Sebastian Inlet Fishing Report
What's biting at the inlet and in the Indian River Lagoon this month, where to find it, what to throw at it, and the live tide that decides your morning. Kept by hosts who fish this water off their own dock.
The fall mullet run starts and everything in the lagoon feeds at once.
Lagoon cooling from 86 to 82°F. Bait everywhere along the shoreline.
Biting now
- Snook
- Tarpon
- Redfish
- Jack crevalle
- Spanish mackerel
- Flounder
Where to fish it
- Anywhere you see a mullet school being pushed against a shoreline
- Inlet mouth on the outgoing tide as bait flushes out
- West-shore docks and points, including ours
Bait & tackle: Match the mullet: a live finger mullet, or a 4–5 inch swimbait or big topwater.
From the dock: This is the best all-around fishing month of the year here. Snook harvest reopens September 1 on the Atlantic coast.
Coming up in October: Peak mullet run: snook, tarpon and redfish blitzing bait in plain sight.
Sebastian Inlet tides
NOAA stationLoading tide predictions…
Predictions for NOAA station 8722004 (Sebastian Inlet bridge), MLLW datum, local time. Outgoing tide against an east swell makes the inlet mouth roughest — the calmest run out is near slack water at the tide change.
Month-by-month at a glance
| Month | Main targets | Water |
|---|---|---|
| January | Sheepshead · Spotted seatrout · Black drum · Bluefish | Lagoon water 60–66°F, clean between fronts, stained for a day or two after a hard north blow. |
| February | Sheepshead · Gator trout · Black drum · Redfish | Lagoon 62–68°F, clearest water of the year on the flats. |
| March | Bluefish · Jack crevalle · Snook · Spanish mackerel | Lagoon warming through 68–74°F, glass mornings between spring winds. |
| April | Snook · Tarpon · Spanish mackerel · Redfish | Lagoon 74–79°F, bait schools thickening in the lagoon. |
| May | Tarpon · Snook · Mangrove snapper · Redfish | Lagoon 79–83°F. Early mornings are the whole game. |
| June | Snook (catch and release) · Tarpon · Mangrove snapper · Croaker | Lagoon 82–86°F, warm and often slick calm at daybreak. |
| July | Tarpon · Snook (catch and release) · Mangrove snapper · Sharks | Lagoon 84–88°F. Oxygen drops in the shallows by midday. |
| August | Tarpon · Snook (catch and release) · Mangrove snapper · Redfish at dawn | Lagoon 85–88°F, warmest of the year. |
| Septembernow | Snook · Tarpon · Redfish · Jack crevalle | Lagoon cooling from 86 to 82°F. Bait everywhere along the shoreline. |
| October | Snook · Redfish · Tarpon · Bluefish | Lagoon 76–82°F, clean and cooling. |
| November | Spotted seatrout · Redfish · Bluefish · Pompano | Lagoon 70–76°F, clearing after each front. |
| December | Spotted seatrout · Sheepshead · Black drum · Redfish | Lagoon 62–70°F, dropping with each front. |
Licenses, seasons and slot limits
- Saltwater fishing license
- Required for Florida residents and visitors 16+, including from the shore and our dock. Buy online at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
- Snook permit
- Required in addition to the license to keep a snook. Atlantic season: Feb 1 – May 31 and Sep 1 – Dec 14.
- Snook slot (Atlantic)
- One fish per person per day, 28–32 inches total length.
- Spotted seatrout (east central)
- Three fish per person per day, 15–19 inches, one over 19 allowed per vessel.
- Redfish (Indian River Lagoon zone)
- Catch and release only in the IRL zone — check FWC before you keep one.
- Sebastian Inlet State Park
- $8 per vehicle entry, $4 plus tax for the boat ramp. Jetty and catwalks open 24 hours.
Regulations change. Confirm current seasons and bag limits with the FWC saltwater regulations before you keep a fish. Deeper background lives in our complete Sebastian Inlet fishing guide.
Fishing the inlet and the lagoon
What is biting at Sebastian Inlet right now?
This page updates itself to the current month. In winter it's sheepshead on the jetty pilings and big spotted seatrout on the flats at midday; spring brings snook, bluefish and Spanish mackerel; summer is a night game for snook and tarpon; and September through November the mullet run turns on snook, redfish and tarpon along every shoreline.
When is the best time of year to fish Sebastian Inlet?
October, during the peak of the fall mullet run, is the best all-around month — snook, redfish and tarpon feed in plain sight. February is the best month for a trophy seatrout and for the sheepshead spawn at the jetty.
Do I need a license to fish from a dock in Florida?
Yes. A Florida saltwater fishing license is required for residents and visitors 16 and over, including fishing from a private dock or from shore. Buy it online at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com. Keeping a snook also requires a separate snook permit.
What tide is best for fishing Sebastian Inlet?
Most local anglers fish the incoming tide and the first of the outgoing at the inlet — the current runs hardest on a full ebb and pushes bait out through the mouth. The live NOAA tide panel on this page shows the next high and low water at inlet station 8722004.
Can I fish from the dock at Sunrise on the River?
Yes. The private dock has roughly 50 feet of frontage on the Indian River Lagoon and holds seatrout, sheepshead, snapper and snook depending on the season. Guests fish it at all hours, and there's driveway space for a truck and trailer if you bring your own boat.
Is there a fishing report for the Indian River Lagoon near Grant-Valkaria?
This page covers the same water: the west shore of the lagoon from Grant and Micco south to Sebastian, the spoil islands, and the run out to the inlet — about 5.4 miles by boat from our dock.
Fish it from the dock
Sunrise on the River is a 3-bedroom waterfront home at 6910 US-1, Grant-Valkaria, with about 50 feet of private dock on the lagoon, kayaks and paddleboards, and room for a truck and trailer. The inlet is 5.4 miles by water.