Islamorada, Florida Fishing Report Today

Late May Upper Keys Classic: Dolphin, Tarpon, and Snapper Action

This is Artificial Lure, checking in with your Islamorada fishing report. We’re sitting on a classic late‑May pattern in the Upper Keys. Light southeast breeze this morning around 5–10 knots, building 10–15 in the afternoon, with air temps running mid‑70s at first light and pushing mid‑80s by mid‑day. Skies partly cloudy, a few trade‑wind showers sliding through but nothing too nasty. Nearshore water temps are hanging right around the upper‑70s to 80 degrees, which is keeping things lively on both the reefs and the bayside. Tidewise, we’ve got a predawn incoming rolling through Florida Bay and under the bridges, topping out mid‑morning, then easing to a mid‑afternoon low, with a smaller push again toward dark. That first hour of light on the last of the incoming has been the sweet spot, especially around the bridges and oceanside flats. Sunset gives you a nice second chance window when the tide starts to creep back in. Sunrise is right around 6:30 a.m., sunset just after 8 p.m., so you’ve got a long stretch to work with. The best bite has lined up with that gray‑light period and again the last hour before dark. Offshore, the Islamorada charter fleet has been finding decent dolphin mahi in the 600–900 foot range, with gaffers mixed in with schoolies. A few blackfin tuna are coming off the humps on live pilchards and small jigs, especially when the current is pushing good. Sailfish are still around, but more of a bonus bite now. Out there, pack small to medium skirted ballyhoo, pearl/blue and pink/white, plus some pilchards and cigar minnows if you can net or buy them. On the edge of the reef, yellowtail snapper have been steady in 60–90 feet. Light chum, 12–20 pound fluoro, and small yellowtail jigs tipped with cut ballyhoo or shrimp are producing solid flags. Mutton snapper have been chewing on the slower parts of the tide, taking live pinfish or ballyhoo chunks fished well back in the slick. Expect some kingfish and the odd cobia if there’s a color change or some rays cruising by. Inshore, the backcountry bite has been classic early summer. Florida Bay and the nearby mangrove edges are holding seatrout, mangrove snapper, and plenty of sharks with a few redfish and snook showing up on cleaner shorelines. Soft plastic paddle‑tails in new penny or pearl on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads, plus live shrimp under a popping cork, have been the ticket. Tarpon are still rolling around the bridges and channel edges at first light and after dark; crabs and big mullet are your go‑to baits, with black‑and‑purple or bone‑colored swimbaits working for those throwing artificials. For lures around the bridges and oceanside flats, keep a couple of white bucktail jigs, DOA shrimp, and smaller twitchbaits in pilchard and glass‑minnow patterns. Live baitwise, pilchards, shrimp, and pinfish will cover most of your bases from the mangroves to the reef. A couple of hot spots to circle on your map: first, the Islamorada Hump for blackfin and a shot at dolphin working birds and weedlines on your way out and back. Second, the Channel 2 and Channel 5 Bridges for tarpon, snapper, and a mixed bag on that early incoming and the first of the outgoing, especially if you’ve got good current and bait showing on the edges. That’s the rundown from Islamorada. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Islamorada Summer Calm: Tarpon at Dusk, Boneffish at First Light

This is Artificial Lure with your Islamorada fishing report. We woke up to a light southeast breeze this morning, 5 to 10 knots, and calm, summery conditions settling in over the Upper Keys. Air temps are running mid‑70s at first light, pushing into the mid‑80s by mid‑day. Skies are mostly clear with just some fair‑weather clouds building this afternoon and only a stray shower around the reef. Sunrise hit around 6:30 a.m., with sunset about 8:00 p.m., giving you a long, fishy daylight window. The cooler low‑light periods are your best bet: early morning and the last two hours before dark are when things really light up. Tides today are on the softer side around Islamorada. We’ve got a modest incoming through mid‑morning, then a high around late morning and a slow fall this afternoon. Inside Florida Bay, the water lags a bit behind the ocean side, so backcountry creeks will still see water pushing in after it’s already high along the oceanside flats. Plan your bonefish and tarpon around that rising water creeping onto the flats, and your snapper and grouper around the beginning of the outgoing when the bait is flushed. Offshore, the word around the marinas is decent dolphin (mahi) action in 400 to 700 feet, with scattered weedlines and some schoolies mixed with a few gaffers. Boats running further have reported nicer fish under birds and around broken weed. A few blackfin tuna are still hanging on the humps early and late, mostly on live pilchards and small jigs. Mix in a wahoo bite possibility if you’re trolling deeper diving plugs along the color change. On the reef edge, yellowtail snapper have been steady in 60 to 90 feet. Light current and clear water mean long, light leaders and plenty of chum. Charter skippers have been putting up good flags with 1‑ to 2‑pound tails, plus a few muttons and mangroves in the mix. A couple of legal grouper are still coming off the deeper spots and ledges for those working live pinfish or big chunks on the bottom. Inshore and backcountry, the tarpon bite around the bridges has been solid on the evening outgoing. Live mullet, crabs, and big swimbaits are getting eaten, especially around Channel 2 and Channel 5 after sunset. Florida Bay and the mainland shorelines are holding redfish and snook around the mangroves and potholes; soft plastics on 1/8‑ounce jigheads and live shrimp under a cork are doing damage. Trout action remains good on the deeper grass in 3 to 5 feet with popping corks and Gulp shrimp. On the flats, warmer water has bonefish moving early on the higher water. Look around the oceanside flats off Lower Matecumbe and the banks near the Snake Creek area. Small shrimp or crab flies, light bucktail jigs, and live shrimp on a light fluorocarbon leader are the ticket. There’ve been some permit sightings on the oceanside too, especially around the wrecks and deeper edges. Best baits right now: live pilchards, ballyhoo, mullet, and crabs offshore and around the bridges; shrimp, pinfish, and small crabs inshore. For artificials, think natural and subtle: white or pearl paddletails, bone‑colored topwaters at dawn, chartreuse bucktails for tarpon, and small pink or tan skimmer jigs for bonefish. A couple of hotspots to circle for today: – The Alligator Reef line in 70 to 90 feet for yellowtail and muttons, especially on that first of the outgoing. – Channel 2 Bridge at dusk into dark for tarpon and big mangroves on the shadow lines. That’s your Islamorada rundown from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Islamorada Fishing Report: Tarpon at Dawn, Mahi Offshore, Snapper on the Bite

