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Saint Johns River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Florida’s north-flowing giant: the St. Johns grows trophy largemouth, spring crappie clouds and a shad run anglers plan winters around.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Flow
2,080 cfs
Air / High
95 / 95 F
Wind
S 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 02236000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Saint Johns River serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. The river is running 2,080 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind S around 7 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 95. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassGood

Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 88 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from St. Johns River near DeLand.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 02236000.

1,3871,8452,3032,080 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp95 F
High / Low95 / 76 F
WindS 7-8 mph
Pressure1013.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 69%
Sunrise / Sunset07:04 / 19:43
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 95/76 F, wind 15 mph, rain 69%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Saint Johns River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

When to come: the Saint Johns River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Saint Johns River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 88 F, wind to 10 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 13 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Florida requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Florida license. Black bass 5 per day with only one over 16 inches; crappie limits apply: check current FWC regulations.

Access

Public ramps at Astor, DeLand, Sanford, Palatka and Lake George; numerous fish camps with guides and bait.

About this water

A 310-mile north-flowing river from central Florida to Jacksonville: a chain of lakes, marshes and spring runs.

Fishing Saint Johns River: the full guide

A river that runs backwards

The St. Johns flows 310 miles north from the marshes near Vero Beach to Jacksonville, dropping less than 30 feet the whole way: a slow, wide, tannic river of lakes, marshes and creeks. It is one of the great American bass fisheries: trophy largemouth in the eelgrass and hyacinth, black crappie (specks) that stack by the thousands in winter, American shad running the upper river in January, plus striped bass, sunshine bass and catfish through the middle reaches.

Bass in the grass

The signature fishery is largemouth on the eelgrass edges, lily pads and hydrilla from Lake George through the Astor and DeLand reaches. Winter and early spring are prime: wild shiners produce the double-digit fish the river is famous for, while artificial anglers throw swim jigs, flipping baits and topwater frogs along the grass lines. Summer pushes fish to the deeper river bends and spring runs where cooler water gathers.

Specks and shad

Crappie fishing here is a regional institution: from November through March, drift or troll jigs across the open water of Lake George and the river’s wide reaches, or fish the brush and dock pilings. Limits are common and the fish run heavy. In January and February, American shad run the upper river above Lake Monroe: light tackle, small darts and one of the South’s most overlooked fisheries.

Navigating a long river

Ramps line the whole river: Astor, DeLand, Lake George, Sanford, Palatka and dozens more, with fish camps offering guides, shiners and local intelligence. Water levels and wind drive the fishing: the river is shallow and the wide lakes get rough fast. Watch for manatees in the spring runs and respect the idle zones: they are enforced and the springs are worth protecting.

Common questions

When do I go for a trophy bass?

December through March: pre-spawn and spawn on wild shiners around the grass edges is how most double-digit St. Johns bass are caught.

What is the speck season?

November through March, peaking in January and February. Trolling jigs across Lake George is the classic method.

Is the shad run worth it?

For light-tackle anglers, absolutely: January and February above Lake Monroe, with hard-fighting fish and almost no crowds.

Is fishing good at Saint Johns River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.

Nearby waters

St. Johns River6 miLake Harris35 miMosquito Lagoon37 miClearwater Lake40 miLake Tohopekaliga56 miSt. Augustine58 mi
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