here again.
Andrew R. | April 24, 2026

Trip: Tampa Bay Shark Hunt