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Winter Fishing Report from Islamorada Keys: Sails, Tuna, Snook & More
Published 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in from Islamorada with your Keys fishing report.
We’re in a classic winter pattern down here: cooler, dry air, light northeasterlies early, then swinging east, with a gentle chop on the ocean side and slicked‑off pockets in the backcountry. Marine forecasts for the Straits from Ocean Reef to Craig Key are calling 10 to 15 knots most of the day, so it’s plenty fishable if you pick your angles out of the wind.
According to Tide-Forecast for Islamorada on Upper Matecumbe, you’re working a predawn high, easing to a late‑morning low, then a modest afternoon rise. Sunrise is right around 7:15, sunset about 5:50, so that first falling water after sunup and the last couple hours of daylight on the incoming are your prime windows.
The Florida Keys Fishing Report Today podcast earlier this week noted steady winter action: sails sliding in tight to the edge, blackfin tuna on the humps, and solid reef fishing for yellowtail and muttons out of Islamorada. Inshore, recent reports have bonefish and permit tailing on the oceanside flats on the warmer afternoons, with snook, reds, and juvenile tarpon chewing in the creeks up toward Flamingo when the water bumps a few degrees.
No red tide issues for us: Florida’s statewide red tide status update says Karenia brevis has not been observed along the Florida east coast, and nothing problematic showing for the Keys, so water quality is good and no red‑tide‑related fish kills.
Here’s what’s been biting:
- Offshore: Sailfish in 90–160 feet off Alligator Reef Light and Tennessee Reef, plus schoolie to gaffer mahi still popping up on color changes. Blackfin tuna on the Islamorada Hump early and late. Best offerings are live ballyhoo and pilchards slow‑trolled or drifted; small skirted ballyhoo, pink/blue feathers, and dark‑colored vertical jigs for the tuna.
- Reef & wrecks: Yellowtail snapper, mangroves, muttons, and a few grouper on the deeper pieces. Go with 1/16–1/8 oz jig heads tipped with shrimp or squid, long fluorocarbon, and plenty of chum. A live pinfish or grunt on a knocker rig is still the ticket for a big mutton.
- Flats & bayside: Bonefish on oceanside flats around the falling and first of the incoming tide; shrimp or small crab under a light jig head, or a tan/olive shrimp fly. Permit cruising edges near deeper potholes—small live crabs or realistic crab patterns. Around the mangroves, snook and reds on soft‑plastic jerkbaits in pearl or new penny, plus live shrimp pitched tight to the cover.
- Tarpon (resident fish): Around bridges and marina lights at night, toss downsized swimbaits, freelined shrimp, or small pinfish. They’re not in full migration mode, but there are enough around to bend a rod on the right tide.
Hot spots I’d lean on today:
- Alligator Reef Light: Work the edge from 80–150 feet for sails and mahi, then slide shallower for yellowtail once the sun’s up.
- Bayside potholes behind Islamorada up toward Sandy Key and the banks outside Flamingo: great mix of trout, reds, snook, and the odd juvenile tarpon on soft plastics and shrimp.
For gear, local shops like Abel’s Tackle Box over at Three Waters Resort are stocked with shrimp, pinfish, ballyhoo, and all your terminal tackle. I’d load the livewell with shrimp and pilchards if you can, then carry a spread of small bucktail jigs, 3–5 inch paddle‑tail swimbaits in greenback and pearl, plus a couple of medium diving plugs in natural baitfish patterns.
That’s the word from Islamorada today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next 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 In
We’re in a classic winter pattern down here: cooler, dry air, light northeasterlies early, then swinging east, with a gentle chop on the ocean side and slicked‑off pockets in the backcountry. Marine forecasts for the Straits from Ocean Reef to Craig Key are calling 10 to 15 knots most of the day, so it’s plenty fishable if you pick your angles out of the wind.
According to Tide-Forecast for Islamorada on Upper Matecumbe, you’re working a predawn high, easing to a late‑morning low, then a modest afternoon rise. Sunrise is right around 7:15, sunset about 5:50, so that first falling water after sunup and the last couple hours of daylight on the incoming are your prime windows.
The Florida Keys Fishing Report Today podcast earlier this week noted steady winter action: sails sliding in tight to the edge, blackfin tuna on the humps, and solid reef fishing for yellowtail and muttons out of Islamorada. Inshore, recent reports have bonefish and permit tailing on the oceanside flats on the warmer afternoons, with snook, reds, and juvenile tarpon chewing in the creeks up toward Flamingo when the water bumps a few degrees.
No red tide issues for us: Florida’s statewide red tide status update says Karenia brevis has not been observed along the Florida east coast, and nothing problematic showing for the Keys, so water quality is good and no red‑tide‑related fish kills.
Here’s what’s been biting:
- Offshore: Sailfish in 90–160 feet off Alligator Reef Light and Tennessee Reef, plus schoolie to gaffer mahi still popping up on color changes. Blackfin tuna on the Islamorada Hump early and late. Best offerings are live ballyhoo and pilchards slow‑trolled or drifted; small skirted ballyhoo, pink/blue feathers, and dark‑colored vertical jigs for the tuna.
- Reef & wrecks: Yellowtail snapper, mangroves, muttons, and a few grouper on the deeper pieces. Go with 1/16–1/8 oz jig heads tipped with shrimp or squid, long fluorocarbon, and plenty of chum. A live pinfish or grunt on a knocker rig is still the ticket for a big mutton.
- Flats & bayside: Bonefish on oceanside flats around the falling and first of the incoming tide; shrimp or small crab under a light jig head, or a tan/olive shrimp fly. Permit cruising edges near deeper potholes—small live crabs or realistic crab patterns. Around the mangroves, snook and reds on soft‑plastic jerkbaits in pearl or new penny, plus live shrimp pitched tight to the cover.
- Tarpon (resident fish): Around bridges and marina lights at night, toss downsized swimbaits, freelined shrimp, or small pinfish. They’re not in full migration mode, but there are enough around to bend a rod on the right tide.
Hot spots I’d lean on today:
- Alligator Reef Light: Work the edge from 80–150 feet for sails and mahi, then slide shallower for yellowtail once the sun’s up.
- Bayside potholes behind Islamorada up toward Sandy Key and the banks outside Flamingo: great mix of trout, reds, snook, and the odd juvenile tarpon on soft plastics and shrimp.
For gear, local shops like Abel’s Tackle Box over at Three Waters Resort are stocked with shrimp, pinfish, ballyhoo, and all your terminal tackle. I’d load the livewell with shrimp and pilchards if you can, then carry a spread of small bucktail jigs, 3–5 inch paddle‑tail swimbaits in greenback and pearl, plus a couple of medium diving plugs in natural baitfish patterns.
That’s the word from Islamorada today. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next 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 In