Cedar Key Fishing Reports (May 2026)

Mike A.
Yankeetown, Florida
Reported 1 week ago

It is always a blessing to fish with Brian and Stacie. This is their third trip down from West Virginia to fish with me in the last year and every trip has been both fun and productive! They only had time for a half day Charter this time because they...

Mike A. Yankeetown, Florida Reported 1 week ago

It is always a blessing to fish with Brian and Stacie. This is their third trip down from West Virginia to fish with me in the last year and every trip has been both fun and productive! They only had time for a half day Charter this time because they had other commitments but we made the best of it as they started out on a nice Seatrout bite first thing in the morning. Caught about 15 to 20 trout and kept seven good ones. Then went on to catch a variety of other fish including Black Drum, Redfish, and Sheepshead. The coolest event of the day was watching two spinner sharks Circle one of our live baits on a cork. They were very cautious but one decided to dive in and got hooked up. He made a drag pulling run and then jumped fully out of the water did a 360 barrel roll, and spit the hook. What a magnificent sight! You just never know what you're going to see out here in God's Country. I'm
looking forward to the fourth trip which sounds like it is coming up soon!

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Mike A.
Yankeetown, Florida
Reported 1 month ago

What a blessing it was for me to be able to spend the day with these two guys yesterday out in God's Country!!! I fished with Ken from Dunnellon and his buddy Jeff, who lives in Ocala. While they are both into fishing, Ken is really hooked (pun intended🤣). He...

Mike A. Yankeetown, Florida Reported 1 month ago

What a blessing it was for me to be able to spend the day with these two guys yesterday out in God's Country!!! I fished with Ken from Dunnellon and his buddy Jeff, who lives in Ocala. While they are both into fishing, Ken is really hooked (pun intended🤣). He has mainly fished fresh water, and wanted to learn and experience our fishery here in Yankeetown. He also kept us entertained with stories of fishing in the Amazon! They started off the day catching Seatrout, putting some in the cooler for dinner. Then we headed off to hunt for Redfish and Black Drum. They put some nice Redfish, Black Drum, and Mangrove Snapper in the box, on top of Trout, that ended up being a nice bag of fillets, and we made it back in safely before the crazy winds started blowing hard. From what they tell me it looks like I am going to be seeing them a lot on future charters. Long story short, another successful adventure out in the Gulf of America!

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Mike A.
Yankeetown, Florida
Reported 1 month ago

Quality fish was the theme of the day! I ran a single angler trip with Mark yesterday out in God's Country and he really put some nice Redfish and Seatrout in the boat. He started out the day with a Big Trout in the fog, then put a few Trout...

Mike A. Yankeetown, Florida Reported 1 month ago

Quality fish was the theme of the day! I ran a single angler trip with Mark yesterday out in God's Country and he really put some nice Redfish and Seatrout in the boat. He started out the day with a Big Trout in the fog, then put a few Trout in the box for dinner. After that, we moved on to catch some nice Reds. I even got to fish a little and picked up a Big Permit. Mark is a great guy and I was really blessed to be able to fish with him yesterday. He took home a nice bag of fillets for a fish fry with family and friends, including Redfish, Seatrout, Permit, and Mangrove Snapper. We threw live shrimp, mud minnows, and artificial lures, but once again, the fish were really keyed into the beautiful live shrimp from Captains Cove. Check them out for all your bait and tackle needs. Overall, it was a beautiful and productive day fishing, along with good conversation with a great guy, out of
Yankeetown Marina!!! Until next time...

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Jayson P.
Cedar Key, Florida
Reported 1 year ago

Black drums and reds are chewing

Jayson P. Cedar Key, Florida Reported 1 year ago

Black drums and reds are chewing

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Scott W.
Cedar Key, Florida
Reported 2 years ago

Reds are biting

Scott W. Cedar Key, Florida Reported 2 years ago

Reds are biting

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Jason L.
Citra, Florida
Reported 3 years ago

Even with the crazy weather patterns, the fish are doing their thing and pretty much getting in their spring patterns. May is here and hopefully the weather will level out and get more consistent. Spotted trout can be caught on the flats in 3’-6’ of water. The normal popping cork,...

Jason L. Citra, Florida Reported 3 years ago

Even with the crazy weather patterns, the fish are doing their thing and pretty much getting in their spring patterns. May is here and hopefully the weather will level out and get more
consistent.
Spotted trout can be caught on the flats in 3’-6’ of water. The normal popping cork, 3’ mono leader and 1/8 oz jig head will do the trick. I usually use a Sea Shad by Bass Assassin but any bait with a swim action will work. Green Moon and Stinky Pink are normally my go to colors. However, lately, due to all the wind, the water has been a little stirred up. If the normal plastics are not getting it done, switch to Gulp Shrimp. When the water is dirty, the scent of the Gulp baits can improve the bite.
Redfish are being a little inconsistent but that is just due to the weather. With the weather getting more consistent, the redfish bite will improve. For artificial bait, you can’t beat a gold spoon. I like the Aqua Dream brand spoon but there are plenty of other brands that will do the job. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits will be good choices too.
For live or cut bait, mullet is top on my list. My normal rig is a 3/8 or 1/2 ounce weight with a 4/0 or 5/0 circle hook. Mud minnows can be a game changer as well.
Snook are showing up but the season will close May 1st. Catch and release only May 1-August 31.
Get out on the water and have some fun with friends and family. Great friendships, connections and memories are made on the water.

Speckled Trout Fishing in Cedar Key, Florida

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Jason L.
Citra, Florida
Reported 3 years ago

October has been a great month to fish. It truly has been ‘red October’. The redfish bite has been on fire. November will bring some cold front patterns but the bite should stay strong. Just be patient. After a big cold front, the fish may be more lethargic than usual...

Jason L. Citra, Florida Reported 3 years ago

October has been a great month to fish. It truly has been ‘red October’. The redfish bite has been on fire.
November will bring some cold front patterns but the bite should stay strong. Just be patient. After a big cold front, the fish may be more lethargic than usual so you may have to fish artificial bait a little slower than you like.
Live shrimp and cut mullet will still be good for redfish as well.
You may have to start looking to the creek mouths for fish as the water gets colder. A popping cork rig will help keep you off the oyster bars.
Thankfully, our cold fronts don’t last too long and it can be back in the 80s pretty quick this time of year.
I know I keep saying this but just in case.....keep in mind that the redfish laws changed as of September 1st. Go to the myfwc website to get the latest info depending on the region you fish.
The trout bite is starting to pick up. The water in Cedar Key is still a bit dirty but the trout are getting on the flats. Just keep working spots until you find them.
Stay safe and be blessed!