Florida Keys Fishing: Tarpon at Dawn, Snapper on the Evening Tide

Summer Peak in the Keys: Dolphin Offshore, Snapper on the Reef, Tarpon at Dusk

This is Artificial Lure checking in from the Florida Keys with your morning fishing report. We’ve got classic summer conditions lining up. Around Key West and Islamorada, sunrise is right about 6:35 a.m. with sunset near 8:15 p.m. Local tide charts show an early morning incoming tide rolling through the reef and channels, then a mid‑day slack before an afternoon fall. That dawn incoming and the first couple hours of the evening outgoing are your prime bite windows. Weather’s looking typical Keys muggy: mid‑ to upper‑80s by mid‑day, light east to southeast breeze 8–12 knots, seas 1–3 feet on the reef, a bit calmer in the backcountry. Expect scattered clouds and the usual chance of a pop‑up shower, so keep an eye on the sky but it’s a go‑day. Offshore, the dolphin bite has been steady the last few days. Boats running 15–25 miles out off Marathon and Key Largo have been finding schoolie and gaffer mahi on weedlines and frigate birds, with a few bigger bulls mixed in. Anglers have been putting decent numbers in the box on small skirted ballyhoo, naked ballyhoo, and trolling feathers in blue‑and‑white or pink‑and‑chartreuse around 6–8 knots. Keep a spinning rod rigged with a chunk of ballyhoo or a pilchard ready for fish that swim up to the boat. On the reef edge, from about 60–90 feet, yellowtail and mangrove snapper have been chewing good on that morning tide. Recently folks out off Alligator Reef and Western Sambo have reported limits or near‑limits of tails in the 14–18 inch range, plus a mix of mangroves and the odd mutton. Best bet is 12–20 pound fluorocarbon, small circle hooks, and a light chum slick. Use cut ballyhoo, small chunks of shrimp, or silversides. Let those baits drift back naturally; any resistance and the bite shuts down. In the channels and around the bridges, tarpon are still around but starting to thin with the heat. There have been nice fish jumped at Bahia Honda and the 7 Mile Bridge on the evening outgoing. Drift live crabs or big mullet on heavy fluorocarbon leaders. If you’re throwing artificials, big soft‑plastic paddletails in dark colors or heavy swimbaits worked slow in the current will get crushed when they’re in the mood. Backcountry action in Florida Bay and the Everglades side has been strong early and late. Snook and redfish have been coming off the mangrove edges and oyster bars on topwater plugs at first light—think bone or mullet‑pattern walk‑the‑dog baits—then switch to 1/4‑ounce jigheads with shrimp‑style soft plastics once the sun gets up. A few trout and mangrove snapper are mixed in over the grass flats for those drifting under popping corks with live shrimp. For you lobstering‑minded folks, remember we’re outside the mini‑season window, so double‑check current regs before you drop in; wardens have been active. Couple hotspot suggestions for today: – Around **Alligator Reef Light** off Islamorada: work that early incoming tide for yellowtail and mutton snapper, then slide a bit deeper to 120–180 feet and drop jigs for muttons and the occasional grouper. – The **7 Mile Bridge and Bahia Honda area**: fish the shadow lines and channel edges at dawn and dusk for tarpon, plus mangrove snapper and jacks on live shrimp or pilchards. In general, best lures right now are small bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp for reef species, 3–5 inch soft plastics on 1/8–1/4 ounce heads for inshore, and bright trolling skirts and feathers offshore. For bait, you can’t beat live pilchards, pinfish, mullet, and crabs, plus fresh ballyhoo. That’s your Keys fishing rundown from Artificial Lure. 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

