Episode Details

Good morning from beautiful Islamorada, the heart of the Florida Keys—this is Artificial Lure bringing you your local fishing report for Sunday, September 7th, 2025.

First light crested the water at 7:05 AM, and you’ll have lines in the water right up until sunset at 7:37 PM. We’re working with a classic late-summer weather pattern: air is thick and balmy, with temperatures near 80°F this morning headed into the upper 80s by midday. Look out for some pop-up showers and the occasional thunderstorm, especially in the afternoon—those weak south and southwest winds at 5 knots keep things calm, but the moisture’s hanging around. Seas are around one foot, so it's nearly flat calm out there today, perfect for running between patches and reefs. According to the National Weather Service, expect scattered showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, so keep an eye on the sky.

Tide-wise, it's a strong day for currents. High tide hit just before 8:00 AM, and the next low will be around 2:40 this afternoon. The tidal coefficient’s running high—77 this morning, up to 90 by day’s end—so you’ll see lots of moving water, which really drives the bite, especially on the inshore channels and patch reefs.

Inshore action’s been hot, with tarpon crushing live mullet and pilchards around the bridges at both Snake Creek and Channel Two. Early birds at first light are still picking up some nice bonefish on the flats east of Lower Matecumbe, especially around the outgoing tide. Blacktip sharks are keeping things lively in the backcountry too; if you’re after action, throw a chunk of fresh ladyfish and hang on.

For reef and nearshore anglers, mangrove snapper are thick along the channel edges and patch reefs, with solid yellowtail reported around Alligator Reef and Tennessee Reef. Pilchards and chunks of ballyhoo are getting it done. Folks drifting with live pinfish or Hogy jigs have pulled in a pile of keeper mangroves and a few bonus mutton snapper this week. In the deeper water off Conch Reef, the mutton snapper are responding well to live baits on the bottom.

Offshore, mahi-mahi (dolphin) are still the headliner. The “weedlines” about 8-16 miles off Islamorada are loaded—look for birds and debris, then toss chunks of ballyhoo, pilchards or glow skirted artificial lures. Most of the schoolies are in the 5-10 pound class, with the occasional 20-pound bull making an appearance. Blackfin tuna are chasing flying fish southeast of the humps—vertical jigging or trolling small feathers and poppers on the edge of the current have been productive.

A few wahoo have popped up at first light, especially on the color change; the ticket is a deep-diving plug or a rigged split-tail ballyhoo trolled at 8 knots. Captain Joe Snyder of Coral Sea Charters reports that his guests landed a couple of solid wahoo and a half-dozen mahi just yesterday, working the deeper ledges past Pickles Reef.

If you’re looking for hotspots, try:
- **Alligator Reef** for hard-hitting yellowtail and snapper action, especially on a chummed-up slick around the tide turns.
- **The Hump**, just offshore, for your shot at blackfin and the bigger mahi.
- Those bridges at Channel Five and Snake Creek are producing tarpon and the odd snook if you work them hard with live bait.

Lure selection? Glow and silver Hogy epoxy jigs are killer for tuna and snapper, and a chartreuse bucktail tipped with shrimp is a classic for just about anything inside the reef. Don’t forget your live bait; pilchards and pinfish are the MVPs this week for both reef and offshore work.

That’s your rundown from Islamorada for today. Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s fishing report—remember to subscribe so you never miss the next bite window. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Great deals on fishing gear

Listen Now