This is Artificial Lure checking in with your Islamorada fishing report. We’ve got a warm, muggy morning in the Upper Keys with temps running mid‑70s at first light and climbing into the mid‑80s. Light southeast breeze early, building to 10–15 knots by midday, typical late‑spring pattern. Skies partly cloudy with a slim shot at a passing shower. Barometer steady, which usually keeps fish on a predictable chew. Tides around Islamorada today bring a predawn low and a mid‑morning incoming on the ocean side, with the high topping out late morning and easing off through the afternoon. On the bay side, that push lags a bit, but the key window is still that first half of the incoming. Sunrise comes just after 6:30 a.m., sunset around 8 p.m., giving a long day with prime bites at dawn, late morning tide switch, and a nice late‑afternoon flurry as the sun drops. Offshore, the bluewater edge has been giving up solid schoolie mahi with a few gaffers mixed in. Local captains running out past the 500–800 foot line report decent numbers of fish under frigate birds and on scattered weedlines. Best baits have been small pilchards and ballyhoo chunks; hardware guys are doing well with small pink and blue skirted lures and 1–2 ounce jigs tipped with strip baits. Keep a pitch rod rigged with a live bait or a white bucktail; a bigger bull or a stray sail can pop up out of nowhere. On the humps, blackfin tuna have been biting early and late. Live pilchards are king, chummed heavy, but small metal jigs dropped deep and ripped up fast are also producing. Expect football‑size fish with a few better units mixed in. Reef fishing from the 60–120 foot stuff has stayed hot. Yellowtail snapper are chewing on the evening edge of the tide with a light chum slick and 12–15 pound fluoro. Tiny jigs or #1 hooks with cut ballyhoo or squid, free‑lined way back, are the ticket. Expect respectable tails with some mangrove snapper and the occasional mutton on the bottom. A few legal grouper are still around the ledges; live pinfish and grunts on a knocker rig work best. Inshore on the flats and backcountry, that mid‑morning incoming is the sweet spot. The ocean‑side flats are seeing good numbers of tarpon sliding the edges at first light and again near sunset. Live mullet or crabs under a float get the nod, but artificials like soft‑plastic paddletails in pearl or root beer on 1/4‑ounce jigheads are getting eaten when the fish are moving. Around the bridges, especially Channel 2 and Channel 5, late‑evening outgoing has been lights‑out for tarpon; heavy leader, big circle hooks, and live mullet or crabs are the way to go. Redfish and snook in the backcountry have been active along the mangrove shorelines and creek mouths near Flamingo and the nearby bays. Best action is on the cooler ends of the day. Shrimp on a jighead, pilchards, or small pinfish will do the job, but a gold spoon or white jerkbait worked tight to the cover will draw plenty of strikes. Look for moving water and bait flicking on the surface. A couple of hotspots to keep on your radar: – The Islamorada Hump for blackfin and a shot at mahi on the run out and back. – The patch reefs just off Alligator Reef Light for mixed snapper, grouper, and the odd mackerel when the current’s right. For those on smaller skiffs, the flats just east of Lower Matecumbe have been holding bonefish on the higher end of the tide. Small shrimp or crab imitations, light fluorocarbon, and a quiet approach are mandatory. That’s the rundown from Islamorada: steady weather, good tides, and plenty of chances from the flats to the humps. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

# Islamorada Early May: Tarpon, Snapper, and Mahi Running Hot Character count: 67 characters ✓

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Islamorada Sizzlin: Tarpon, Mahi, and Snook Bite Hard This Sunday

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to guy for all things fishin' down here in Islamorada, the Sportfishin' Capital of the World. It's early Sunday mornin', May 3rd, 2026, and the Florida Keys are callin' your name. Weather's lookin' prime: mostly sunny with highs around 85°F, light southeast winds at 8-12 knots, and a slim 10% chance of a stray shower accordin' to the National Weather Service. Sunrise hit at 6:45 AM, sunset's 7:55 PM—plenty of daylight to chase 'em. Tides are fishin' friendly today per NOAA charts: high at 7:20 AM and 7:45 PM, low at 1:10 PM. That outgoin' tide mid-mornin' is gold for pullin' baitfish outta the channels. Fish are fired up! Recent reports from local captains like those at Bud N' Mary's Marina show tarpon rollin' on the beach side, with a 100-pounder boated yesterday on live mullet. Mahi-mahi are stackin' up offshore 5-10 miles, limits of 5-15 pounders on pitch baits. Snook and redfish hammerin' the mangroves—dozens caught on Saturday usin' shrimp and pilchards. Bonefish are tailin' flats around 20-40 fish per outing, and permit are pickin' up on crab. Best lures? My top picks: Rapala X-Rap for tarpon slashes, soft plastic jigheads like DOA Shrimp for snook, and live crabs or shrimp for bones and permit. Offshore, circle hooks with ballyhoo or mullet rule the day. Hit these hot spots: Whale Harbor Channel for tarpon on the tide change, and the Islamorada Humps 8 miles out for mahi—mark your GPS at 24.90N, 80.60W. Get out there safe, wear your PFD, and tight lines! Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for daily updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.