Florida Keys Fishing: Tarpon at Dawn, Snapper on the Evening Tide

This is Artificial Lure with your Florida Keys fishing report. We’re sitting on a light southeast breeze this morning, around 5–10 knots, with air temps climbing through the low 80s and humidity thick but manageable. Nearshore waters are running in the low 80s as well, with clear to slightly green water on the oceanside and a little more stain in the backcountry. Scattered clouds, low rain chances until later this afternoon when a few pop‑up storms may build over the Gulf side. Sunrise comes early over the Atlantic and sunset will give you a nice evening bite window; plan around first light, late afternoon, and the dusk changeover for your best shots. Tides around the Middle Keys are on a moderate cycle today: a predawn high starting to fall through the morning, bottoming out late morning, then a solid incoming push early to mid‑afternoon. That moving water is what you want to key on. Offshore, boats running beyond the reef line have been into schoolie and peanut dolphin with a few gaffers mixed in under birds and weedlines. Most of the action has been 10–20 miles out, with trolled ballyhoo, small chuggers, and feather jigs doing work. Keep a spinning rod rigged with a pilchard or chunked ballyhoo for fish that slide up to the transom. On the reef edge, yellowtail snapper are chewing well on the evening tide. Drop anchor in 60–80 feet, start a steady chum slick, and freeline small cut baits or shrimp on light fluorocarbon. Mixed in have been mutton snapper on the bottom and a few black grouper for those soaking live pinfish or ballyhoo down deep. Inshore and backcountry, the flats and mangrove edges are seeing good tarpon, snook, and redfish activity around that early falling and afternoon incoming tide. Early mornings, throw soft‑plastic paddletails in natural hues or bone‑colored topwaters along shorelines. Live shrimp, pinfish, and pilchards are hard to beat if you’re bait‑soaking. Tarpon have been rolling on oceanside channels at dawn and dusk; crabs and big mullet or ladyfish chunks are the tickets there. On the patch reefs and near‑bridge rubble, mangrove snapper and lane snapper are stacked up. Small jigs tipped with shrimp or cut bait, and simple knocker rigs with 1/0–2/0 hooks, are putting good numbers in the box, with the occasional keeper grouper hanging right on the structure. A few hot spots to circle on your chart: – Around the 7 Mile Bridge, especially the channel edges and pilings on the ocean side, has been consistent for tarpon, mangrove snapper, and some hefty muttons. – The flats and channels off Islamorada’s oceanside have been productive for bonefish and permit on the clear, incoming water, with live shrimp, small crabs, and light‑colored bucktail jigs doing damage. Best artificial choices right now: – White or natural‑colored paddletail swimbaits on 1/8 to 1/4 oz jig heads for snook, reds, and trout in the back. – Bone or silver walk‑the‑dog topwaters at dawn for tarpon and snook along shorelines and bridge shadows. – Small bucktail jigs in pink, white, or chartreuse for snapper and assorted reef fish on lighter tackle. Live bait still rules the Keys: pilchards, pinfish, shrimp, and crabs if you can get them. Match your leader to the water clarity; when it’s gin‑clear, go lighter and longer. That’s your Keys report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a trip. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Florida Keys Early Summer: Ride the Tide Windows for Dolphin, Snapper, and Tarpon

