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Islamorada Fishing Forecast: Sailfish, Snapper, and Inshore Action
Published 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in from Islamorada with your morning fishing rundown.
We’ve got classic winter Keys conditions: light north to northeast breeze 10–15 knots over the Straits from Ocean Reef to Craig Key, seas 2–3 feet according to the marine forecast. Air temps are sitting in the upper 70s with low humidity, and water temps in the mid‑ to upper‑70s per the local harbor reports. Sunrise is right around 7:25 this morning with sunset about 6:45 this evening, so you’ve got a solid 11‑plus hours of light to play with.
Tide-wise, FishingReminder’s Islamorada table shows a pre‑dawn high, a midday low around early afternoon, then another modest high right around dinner. That gives you a sweet early major feeding window from roughly first light through mid‑morning, and another push late in the day as that evening high fills back in.
Offshore, the sailfish and scattered mahi bite has been steady along the edge in 120–200 feet, especially off Alligator Reef and down toward Tennessee Reef. Crews running kites and flat lines with live ballyhoo and goggle-eyes have been raising sails, plus a few schoolie dolphin and the odd blackfin tuna mixed in. Fresh ballyhoo is absolutely king right now; a couple of naked ballyhoo on long rigger baits and a small pink or blue feather down the middle will keep you in the game. Keep a 40–50 pound spinner rigged with a fluorocarbon leader and a small lure or jig for when dolphin slide up behind the boat.
Reef and wreck fishing has been money all week. Yellowtail snapper limits have been common on the deeper edge in 70–90 feet off Pickles Reef and out toward Davis Reef, with mutton snapper and a few red grouper under the boats. Silversides and glass minnows chummed heavy, then tiny jigheads tipped with cut ballyhoo or squid are doing work. A knocker rig with a live pinfish or grunt is your best bet for that one big mutton.
Inshore and backcountry, guides out of Islamorada and Plantation Key have been putting anglers on good numbers of mangrove snapper, seatrout, and a few snook and redfish in the creeks and bayside potholes. Reports from Florida Bay and around the Peterson Keys and Lignumvitae Basin have been strong: shrimp under a popping cork for trout and mangroves, and pilchards or finger mullet on light fluorocarbon leaders for snook and reds. On the colder mornings, work shorelines with dark soft‑plastic paddle tails and small gold spoons; fish are hugging the warmer mud and mangrove edges.
For pure land‑based or easy-boat action, Whale Harbor Channel and Snake Creek are great this morning with water moving hard on those tide changes. You’ll find jacks, ladyfish, snapper, and the occasional tarpon rolling if the wind lays down. A white bucktail jig tipped with shrimp or a small pilchard, or a simple chicken‑rig with cut bait, will keep rods bent.
Best overall baits right now:
- Fresh ballyhoo offshore
- Live shrimp, pilchards, pinfish inshore and on the reef
- Cut ballyhoo and squid for snapper and grouper
Best artificial lures:
- 1/4–3/8 oz bucktail jigs in white or chartreuse
- Small gold spoons for snook, reds, and jacks
- Soft‑plastic paddle tails on light jigheads, natural or dark colors
Hot spots to circle on your map:
- Alligator Reef light for sails, dolphin, and blackfin on the edge
- Snake Creek and Whale Harbor for inshore mixed bag action and steady current
That’s the word from Islamorada this morning. 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
This episode includes AI-generated
We’ve got classic winter Keys conditions: light north to northeast breeze 10–15 knots over the Straits from Ocean Reef to Craig Key, seas 2–3 feet according to the marine forecast. Air temps are sitting in the upper 70s with low humidity, and water temps in the mid‑ to upper‑70s per the local harbor reports. Sunrise is right around 7:25 this morning with sunset about 6:45 this evening, so you’ve got a solid 11‑plus hours of light to play with.
Tide-wise, FishingReminder’s Islamorada table shows a pre‑dawn high, a midday low around early afternoon, then another modest high right around dinner. That gives you a sweet early major feeding window from roughly first light through mid‑morning, and another push late in the day as that evening high fills back in.
Offshore, the sailfish and scattered mahi bite has been steady along the edge in 120–200 feet, especially off Alligator Reef and down toward Tennessee Reef. Crews running kites and flat lines with live ballyhoo and goggle-eyes have been raising sails, plus a few schoolie dolphin and the odd blackfin tuna mixed in. Fresh ballyhoo is absolutely king right now; a couple of naked ballyhoo on long rigger baits and a small pink or blue feather down the middle will keep you in the game. Keep a 40–50 pound spinner rigged with a fluorocarbon leader and a small lure or jig for when dolphin slide up behind the boat.
Reef and wreck fishing has been money all week. Yellowtail snapper limits have been common on the deeper edge in 70–90 feet off Pickles Reef and out toward Davis Reef, with mutton snapper and a few red grouper under the boats. Silversides and glass minnows chummed heavy, then tiny jigheads tipped with cut ballyhoo or squid are doing work. A knocker rig with a live pinfish or grunt is your best bet for that one big mutton.
Inshore and backcountry, guides out of Islamorada and Plantation Key have been putting anglers on good numbers of mangrove snapper, seatrout, and a few snook and redfish in the creeks and bayside potholes. Reports from Florida Bay and around the Peterson Keys and Lignumvitae Basin have been strong: shrimp under a popping cork for trout and mangroves, and pilchards or finger mullet on light fluorocarbon leaders for snook and reds. On the colder mornings, work shorelines with dark soft‑plastic paddle tails and small gold spoons; fish are hugging the warmer mud and mangrove edges.
For pure land‑based or easy-boat action, Whale Harbor Channel and Snake Creek are great this morning with water moving hard on those tide changes. You’ll find jacks, ladyfish, snapper, and the occasional tarpon rolling if the wind lays down. A white bucktail jig tipped with shrimp or a small pilchard, or a simple chicken‑rig with cut bait, will keep rods bent.
Best overall baits right now:
- Fresh ballyhoo offshore
- Live shrimp, pilchards, pinfish inshore and on the reef
- Cut ballyhoo and squid for snapper and grouper
Best artificial lures:
- 1/4–3/8 oz bucktail jigs in white or chartreuse
- Small gold spoons for snook, reds, and jacks
- Soft‑plastic paddle tails on light jigheads, natural or dark colors
Hot spots to circle on your map:
- Alligator Reef light for sails, dolphin, and blackfin on the edge
- Snake Creek and Whale Harbor for inshore mixed bag action and steady current
That’s the word from Islamorada this morning. 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
This episode includes AI-generated