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Islamorada Fishing Report: Mahi, Sailfish, and Snook Bite Strong on this November 6th, 2025 Keys Day
Published 5 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure coming to you from Islamorada with your November 6th, 2025, local fishing report—straight from the fabulous Florida Keys.
We kicked off today with **picture-perfect Keys weather**—temperatures are sitting comfortably around 80 degrees, peaking at 81, with lows in the mid-70s. Breezes are light and steady out of the east-northeast, keeping the seas friendly but giving just enough ripple for those fish to stay active. Skies are mostly clear and things look stable, prime for both offshore and inshore action, according to recent National Weather Service updates.
**Sunrise lit up the islands at 6:34 AM, and sunset’s at 5:40 PM**, which means you’ve got solid daylight bite windows to work with. *The bite’s already picking up hot and heavy offshore and in the backcountry today.*
Let’s get into **tides**—the chart for Islamorada shows we’ve got a low tide hitting at 9:26 AM and high tide rolling in at 3:09 PM. That incoming afternoon push is shaping up to deliver the best conditions for snapper, grouper, and permit around the patch reefs and channels, so time your trip accordingly.
**Offshore scene:**
It’s all about the action past the reef line right now. Local captains are reporting a **mixed bag bonanza**: mahi are still hanging around in good numbers, especially near the weed lines and floating debris about 8 to 15 miles out. Tripletail are thick, and there’s a hot sailfish bite turning on off Alligator Reef and Crocker Reef. Swordfish have been coming up for those willing to make the deep drop—lots of excitement from several crews pulling nice swords even with some choppy swells, as seen in recent trip videos out of Whale Harbor. Expect to also run into blackfin tuna and even some early wahoo scattered in the color change lines.
**Best lures and bait offshore:** Trolling with rigged ballyhoo is still the gold standard for sails and mahi, but don’t sleep on bright-colored skirted lures, especially chartreuse and pink combos. Deep drop guys are scoring swords on whole squid and bonito strips.
**Inshore and backcountry:**
Snook and redfish have locked into the deeper mangrove cuts and island points. The falling morning tide is producing solid catches around Channel 2 and Channel 5 bridges, especially on live pilchards and shrimp. For artificial lovers, paddle-tail soft plastics in natural hues are fooling big snook. Mangrove snapper are active on the patch reefs and bite best on live shrimp or cut pinfish.
**Recent catches:**
Yesterday saw multiple boats limit out on yellowtail snapper, with fish up to 20 inches coming from the Islamorada Humps and surrounding reefs. Plenty of keeper mutton snapper are hitting the decks, and tripletail up to 8 pounds are being plucked off structure and crab trap buoys near Indian Key. Robbie’s Marina reports tarpon are still around for those seeking a tussle at dawn or dusk.
**Hot spots to hit today:**
- **Alligator Reef** for sailfish, mahi, and tuna—look for birds and temp breaks.
- **Channel 2 Bridge** for snook, redfish, and nighttime tarpon.
- **Indian Key Channel** for tripletail and the odd permit.
**Top tips:**
- Fish that incoming afternoon tide—it’s bringing clean water and bait, and predators will be right behind.
- If mahi prove picky, downsize your baits and try drifting a chunk in the edge rips.
- For snook in the backcountry, stealth and light leaders are paying off.
That’s your boots-on-the-dock report from Islamorada for November 6th. Thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily fishing fix. 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 Artifi
We kicked off today with **picture-perfect Keys weather**—temperatures are sitting comfortably around 80 degrees, peaking at 81, with lows in the mid-70s. Breezes are light and steady out of the east-northeast, keeping the seas friendly but giving just enough ripple for those fish to stay active. Skies are mostly clear and things look stable, prime for both offshore and inshore action, according to recent National Weather Service updates.
**Sunrise lit up the islands at 6:34 AM, and sunset’s at 5:40 PM**, which means you’ve got solid daylight bite windows to work with. *The bite’s already picking up hot and heavy offshore and in the backcountry today.*
Let’s get into **tides**—the chart for Islamorada shows we’ve got a low tide hitting at 9:26 AM and high tide rolling in at 3:09 PM. That incoming afternoon push is shaping up to deliver the best conditions for snapper, grouper, and permit around the patch reefs and channels, so time your trip accordingly.
**Offshore scene:**
It’s all about the action past the reef line right now. Local captains are reporting a **mixed bag bonanza**: mahi are still hanging around in good numbers, especially near the weed lines and floating debris about 8 to 15 miles out. Tripletail are thick, and there’s a hot sailfish bite turning on off Alligator Reef and Crocker Reef. Swordfish have been coming up for those willing to make the deep drop—lots of excitement from several crews pulling nice swords even with some choppy swells, as seen in recent trip videos out of Whale Harbor. Expect to also run into blackfin tuna and even some early wahoo scattered in the color change lines.
**Best lures and bait offshore:** Trolling with rigged ballyhoo is still the gold standard for sails and mahi, but don’t sleep on bright-colored skirted lures, especially chartreuse and pink combos. Deep drop guys are scoring swords on whole squid and bonito strips.
**Inshore and backcountry:**
Snook and redfish have locked into the deeper mangrove cuts and island points. The falling morning tide is producing solid catches around Channel 2 and Channel 5 bridges, especially on live pilchards and shrimp. For artificial lovers, paddle-tail soft plastics in natural hues are fooling big snook. Mangrove snapper are active on the patch reefs and bite best on live shrimp or cut pinfish.
**Recent catches:**
Yesterday saw multiple boats limit out on yellowtail snapper, with fish up to 20 inches coming from the Islamorada Humps and surrounding reefs. Plenty of keeper mutton snapper are hitting the decks, and tripletail up to 8 pounds are being plucked off structure and crab trap buoys near Indian Key. Robbie’s Marina reports tarpon are still around for those seeking a tussle at dawn or dusk.
**Hot spots to hit today:**
- **Alligator Reef** for sailfish, mahi, and tuna—look for birds and temp breaks.
- **Channel 2 Bridge** for snook, redfish, and nighttime tarpon.
- **Indian Key Channel** for tripletail and the odd permit.
**Top tips:**
- Fish that incoming afternoon tide—it’s bringing clean water and bait, and predators will be right behind.
- If mahi prove picky, downsize your baits and try drifting a chunk in the edge rips.
- For snook in the backcountry, stealth and light leaders are paying off.
That’s your boots-on-the-dock report from Islamorada for November 6th. Thanks for tuning in and don’t forget to subscribe for your daily fishing fix. 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 Artifi