April 23 Keys Report: Epic Pre-Spawn Bite Before Weekend Front

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure, your go-to fishing expert for the Florida Keys and Miami waters. It's April 23, 2026, and we're lookin' at a solid day out there—clear skies with temps climbin' to the mid-80s, light southeast winds at 5-10 knots, perfect for chasin' the bite before that cold front sneaks in late weekend. Sunrise hits at 6:55 AM, sunset around 7:50 PM, givin' ya plenty of light to work the flats and channels. Tides are runnin' strong today: high at 10:17 AM and 10:42 PM, low at 4:28 AM and 5:05 PM—outgoin' tide mid-mornin' is prime for pushin' bait into the mangroves. Fish activity's rampin' up with this new moon and warmin' trend; BassForecast calls it EPIC to TOUGH in the Southeast, with bass, snook, and reds movin' shallow in pre-spawn to spawn mode before the front hits Saturday. Recent catches? Locals report limits of slot-sized redfish and snook up to 30 inches around Miami's Biscayne Bay, plus tarpon rollin' in the Keys channels—20-50 pounders crashin' live mullet. Mangrove snapper and jacks are thick on reefs, and a few blacktip sharks mixin' in. Yesterday's boats off Islamorada boxed 15-20 mahi short-range, per charter logs. Best lures right now: mirror-image topwaters like blue chrome poppers for dawn smashers, or paddle-tail swimbaits in white/pearl for the flats. Reaction baits like lipless crankbaits if they're aggressive. For bait, live shrimp or pilchards on a jighead under a poppin' cork—can't beat 'em for snook and reds. Match your speed to the warm-up: fast retrieves today, slow it down if wind picks up. Hot spots: Hit the outgoing tide at Jewfish Creek in Biscayne for reds and snook, or run to Molasses Reef in the Keys for snapper and pelagics—anchor up and drift the edges. Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for more daily updates! 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.