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Saint Marks River Fishing Report

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

Where the Big Bend begins: spring-fed river current meets Apalachee Bay grass flats, and redfish own the seam.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Next tide
High 9:59 PM
Air / High
84 / 87 F
Wind
WSW 6 mph

Sources: NOAA tides 8728130, 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 Marks River locks in another hot, bright day: the fish know the drill and so should you. Today brings cloud cover, wind WSW around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 87. Tides: high 6:34 AM and 9:59 PM, low 12:42 AM and 2:51 PM: the moving water either side of each change is when this place feeds. Water sits around 85 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

Redfish (red drum)Excellent

Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled troutGood

First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

Tomorrow: Similar 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.

Tides

NOAA station 8728130 (St. Marks River Entrance). Fish the moving water either side of each change.

Fri
LOW12:42 AM2.0 ft
HIGH6:34 AM3.9 ft
LOW2:51 PM0.4 ft
HIGH9:59 PM2.7 ft
Sat
LOW1:46 AM2.3 ft
HIGH7:41 AM3.7 ft
LOW4:31 PM0.4 ft
HIGH11:39 PM2.8 ft

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp84 F
High / Low87 / 77 F
WindWSW 6-7 mph
Pressure1013.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain69% cloud, 24%
Sunrise / Sunset07:15 / 19:55
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~85 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 · Overcast, 87/77 F, wind 8 mph, rain 24%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Redfish (red drum) illustration

Redfish (red drum)

Best: Sep-Nov bull run

The copper-flanked king of the flats and surf: tailing in inches of water, schooling by the hundred in fall. Dawn topwater over grass flats and shorelines, then follow them to deeper guts and channel edges with gold spoons and paddletails. Look for wakes and nervous bait.

Speckled trout illustration

Speckled trout

Best: spring and fall

The Gulf coast's everyday obsession: soft mouths, violent topwater strikes and a fishery that lives by tide and bait. First light topwater over grass and shell, then deeper: free-lined live shrimp or croaker over 4-8 ft structure. The bite dies with the sun; night lights fish well.

When to come: the Saint Marks 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
Redfish (red drum)
Speckled trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 85 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~85 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 Marks 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. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 87 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 92 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Redfish (red drum) led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 6 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

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 saltwater rules apply below the fork: redfish are catch-and-release in this zone per current FWC status, and trout limits change by region. Check FWC before keeping fish.

Access

City ramp at St. Marks, refuge access along Lighthouse Road (fee), and upriver launches at Newport for the freshwater reach.

About this water

A spring-fed river meeting Apalachee Bay at St. Marks, Wakulla County, Florida, flanked by the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

Fishing Saint Marks River: the full guide

River into bay

The Saint Marks pours cold spring water past the old lighthouse into Apalachee Bay, and the meeting of river and gulf builds one of the Big Bend’s most reliable inshore fisheries. Upstream of Newport the river is a shaded, tannin-and-spring mix with largemouth and stumpknockers; below the fort ruins it turns to oyster bars, grass flats and salt. Most anglers launch at the town of St. Marks and run the last miles of river to fish the bay, timing the trip to the tide rather than the clock.

Redfish and trout on the flats

The pattern is classic Big Bend: on the higher stages of the tide, redfish push onto the flats and crawl the oyster bars either side of the channel, eating gold spoons, weedless jerk shads and topwaters early. Speckled trout hold over the mixed grass in three to six feet, best on popping-cork rigs and soft plastics. The winter negative tides concentrate fish in the river itself and the deeper channel bends, where slow-rolled jigs take both species out of the same holes.

Reading the tide here

The St. Marks River Entrance station a few miles out drives this fishery: the flats east of the lighthouse need mid-tide or better to float a skiff safely, and the bars go from invisible to boat-eating on the drop. Plan to ride the last of the incoming out to the flats and fish the first hours of the fall back toward the river. Summer thunderstorms build almost daily; morning tides are the play from June through September.

The working waterfront

St. Marks is a real fishing town: public ramp at the city park, fish camps, and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge wrapping the east bank with walk-in and paddle access along Lighthouse Road. The refuge pools and creeks are a kayak fishery of their own for reds in skinny water. Fort San Marcos ruins and the lighthouse make the scenery half the trip.

Common questions

Do I need a boat to fish St. Marks?

No. The refuge side offers bank and kayak access to legitimate redfish water, and the river holds fish along the town shoreline. A skiff simply opens the outer flats.

Are redfish keepable here?

The Big Bend has been under catch-and-release redfish management: verify the current FWC rule for this zone before your trip, as statuses are reviewed regularly.

What about the freshwater stretch?

Above Newport the river fishes like a spring creek: largemouth, bream and the occasional striper in the cool months, best from a canoe drifting the shade lines.

Is fishing good at Saint Marks 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

Lake Talquin33 miApalachicola Bay54 miSteinhatchee56 miLake Seminole60 miPanama City Beach97 miHomosassa125 mi
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