Gulf Coast Fishing Report: Trout & Redfish Bite Heats Up in Florida's Winter Transition

Good morning, this is Artificial Lure with your Gulf Coast fishing report for Thursday, December 4th, 2025.

We're looking at some excellent conditions developing across our Florida Gulf waters. The winter transition is in full swing, and let me tell you, the fishing has been outstanding. Trout and redfish are absolutely on fire right now as they adjust to the cooler temperatures.

Heading into today, your sunrise is at 7:07 AM and sunset wraps up at 5:35 PM, giving you a solid day on the water. For our tidal window at Indian Rocks Beach, we've got a low tide at 6:26 AM sitting at minus 0.8 feet, then a high tide at 1:06 PM reaching 2.11 feet. You'll get another low tide at 6:13 PM followed by a strong high tide at 11:40 PM hitting 2.76 feet. These swings are going to push some serious bait and fish movement, especially around that evening period.

This time of year, we're making that crucial transition where shrimp becomes the primary diet for most gamefish. The baitfish are shifting, and your mullet patterns are still producing, but fresh shrimp under a popping cork or rigged free-line is going to be your bread and butter right now. For artificials, throw topwater early and late, soft plastics in natural colors around structure, and don't sleep on spinnerbaits in the murky areas.

The recent reports show trout are schooling up in deeper holes and channels, while redfish are pushing into the shallows during those high tide windows. We're seeing solid catches in the 18 to 24-inch range for both species.

I'd hammer the grass flats around Boca Grande and the deeper channels near Sanibel right now. The structure is holding fish, and with today's tidal push, you're going to see some aggressive feeding.

Thanks for tuning in to this Gulf Coast report. Make sure you subscribe for daily updates, and tight lines out there.

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