This is Artificial Lure with your Florida Keys fishing report. We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern setting up across the island chain. Light to moderate east–southeast breeze around 10–15 knots, seas 1–3 feet on the reef, a light chop in the backcountry, and muggy air with scattered clouds and a good chance of a mid/late-afternoon thunderstorm. Sunrise is right around 6:30 a.m. with sunset close to 8:15 p.m., so you’ve got a long fishing day to play with the tides. Around the Middle and Lower Keys, we’re working through 2 high and 2 low tides today, with the stronger water movement lining up mid-morning and again late afternoon. That moving water window has been the ticket all week. The weak slack tide periods in the heat of the day have been slower, so plan your serious fishing around those pushes. Off the reef edge, boats running out 8–18 miles have been finding solid dolphin (mahi) in scattered weedlines and under birds. Schoolies have been common with a few gaffers mixed in. Trolling small skirted ballyhoo, naked ballyhoo, and dolphin-colored feather jigs has been productive, and many fish are eating chunked bonito once you get a school behind the boat. Keep a spinning rod rigged with a small bucktail or flashy jig to pitch to followers. On the reef from about 60–120 feet, yellowtail snapper action remains steady in the chum slick, especially on the evening tide. Pilchards, cut ballyhoo, and squid chunks on light leaders are doing the damage, with plenty of keeper tails and some muttons nosing in down-current. Keep a heavier rod out with a live pinfish or grunt on the bottom for grouper; black and red grouper have been picked at a modest but consistent pace. In the backcountry, the flats and edges of the channels have been alive at first light and again late in the day. Bonefish are tailing on the ocean-side flats on the incoming, taking live shrimp, small crabs, and light-colored shrimp-pattern flies. Tarpon are still around the bridges and deeper channels; early morning and dusk have produced bites on live mullet, crabs, and big soft plastics. The bite slows when the sun gets high and the water slicks off. Mangrove snapper and a mix of jacks, ladyfish, and the occasional redfish are filling coolers in the bayside channels. Small pilchards, shrimp, and cut bait on light jigheads or simple knocker rigs have been steady producers. For artificials, a 3-inch paddletail in natural green-back or root-beer colors has been money around mangrove edges. Best lures right now: - Small to medium skirted trolling lures and feathers in green/yellow and blue/white for dolphin. - 1/4–3/8 oz bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp or cut bait for snapper and channel fish. - Paddletail and jerk shad soft plastics in natural baitfish hues for tarpon, jacks, and inshore mixed bag. Best natural bait: - Live pilchards, pinfish, mullet, and crabs for tarpon and grouper. - Fresh ballyhoo and squid for reef fish. - Shrimp and small crabs for bonefish and mangrove snapper. A couple of local hot spots to consider: - The reef line off **Alligator Reef and Tennessee Reef** has been giving up consistent yellowtail, muttons, and a shot at dolphin just a little farther out. - The **Seven Mile Bridge area** and adjacent channels have held tarpon at dawn and dusk, with snappers and grouper stacked around the structure on the right tide. Fish the early and late windows, match your offerings to the water clarity, and don’t be afraid to move if the spot feels dead after a tide change. 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

Keys Fishing Report: Tarpon at Dawn, Dolphin Offshore, Yellowtail on the Evening Bite

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Keys fishing report. We’ve got a light early breeze and classic summer muggy air across the Florida Keys this morning, with southeast winds around 5–10 knots building to 10–15 later, and only a slight chop on the reef and the bayside. Skies are partly cloudy with a decent chance of a midday shower or two, then clearing toward the evening. Water temps are running warm in the mid‑80s, so think early and late for your best bite. Sunrise comes just after 6:30 a.m. local, with sunset a bit after 8:15 p.m., giving us a long daylight window. High tide is mid‑morning on the Atlantic side with a solid falling tide through early afternoon, then a weaker high again around dark on the Gulf side. That mid‑morning peak and the first part of the outgoing have been the sweet spot on the flats and the bridges. Offshore, dolphin/mahi action has been steady in 400–900 feet, especially south of Islamorada and Marathon. Boats working weedlines and scattered birds have been putting 10–20 schoolies in the box, with a few gaffers mixed in. Small skirted lures in pink/white, blue/white, and naked ballyhoo have been the ticket. Keep a pitch rod ready with a chunk of bonito or a live pilchard for the bigger fish that slide in behind the schoolies. On the reef edge in 60–90 feet from Tennessee Reef down toward Alligator, yellowtail snapper have been chewing good on the evening bite. A mix of limits and near‑limits coming in, with some 2–3 pound flags. Best setup is a steady chum slick, 12–20‑pound fluorocarbon, and small J hooks with pieces of squid or cut ballyhoo. If they’re finicky, drop to lighter leader and smaller hooks and let the bait drift naturally. Inshore around the bridges—Seven Mile, Channel 5, and Long Key—tarpon are still around at first light and into the evening, though the bite’s more tide‑dependent now. Crabs and big live mullet or pinfish are outfishing dead baits. Expect a few hookups if you fish the shadow lines on the start of the outgoing. Plenty of mangrove snapper mixed in, plus a few keeper groupers for those soaking live baits tight to the pilings. On the flats, early‑morning bonefish and permit are active on the oceanside from Key Largo down through Big Pine. Look for clean moving water on the last of the incoming. Bonefish are taking shrimp on light jigs and small, tan shrimp patterns; permit are all about a well‑placed live crab or a crab‑style jig. Redfish and snook are better up the backcountry near Flamingo and the Gulf side banks, with soft plastics in gold or new penny and live shrimp doing work along the mangrove edges. Best lures right now: - Small bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp for bridge snapper and mixed reef fish. - Paddle‑tail soft plastics on 1/8–1/4‑ounce jigheads for snook, reds, and trout. - Skirted trolling lures and rigged ballyhoo offshore for dolphin, with a few wahoo on deeper divers early. Best natural baits: - Live pilchards, mullet, and pinfish for tarpon, snook, grouper. - Live shrimp for just about everything inshore. - Ballyhoo strips and squid for reef snapper and mixed bottom fish. Couple of hotspots to keep on your list today: - The **Seven Mile Bridge** edges and fender lines for tarpon at dawn and dusk, plus mangrove snapper and grouper in the daytime. - **Alligator Reef** out of Islamorada for a mix of yellowtail, mutton snapper, and the occasional sail or mahi just outside the drop. That’s your on‑the‑water scoop 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

