week of Sep 28 · SST 84–85°F
Gulf of Mexico — this week
SST 84–85°F · Cobia, Crevalle Jack, Florida Pompano prime. Live MUR satellite water temperatures (change is vs. seven days ago). Tap any spot on the chart with Fish mode on for a point-by-point breakdown.
Water temperature — south to north
| Spot | Now | Week Δ |
|---|---|---|
| South Padre | 85°F | +0.2°F |
| Galveston | 85°F | -2°F |
| Venice | 84°F | -0.2°F |
| Destin | 84°F | -1.4°F |
| Tampa | 84°F | -2.2°F |
Migration line — weekly movement
| Species | Prime water reach | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Mahi-Mahi | prime water reaches Tampa | steady |
| Yellowfin Tuna | prime water reaches Tampa | steady |
| King Mackerel | prime water reaches Tampa | steady |
| Cobia | prime water reaches Tampa | steady |
| Wahoo | prime water reaches Tampa | steady |
The northernmost sampled spot whose water sits in the species' habitable band, now vs. a week ago. Fish follow temperature — this is the leading edge, not a sighting report.
In season now — temperature fit
| Species | Fit | Prime | Measured at | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobia | 100 | 70–84°F | surface | Sight-cast jigs or eels to fish on buoys, rays, wrecks and channel markers. |
| Crevalle Jack | 100 | 70–86°F | surface | Throw a big topwater into a busting school and hold on — pound for pound the hardest pull inshore. |
| Florida Pompano | 100 | 68–84°F | surface | Sand fleas on a pompano rig in the surf trough — they follow the wash on a moving tide. |
| Permit | 100 | 75–88°F | surface | Live crabs sight-cast on flats; over wrecks in summer. |
| Common Snook | 100 | 73–88°F | surface | Live bait or swimbaits on mangrove edges, dock lights and pass current seams. |
| Spotted Seatrout | 100 | 64–84°F | surface | Popping cork with shrimp over grass flats and potholes at first light. |
| Tripletail | 100 | 73–86°F | surface | Sight-cast live shrimp to fish laid up under floats and markers. |
| Blackfin Tuna | 100 | 72–84°F | surface | Small jigs or live pilchards over humps at dawn; chum behind shrimpers. |
| Blue Marlin | 100 | 77–86°F | surface | Large trolled lures over canyons, seamounts and the continental shelf edge. |
| Great Barracuda | 100 | 73–86°F | surface | A fast tube lure ripped across the flat or the wreck — they will not chase anything slow. |
| King Mackerel | 100 | 70–84°F | surface | Slow-troll live bait over reefs, wrecks and bait schools; wire leader. |
| Mahi-Mahi | 100 | 75–86°F | surface | Run and gun to weedlines, boards and birds; pitch ballyhoo or jigs. |
| Wahoo | 100 | 73–84°F | surface | High-speed troll (12-16 kt) with weighted lures over ledges and color changes. |
| Yellowfin Tuna | 100 | 72–84°F | surface | Troll skirted lures on blue-water edges, rips and canyon walls; chunk at night. |
Named grounds in Gulf of Mexico
Florida Middle Grounds
Gag Grouper · Red Grouper · Mangrove Snapper
The Midnight Lump — Venice
Yellowfin Tuna · Wahoo · Blackfin Tuna
Flower Garden Banks
Red Snapper · Greater Amberjack · Yellowfin Tuna
Method: habitat-envelope scoring against live NOAA MUR SST at the sampled spots; season windows and envelopes hand-curated from NOAA Fisheries profiles. No catch hearsay — when it says a species fits, it means the water does.
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