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Islamorada Fishing Forecast: Mahi, Tuna, Snapper Bite Strong as Storms Loom
Published 7 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure reporting live from Islamorada, your Florida Keys fishing headquarters on this Friday, September 5th, 2025.
We started the day with a sunrise at 6:38 am and you’ll have plenty of light until sunset at 8:16 pm. The temperature is sitting pretty at 83°F, with some cloud cover building up and a soft west wind near 4 mph—humidity at 67% is keeping things sticky, but that’s classic September Keys weather. Water temps are hovering around 82°F so fish activity remains lively.
Today’s tide gives you a low first thing at 4:05 am, and incoming to a high around 11:52 am, before falling to low again near 8:16 pm. With a low tidal coefficient of around 33-38, currents are on the gentle side, so you’ll want to focus on ambush points near structure and deeper channels around the turns.
According to Sea Señorita Charters reports from just this week, the offshore scene is still popping: plenty of mahi—good numbers and nice gaffer size—mixed in with blackfin tuna and some surprise sailfish for those running the kites. Ben hauled in a stud yellowtail snapper, and mahogany snappers are bending rods too. The reefs and wrecks in the nearshore zones are holding tight schools of yellowtail and mangrove snapper, and the occasional grouper is still lurking for those dropping cut bait and live pilchards.
For offshore trolling, rig up with bright-colored skirted ballyhoo or plug lures like the classic blue-and-white Ilander for mahi and tuna; captains are seeing fast strikes before noon, especially over deeper weed lines and around Alligator Reef Lighthouse—always a magnet on days with light winds. Sails and tuna are responding to live goggle-eyes and small blue runners flown on the kite in the morning as bait balls stack up over the edge.
Inshore, patch reefs off Whale Harbor and around Little Basin are both hot right now. Chum bags bring the snapper in close; try honey yellow or pink jigs tipped with fresh shrimp, or drop a pilchard on circle hooks for the bigger yellowtails. Tarpon can still be found early and late in the day at the bridges—your best shot is on moving water, swinging live crabs or mullet through the outflow at sunrise or sunset.
Spillover action is steady with hungry jacks, barracuda, and hard-hitting sharks prowling the shallow banks; toss topwater plugs or soft plastics if you want to tangle with these locals. Grouper, particularly black grouper, stick tight to rocky bottom near channel edges—big bucktail jigs sweetened with strip bait are the ticket.
Two red-hot spots today: the Alligator Reef Lighthouse for offshore pelagics (mahi, tuna, and the odd sailfish), and the patch reefs around Whale Harbor for steady snapper and grouper with lighter gear. Don’t forget Channel Two Bridge if you want variety and pulse-pounding action—with the tide movements, anything from monster tarpon to big mangroves could be in play.
Plenty of charter availability if you want to get out—most captains report the bite is hearty, even despite the patchy showers in the forecast. Bring rain gear just in case and remember, safety first with storms in the area.
Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Islamorada fishing report. Be sure to subscribe for daily updates, tips, and the hottest local action. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
We started the day with a sunrise at 6:38 am and you’ll have plenty of light until sunset at 8:16 pm. The temperature is sitting pretty at 83°F, with some cloud cover building up and a soft west wind near 4 mph—humidity at 67% is keeping things sticky, but that’s classic September Keys weather. Water temps are hovering around 82°F so fish activity remains lively.
Today’s tide gives you a low first thing at 4:05 am, and incoming to a high around 11:52 am, before falling to low again near 8:16 pm. With a low tidal coefficient of around 33-38, currents are on the gentle side, so you’ll want to focus on ambush points near structure and deeper channels around the turns.
According to Sea Señorita Charters reports from just this week, the offshore scene is still popping: plenty of mahi—good numbers and nice gaffer size—mixed in with blackfin tuna and some surprise sailfish for those running the kites. Ben hauled in a stud yellowtail snapper, and mahogany snappers are bending rods too. The reefs and wrecks in the nearshore zones are holding tight schools of yellowtail and mangrove snapper, and the occasional grouper is still lurking for those dropping cut bait and live pilchards.
For offshore trolling, rig up with bright-colored skirted ballyhoo or plug lures like the classic blue-and-white Ilander for mahi and tuna; captains are seeing fast strikes before noon, especially over deeper weed lines and around Alligator Reef Lighthouse—always a magnet on days with light winds. Sails and tuna are responding to live goggle-eyes and small blue runners flown on the kite in the morning as bait balls stack up over the edge.
Inshore, patch reefs off Whale Harbor and around Little Basin are both hot right now. Chum bags bring the snapper in close; try honey yellow or pink jigs tipped with fresh shrimp, or drop a pilchard on circle hooks for the bigger yellowtails. Tarpon can still be found early and late in the day at the bridges—your best shot is on moving water, swinging live crabs or mullet through the outflow at sunrise or sunset.
Spillover action is steady with hungry jacks, barracuda, and hard-hitting sharks prowling the shallow banks; toss topwater plugs or soft plastics if you want to tangle with these locals. Grouper, particularly black grouper, stick tight to rocky bottom near channel edges—big bucktail jigs sweetened with strip bait are the ticket.
Two red-hot spots today: the Alligator Reef Lighthouse for offshore pelagics (mahi, tuna, and the odd sailfish), and the patch reefs around Whale Harbor for steady snapper and grouper with lighter gear. Don’t forget Channel Two Bridge if you want variety and pulse-pounding action—with the tide movements, anything from monster tarpon to big mangroves could be in play.
Plenty of charter availability if you want to get out—most captains report the bite is hearty, even despite the patchy showers in the forecast. Bring rain gear just in case and remember, safety first with storms in the area.
Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Islamorada fishing report. Be sure to subscribe for daily updates, tips, and the hottest local action. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.