Florida Keys Fishing Report: Light Winds, Long Days, and Hot Afternoon Bites

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Florida Keys fishing report. We’re sitting on a light east to southeast breeze this morning, 5–10 knots, with seas inside the reef around a foot or less and 1–3 feet outside. Air temps are running mid‑70s at first light, climbing to upper‑80s this afternoon, with a high UV index and only a slight chance of a stray shower. Sunrise is right around 6:35 a.m., sunset near 8:15 p.m., giving us a long, bright day on the water. Tide-wise, most Keys stations are seeing a predawn low, a mid‑morning incoming, and an early afternoon high, then easing back out toward dark. That mid‑morning push has been the best chew in the backcountry and on the edges of the flats, while the first of the falling tide is lighting up the channels and bridges. Offshore, the bluewater edge has been productive in 300–700 feet. Anglers running out of Islamorada and Marathon have been finding schoolie and gaffer **mahi** on scattered weedlines and birds, with a few fish pushing 15–20 pounds. Small ballyhoo, squid strips, and bright chuggers or skirted baits in greens and pinks are doing work. Keep a spinning rod rigged with a 1–2 oz bucktail or small vertical jig for blackfin tuna hanging deeper under the birds. On the reef in 40–90 feet, the **yellowtail snapper** bite has been solid on the afternoon tide. Anchor, chum heavy, and fish 1/16–1/8 oz jigs or small hooks with cut ballyhoo or squid on light fluoro leaders. Mix in some live pilchards or small pinfish and you’ll pick up **mutton snapper** and **mangroves**, with an occasional **grouper** if you’re near good structure. A few **kingfish** and **cero mackerel** are still sliding through; keep a wire‑rigged flatline out behind the boat. In the backcountry, around Gulf side banks and island edges, the **seatrout** and **mangrove snapper** bite has been dependable. Popping corks with 3–4 inch shrimp imitations or live shrimp have been producing steady action, plus ladyfish and jacks to keep the rods bent. On the edges of the flats, early and late in the day, **tarpon** are still rolling in the channels and around the bridges. Drift live crabs or mullet, or throw big soft‑plastic swimbaits in natural colors on the shadow lines for those bridge fish. Flats anglers are seeing good numbers of **bonefish** tailing on the early incoming tide and **permit** cruising the oceanside flats on the higher water. Small shrimp and crab patterns for the fly crowd, or quarter‑size live crabs and shrimp on light fluorocarbon for spin tackle. Subtle presentations are the key in that clear water. For lures, keep it simple and local: - 1/4–3/8 oz white or chartreuse jigheads with soft paddletails for trout, snappers, and schoolie mahi. - Topwater walk‑the‑dog plugs at first light for snook and baby tarpon in the backcountry. - Silver and gold spoons for jacks, mackerel, and bonita. Bait-wise, **live shrimp**, pilchards, pinfish, and small crabs are king. If you can sabiki up a well full of pilchards along the markers, you can chum life into just about any spot. A couple of hotspots to keep on your radar: - **Seven Mile Bridge / Knight’s Key side** – great for tarpon at dawn and dusk, plus mangrove snapper and mackerel on the edges of the current. - **Islamorada reef line in 60–80 feet** – consistent yellowtailing with muttons mixed in when the current and chum line are right. That’s the rundown from your local fishing buddy, Artificial Lure. 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