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Islamorada Fishing Report: Cool Breeze, Mixed Bags, and Steady Offshore Action
Published 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Islamorada, this is Artificial Lure with your Keys fishing report.
We woke up to a cool, crisp northeast breeze, upper 60s at daybreak and headed for the mid‑70s under mostly clear skies, as US Harbors’ Cowpens Anchorage station is showing 69° early with calm to light winds. Sunrise is right around 7:00 a.m., with sunset near 5:40 p.m., giving us a nice long winter light window.
NOAA’s tide station at Upper Matecumbe Key in Florida Bay shows a modest winter tide cycle today: a pre‑dawn high around one foot, a late‑morning low just above flat, and another smaller high late tonight. That means the best movement for inshore will be the last of the falling tide through mid‑morning, then again when it starts pushing this afternoon. Work your spots when you see that water really start to slide.
In the backcountry, local guides out of Islamorada Marina and Whale Harbor have been reporting good mixed‑bag action: plenty of schoolie redfish, rat snook, and decent seatrout on the edges of Snake Creek and up towards Flamingo on the Florida Bay flats. Shrimp under a popping cork or a 1/8‑ounce jighead has been the ticket, with Gulp! shrimp in new penny or white doing damage when the live stuff gets picked to pieces. When that water clears on the incoming, small pilchards and finger mullet fished on a light fluorocarbon leader are finding the better snook along the mangrove points.
On the oceanside patches out to the reef line, Islamorada party boats and six‑packs have been bringing in solid catches of yellowtail snapper, a few muttons, and keeper mangroves. Captains are talking about steady flags flying from Alligator Reef down toward Pickles. The yellowtail have been chewing best on a light chum slick with small pieces of cut ballyhoo or squid, fished on 12–15 lb leaders and tiny hooks. A little current and that mid‑tide window are key; if the water goes slack, the bite dies.
Offshore, winter patterns are settling in. According to recent Keys charter reports, sailfish have started showing along the edge in 120–180 feet when that north wind pushes bait down the reef. Slow‑trolled live ballyhoo and goggle‑eyes on wire stingers are your best bet. There are still some schoolie blackfin tuna hanging on the humps; butterfly jigs and small live baits dropped down around the marks are turning fish early and late.
Artificial‑wise, if you’re staying inside, keep a box of 3‑ to 4‑inch paddle tails in pearl or root beer, and small gold spoons for cruising reds and trout on the flats. Around the bridges, heavy bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp or mullet strips will get you grouper and snapper tight to the pilings when that tide really rips.
A couple hot spots to circle on your map today:
- **Channel Two and Channel Five bridges**: great moving‑water spots for snapper, grouper, and the odd tarpon; fish the shadow lines on the changing tide with live shrimp and jigs.
- **Twin Keys and the banks west of Lower Matecumbe in Florida Bay**: drifting potholes with shrimp or soft plastics should produce trout, ladyfish, and the occasional red to bend the rod all morning.
That’s your Islamorada fishing rundown 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
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
We woke up to a cool, crisp northeast breeze, upper 60s at daybreak and headed for the mid‑70s under mostly clear skies, as US Harbors’ Cowpens Anchorage station is showing 69° early with calm to light winds. Sunrise is right around 7:00 a.m., with sunset near 5:40 p.m., giving us a nice long winter light window.
NOAA’s tide station at Upper Matecumbe Key in Florida Bay shows a modest winter tide cycle today: a pre‑dawn high around one foot, a late‑morning low just above flat, and another smaller high late tonight. That means the best movement for inshore will be the last of the falling tide through mid‑morning, then again when it starts pushing this afternoon. Work your spots when you see that water really start to slide.
In the backcountry, local guides out of Islamorada Marina and Whale Harbor have been reporting good mixed‑bag action: plenty of schoolie redfish, rat snook, and decent seatrout on the edges of Snake Creek and up towards Flamingo on the Florida Bay flats. Shrimp under a popping cork or a 1/8‑ounce jighead has been the ticket, with Gulp! shrimp in new penny or white doing damage when the live stuff gets picked to pieces. When that water clears on the incoming, small pilchards and finger mullet fished on a light fluorocarbon leader are finding the better snook along the mangrove points.
On the oceanside patches out to the reef line, Islamorada party boats and six‑packs have been bringing in solid catches of yellowtail snapper, a few muttons, and keeper mangroves. Captains are talking about steady flags flying from Alligator Reef down toward Pickles. The yellowtail have been chewing best on a light chum slick with small pieces of cut ballyhoo or squid, fished on 12–15 lb leaders and tiny hooks. A little current and that mid‑tide window are key; if the water goes slack, the bite dies.
Offshore, winter patterns are settling in. According to recent Keys charter reports, sailfish have started showing along the edge in 120–180 feet when that north wind pushes bait down the reef. Slow‑trolled live ballyhoo and goggle‑eyes on wire stingers are your best bet. There are still some schoolie blackfin tuna hanging on the humps; butterfly jigs and small live baits dropped down around the marks are turning fish early and late.
Artificial‑wise, if you’re staying inside, keep a box of 3‑ to 4‑inch paddle tails in pearl or root beer, and small gold spoons for cruising reds and trout on the flats. Around the bridges, heavy bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp or mullet strips will get you grouper and snapper tight to the pilings when that tide really rips.
A couple hot spots to circle on your map today:
- **Channel Two and Channel Five bridges**: great moving‑water spots for snapper, grouper, and the odd tarpon; fish the shadow lines on the changing tide with live shrimp and jigs.
- **Twin Keys and the banks west of Lower Matecumbe in Florida Bay**: drifting potholes with shrimp or soft plastics should produce trout, ladyfish, and the occasional red to bend the rod all morning.
That’s your Islamorada fishing rundown 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
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI