Share your catch

St. Johns River Fishing Report

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

Florida's long lazy north-flowing giant: shad runs, springtime specks and bass water braided through lakes for 300 miles.

3/5
Fair. Fish early or late.Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
93 / 93 F
Wind
SE 9 mph

Sources: 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.

St. Johns River stays in its summer rhythm: early magic, midday siesta, evening reprieve. Today brings cloud cover, wind SE around 9 mph, steady pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 93. 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

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.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

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: Similar at 90 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.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp93 F
High / Low93 / 77 F
WindSE 9-11 mph
Pressure1013.6 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 64%
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 · Storms, 93/77 F, wind 14 mph, rain 64%

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 St. 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.

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.

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.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the St. 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
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
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 St. 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. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 87 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 90 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 89 F, wind to 11 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 license. Bass/crappie standard; shad: seasonal rules: check FWC. Manatee zones enforced.

Access

CS Lee Park, Ed Stone Park, Lake Monroe marinas: ramps the length of the middle basin.

About this water

310 north-flowing miles, our anchor at the middle basin, Volusia/Seminole counties, FL.

Fishing St. Johns River: the full guide

The river of lakes

The St. Johns flows north 310 miles through a chain of lakes (George, Monroe, Harney, Poinsett): Florida's longest river and its original bass highway. The middle basin (our anchor: the Sanford-to-DeLand reaches) braids channels, eelgrass edges and spring-fed runs into a fishery that made Florida bass famous before the theme parks existed.

Bass the river way

Current organizes everything: eelgrass points and channel swings hold fish year-round (swim jigs and speed worms down the grass: the river standard), winter stacks pre-spawn females in the lakes' south ends, and the springs (Blue, Silver Glen) hold summer schools in the cool outflows. Wild shiners under the bobber remain the trophy method: river guides live by the bait well.

The February silver run

America's southernmost American shad run climbs the St. Johns each winter: fly and light-tackle anglers drift the Puzzle Lake-to-Lemon Bluff reaches swinging darts and flies for 2-4-pound silver: a wholly un-Florida fishery in the middle of it. Crappie (specks) fill the same winter: the river's lakes rank with the state's best.

River practicalities

Ramps ladder the whole system (Lake Monroe's marinas, CS Lee, Ed Stone): airboats own the upper marshes: the middle river runs prop-friendly: and water levels swing the braids: high water scatters fish into the floodplain, low water stacks them in the channels. Manatee zones and spring closures apply: the river rewards idle patience.

Common questions

When is the shad run on the St. Johns?

December-February, peaking in January: the Puzzle Lake reaches fill with silver and fly rods. America's southernmost shad run: Florida's least-Florida fishery.

Where do bass hold in the St. Johns?

Eelgrass edges on current, channel swings, and the spring runs in summer heat. Moving water is the river's structure: fish it like a slow tide.

Is fishing good at St. 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

Saint Johns River6 miMosquito Lagoon33 miLake Harris33 miClearwater Lake39 miLake Tohopekaliga50 miOrange Lake63 mi
Share your catch