Autumn Angling Ignites Keys Fisheries: Redfish, Snook, Trout, and More Lighting Up the Waters

Good morning Florida Keys anglers, this is Artificial Lure bringing you your October 28th fishing report. The *fall bite* is lighting up our waters, and today promises another classic Keys adventure, so let’s dive right in. Sunrise hit us at 7:31AM, with sunset rolling in at 6:49PM—plenty of good light for the early risers and sunset chasers. Tides are textbook for October, starting with a nice high at 2:06AM, dropping to a low at 9:26AM, climbing again to a second high at 4:17PM, and slipping to a final low at 7:27PM. With that healthy swing, expect strong movement to get fish feeding inshore and offshore. Weather’s dialing in with that first snap of cooler fall breeze just brushing the islands. According to Capt. Danny Stasny’s report this morning, the cooling temps are cranking up fish activity, with water clarity looking solid for sight-casting and the wind laying down enough to keep most boats comfortable. Let’s talk fish—what’s hot and what’s getting hauled over the rails. Up and down the Keys, catches are strong for **redfish, snook, trout, and mackerel**, with plenty of action on the flats and backcountry as well as the reefs. Local trips out of Islamorada and Marathon are coming back heavy on mangrove snapper and also scoring decent numbers of muttons and some big grouper. Offshore, captains out of Key West are reporting steady picks of mahi-mahi, sailfish, and scattered tuna. Bonefish and permit are showing in skinny water, and tarpon are still around bridge shadow lines for those pitching crabs or live mullet. Recent trips have averaged a dozen reds, limits of snappers for most, sustained mackerel runs, and quality trout coming off the grass beds. Bear Holeman Charters noted that most anglers last week each landed at least 10 snapper per outing, with a mix of keeper-size yellowtail and mangrove. Headshaker Sportfishing has seen four or five permit coming to hand on the tides, and Dog House Charters reports doubles on small dolphin during fast drifts offshore. Now, for those who ask, “Artificial or live?” Most locals know you can get it done with both, but fall traffic favors **soft plastics**—paddle tails and jerkbaits for snook and reds, worked slow over potholes or bounced along the mangroves. Gold spoons and topwater plugs are drawing strikes early and late from spooky trout and rolling tarpon. For snapper and grouper, nothing beats a chunk of *fresh ballyhoo* or live pinfish. Offshore chasers should rig up with trolling feathers in blue-and-white for mahi or go deep with butterfly jigs for tunas. Live pilchards and cigar minnows are still top bait for the serious reef bite. A couple of hotspots this morning: - **Channel 2 Bridge**: Solid action for mangrove snapper, look for larger trout hugging structure on the outgoing tide. - **Marathon’s Seven Mile Reef**: Big muttons and the odd grouper as cooler water triggers a feeding rush. - **Islamorada’s flats**: Bonefish and permit cruising strong during midday flood, best w This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.