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Winter Wonderland Fishing in the Florida Keys
Published 4 months, 1 week ago
Description
Name’s Artificial Lure checking in from Islamorada, where winter’s finally settled in but the fish sure haven’t slowed down.
According to US Harbors’ Islamorada and Indian Key forecasts, we’re sitting in the low to mid‑70s with a light to moderate northeast breeze and mostly clear, stable weather. Winds are generally 10 to 15 knots and Florida Bay is running a light to moderate chop, per MarineWeather. That’s classic winter Keys weather: cool enough to be comfortable, warm enough to keep the flats alive.
Tides today around Islamorada and Indian Key are modest but fishable. FishingReminder’s local chart shows an early morning high around 3:30 a.m., dropping to a mid‑day low just before 1 p.m., then pushing back up toward an evening high around 6 p.m. That falling water late morning and first push of incoming this afternoon are your best windows. FishingReminder also flags solid major bite periods around sunrise and again at dusk.
Sun’s coming up a little after 7:00 a.m. and setting just before 6:00 p.m., based on the Islamorada tide tables. That gives you prime low‑light shots right when those major solunar periods line up.
On the fish side, it’s been a mixed‑bag week. Coastal Angler Magazine’s Keys coverage and recent local chatter say the sails are snapping offshore with the cooler water and steady easterlies. Boats working the edge of the reef in 100–200 feet have been raising multiple sailfish a day, with scattered dolphin, a few blackfin tuna, and plenty of ballyhoo showers. The Killbox crew just won the recent Islamorada Sailfish Tournament, and that bite hasn’t really let up.
Reef and patch reefs are producing steady yellowtail and mangrove snapper, plus muttons on the deeper pieces. The best reports are coming from 40–90 feet: limits of tails and a handful of keeper muttons when the current is right.
In the backcountry, FishingReminder’s “poor” day label doesn’t tell the whole story. Cooler temps have pushed redfish and snook into the creeks and potholes, and there’s been a nice mix of trout and mangrove snapper on the edges. Florida Bay manatee activity around Whale Harbor and Founders Park, as Clearly Unique Charters notes, tells you the winter pattern is in full swing and that same slightly warmer shallow water is holding fish.
Best lures and baits right now:
- Offshore: Live ballyhoo and goggle‑eyes under kites for sailfish. Slow‑trolled naked ballyhoo on 30‑ to 40‑lb leader along the reef edge. Small pink or blue feather jigs for schoolie dolphin and blackfin.
- Reef/patches: Cut ballyhoo and squid for yellowtail and mangroves. Live pinfish or ballyhoo chunks on the bottom for muttons. A small knocker rig with 20‑ to 30‑lb fluoro is getting the bites.
- Backcountry/flats: Gold spoons, soft‑plastic paddletails on 1/8‑ to 1/4‑oz jigheads, and suspending twitchbaits for reds, snook, and trout. Live shrimp under a popping cork along channel edges and points is hard to beat.
Couple of hot spots to put in your GPS: the flats and channels west toward Flamingo in Florida Bay have been holding reds, snook, and trout on the falling tide; look for clean water and moving current. Out front, the line of patch reefs off Alligator Reef and Crocker Reef has been a snapper factory when that northeast breeze sets the chum slick just right. For land‑based or easy‑access action, the bridges and channels around Whale Harbor are consistent for snapper, jacks, and the occasional tarpon on shrimp and small jigs.
That’s the word from Islamorada today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss tomorrow’s 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 Artifici
According to US Harbors’ Islamorada and Indian Key forecasts, we’re sitting in the low to mid‑70s with a light to moderate northeast breeze and mostly clear, stable weather. Winds are generally 10 to 15 knots and Florida Bay is running a light to moderate chop, per MarineWeather. That’s classic winter Keys weather: cool enough to be comfortable, warm enough to keep the flats alive.
Tides today around Islamorada and Indian Key are modest but fishable. FishingReminder’s local chart shows an early morning high around 3:30 a.m., dropping to a mid‑day low just before 1 p.m., then pushing back up toward an evening high around 6 p.m. That falling water late morning and first push of incoming this afternoon are your best windows. FishingReminder also flags solid major bite periods around sunrise and again at dusk.
Sun’s coming up a little after 7:00 a.m. and setting just before 6:00 p.m., based on the Islamorada tide tables. That gives you prime low‑light shots right when those major solunar periods line up.
On the fish side, it’s been a mixed‑bag week. Coastal Angler Magazine’s Keys coverage and recent local chatter say the sails are snapping offshore with the cooler water and steady easterlies. Boats working the edge of the reef in 100–200 feet have been raising multiple sailfish a day, with scattered dolphin, a few blackfin tuna, and plenty of ballyhoo showers. The Killbox crew just won the recent Islamorada Sailfish Tournament, and that bite hasn’t really let up.
Reef and patch reefs are producing steady yellowtail and mangrove snapper, plus muttons on the deeper pieces. The best reports are coming from 40–90 feet: limits of tails and a handful of keeper muttons when the current is right.
In the backcountry, FishingReminder’s “poor” day label doesn’t tell the whole story. Cooler temps have pushed redfish and snook into the creeks and potholes, and there’s been a nice mix of trout and mangrove snapper on the edges. Florida Bay manatee activity around Whale Harbor and Founders Park, as Clearly Unique Charters notes, tells you the winter pattern is in full swing and that same slightly warmer shallow water is holding fish.
Best lures and baits right now:
- Offshore: Live ballyhoo and goggle‑eyes under kites for sailfish. Slow‑trolled naked ballyhoo on 30‑ to 40‑lb leader along the reef edge. Small pink or blue feather jigs for schoolie dolphin and blackfin.
- Reef/patches: Cut ballyhoo and squid for yellowtail and mangroves. Live pinfish or ballyhoo chunks on the bottom for muttons. A small knocker rig with 20‑ to 30‑lb fluoro is getting the bites.
- Backcountry/flats: Gold spoons, soft‑plastic paddletails on 1/8‑ to 1/4‑oz jigheads, and suspending twitchbaits for reds, snook, and trout. Live shrimp under a popping cork along channel edges and points is hard to beat.
Couple of hot spots to put in your GPS: the flats and channels west toward Flamingo in Florida Bay have been holding reds, snook, and trout on the falling tide; look for clean water and moving current. Out front, the line of patch reefs off Alligator Reef and Crocker Reef has been a snapper factory when that northeast breeze sets the chum slick just right. For land‑based or easy‑access action, the bridges and channels around Whale Harbor are consistent for snapper, jacks, and the occasional tarpon on shrimp and small jigs.
That’s the word from Islamorada today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss tomorrow’s 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 Artifici