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Winter Bite in the Upper Keys: Islamorada Fishing Report
Published 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your Islamorada fishing report, straight from the heart of the Upper Keys.
The first cool pushes of winter have the water in that sweet spot: clear on the oceanside, a little milky in the backcountry, and just cool enough to make everything chew. Light north to northeast breeze, temps riding the upper 70s by midday, and the humidity finally knocked back a notch. Sunrise is right around seven, sunset just after five‑thirty, so the real magic is packed into those low‑light hours.
Tides today are running on a classic winter Keys rhythm: a good negative low in the morning, then a solid midday high before easing off again near dark. That falling water at first light has been the ticket for inshore—snook and reds sliding off the flats into the troughs and potholes, with trout and ladyfish mixed in. The higher afternoon water has been better oceanside, with bonefish creeping up on the warmer edges and permit showing here and there on the deeper flats.
In the backcountry, the bite’s been strong. Boats working west toward Flamingo and up around the Cape have been putting up solid numbers of snook—dozens on a good tide window—with reds and a few gator trout mixed in. Live shrimp under a popping cork around mangrove points and creek mouths is still the bread and butter, but soft plastic paddletails in pearl or new penny on a light jighead are getting crushed. Mullet are still around in good numbers, so a frisky finger mullet or pinfish free‑lined along a shoreline can draw out the bigger snook.
On the oceanside flats, bonefish are the headliners. Schools of medium fish with some true Keys bruisers mixed in have been tailing on the afternoon incoming. Cast small shrimp or quarter‑crab baits on light fluorocarbon, or go with tan and olive shrimp‑pattern jigs and flies. Permit shots are fewer but worth being ready for—have a small blue crab or a heavier crab jig rigged on a separate rod. Around the bridges—Channel 2, Channel 5, and the Islamorada hump line—mackerel, jacks, and the occasional tarpon are hanging where the current rips past the pilings.
Offshore, when the breeze lines up, boats running past the reef edge have seen scattered dolphin, blackfin tuna around the humps, and sailfish pushing bait showers in 120–200 feet. Trolling small ballyhoo or bonita strips on light skirts, plus a couple of flatlines with live pilchards or gogs, has been putting flags on the riggers. On the reef, yellowtail and mutton action stays steady: chum hard in 60–90 feet, fish small pieces of cut bait or shrimp on light leaders for tails, and a bigger live bait on the bottom for that one good mutton.
Best lures and baits right now:
- Backcountry: Live shrimp, finger mullet, and pinfish; 3–4 inch paddletails in pearl, glow, and new penny; gold spoons for covering water.
- Flats: Live shrimp and small crabs; tan, olive, and root‑beer shrimp jigs; light fluorocarbon leaders.
- Reef/offshore: Fresh ballyhoo strips, squid, pilchards and goggle‑eyes live; small feather jigs and diamond jigs over the humps.
A couple of local hot spots to circle on the map:
- Around Indian Key Fill and the banks just northwest of there for early‑morning trout, snook, and mixed bag fun. Work the edges on the falling tide with shrimp under corks and jigs bounced through the potholes.
- Out west toward Sandy Key and the nearby mangrove shorelines when the wind’s up—great place to tuck in, find clean moving water, and lean into snook, reds, and the occasional surprise tarpon.
That’s the word from Islamorada—keep your leaders light, your drags smooth, and your casts low. 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/
The first cool pushes of winter have the water in that sweet spot: clear on the oceanside, a little milky in the backcountry, and just cool enough to make everything chew. Light north to northeast breeze, temps riding the upper 70s by midday, and the humidity finally knocked back a notch. Sunrise is right around seven, sunset just after five‑thirty, so the real magic is packed into those low‑light hours.
Tides today are running on a classic winter Keys rhythm: a good negative low in the morning, then a solid midday high before easing off again near dark. That falling water at first light has been the ticket for inshore—snook and reds sliding off the flats into the troughs and potholes, with trout and ladyfish mixed in. The higher afternoon water has been better oceanside, with bonefish creeping up on the warmer edges and permit showing here and there on the deeper flats.
In the backcountry, the bite’s been strong. Boats working west toward Flamingo and up around the Cape have been putting up solid numbers of snook—dozens on a good tide window—with reds and a few gator trout mixed in. Live shrimp under a popping cork around mangrove points and creek mouths is still the bread and butter, but soft plastic paddletails in pearl or new penny on a light jighead are getting crushed. Mullet are still around in good numbers, so a frisky finger mullet or pinfish free‑lined along a shoreline can draw out the bigger snook.
On the oceanside flats, bonefish are the headliners. Schools of medium fish with some true Keys bruisers mixed in have been tailing on the afternoon incoming. Cast small shrimp or quarter‑crab baits on light fluorocarbon, or go with tan and olive shrimp‑pattern jigs and flies. Permit shots are fewer but worth being ready for—have a small blue crab or a heavier crab jig rigged on a separate rod. Around the bridges—Channel 2, Channel 5, and the Islamorada hump line—mackerel, jacks, and the occasional tarpon are hanging where the current rips past the pilings.
Offshore, when the breeze lines up, boats running past the reef edge have seen scattered dolphin, blackfin tuna around the humps, and sailfish pushing bait showers in 120–200 feet. Trolling small ballyhoo or bonita strips on light skirts, plus a couple of flatlines with live pilchards or gogs, has been putting flags on the riggers. On the reef, yellowtail and mutton action stays steady: chum hard in 60–90 feet, fish small pieces of cut bait or shrimp on light leaders for tails, and a bigger live bait on the bottom for that one good mutton.
Best lures and baits right now:
- Backcountry: Live shrimp, finger mullet, and pinfish; 3–4 inch paddletails in pearl, glow, and new penny; gold spoons for covering water.
- Flats: Live shrimp and small crabs; tan, olive, and root‑beer shrimp jigs; light fluorocarbon leaders.
- Reef/offshore: Fresh ballyhoo strips, squid, pilchards and goggle‑eyes live; small feather jigs and diamond jigs over the humps.
A couple of local hot spots to circle on the map:
- Around Indian Key Fill and the banks just northwest of there for early‑morning trout, snook, and mixed bag fun. Work the edges on the falling tide with shrimp under corks and jigs bounced through the potholes.
- Out west toward Sandy Key and the nearby mangrove shorelines when the wind’s up—great place to tuck in, find clean moving water, and lean into snook, reds, and the occasional surprise tarpon.
That’s the word from Islamorada—keep your leaders light, your drags smooth, and your casts low. 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/