The week of Oct 19–25 looks like a rough week outside the inlet, so plan on the lagoon. No day clears our "good" bar for wind, seas and rain. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday look rough outside the inlet. Water temperature off Ponce Inlet is about 80°F.
What's biting in New Smyrna Beach this week?
October is peak season for:
- Redfish — catch and release only
- Spotted seatrout — 15–19" slot, 2 / person
- Snook — 28–32" slot, 1 / person
- Tarpon — catch and release only
- Sharks — catch and release only
Also biting well: black drum (14–24" slot, 5 / person), mangrove snapper (10" TL min, 5 / person), red snapper (no minimum, 1 / person), gag grouper (harvest closed — catch and release), cobia (36" FL min, 1 / person) and sheepshead (12" FL min, 8 / person).
It's Fall Mullet Run season (Oct–Nov): Snook · Tarpon · Redfish · Jacks around Ponce Inlet · NSB beaches · NSB Intracoastal. Our Seasonal Special follows that bite.
What are the wind and seas this week?
"Good" means wind 12 knots or less, seas 3 feet or less and under a 50% chance of rain. "Rough" means wind over 18 knots, seas over 4.5 feet or likely thunderstorms. On rough days we stay in the sheltered lagoon.
| Day | Wind | Seas | Rain | Temp | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 10/19 | NE 23 kn | 10 ft | 25% | 68–80°F | Rough |
| Tue 10/20 | NE 15 kn | 8.1 ft | 4% | 68–76°F | Rough |
| Wed 10/21 | N 11 kn | 5.8 ft | 9% | 66–79°F | Rough |
| Thu 10/22 | NE 9 kn | 5.6 ft | 2% | 69–78°F | Rough |
| Fri 10/23 | NE 10 kn | 5.4 ft | 30% | 68–79°F | Rough |
| Sat 10/24 | NE 14 kn | 10.2 ft | 63% (storms) | 72–78°F | Rough |
| Sun 10/25 | NE 14 kn | 10.8 ft | 47% | 73–79°F | Rough |
When are the tides at Ponce Inlet?
NOAA predictions for Ponce de Leon Inlet South. Tides inside the lagoon run later and smaller the farther you go from the inlet.
| Day | High and low tides |
|---|---|
| Mon 10/19 | High 3:05 AM · Low 9:02 AM · High 3:41 PM · Low 10:02 PM |
| Tue 10/20 | High 4:10 AM · Low 9:58 AM · High 4:38 PM · Low 10:49 PM |
| Wed 10/21 | High 5:07 AM · Low 10:55 AM · High 5:28 PM · Low 11:33 PM |
| Thu 10/22 | High 5:56 AM · Low 11:50 AM · High 6:13 PM |
| Fri 10/23 | Low 12:15 AM · High 6:41 AM · Low 12:42 PM · High 6:56 PM |
| Sat 10/24 | Low 12:56 AM · High 7:25 AM · Low 1:33 PM · High 7:41 PM |
| Sun 10/25 | Low 1:37 AM · High 8:11 AM · Low 2:23 PM · High 8:28 PM |
Moon: first quarter at the start of the week.
Any rule changes coming up?
- Red snapper closes to harvest on Oct 23.
- Spotted seatrout closes to harvest on Nov 1.
Full limits and seasons are on our regulations page, which updates when FWC does.
Want to fish it?
Open dates are on the booking calendar, with a good or rough mark on each day from the same forecast. Or call Capt. Eric at (386) 259-0892.
This outlook is published every Monday from NOAA, Open-Meteo and FWC data. Forecasts change, so check the live conditions page before you go.