December Fishing in the Florida Keys - Snapper Slams, Bonefish, and Offshore Tuna

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in from the Florida Keys with your morning fishing rundown. We’re sitting in a classic early‑December pattern: light **east to southeast winds 5–10 knots**, seas around **1 foot or less**, and just a few isolated showers according to the National Weather Service Key West marine forecast. That means it’s a small‑boat kind of day—Hawk Channel, the reef edge, and the backcountry are all in play. Tides are modest but fishable. NOAA’s December tables for Key Largo and Upper Matecumbe show a **predawn high, mid‑morning fall, and an afternoon push**, so plan to work the falling water for snapper and the first of the incoming for bonefish and snook on the flats. Around Snipe Keys and Content Passage you’ll see similar timing, with enough range to move bait off the banks and into the channels. Sun’s coming up right around **7:00–7:10 a.m.** and setting close to **5:30–5:45 p.m.** this time of year, so your prime windows are that gray light at dawn and the last two hours before dark. Solunar forecasts put a stronger feed around the middle of the day when the tide turns—good time to be on an edge or wreck. Offshore out of Islamorada and Key West, the recent chatter from local reports and guides has been **solid sailfish and blackfin tuna**, with scattered **schoolie dolphin (mahi)** still hanging on the edge of the reef and just beyond the color change. Light‑tackle trolling with **small feathers, squid chains, and ballyhoo strips** has been the ticket for tuna and mahi; slow‑trolled or kite‑fished **live ballyhoo or goggle‑eyes** are your best bet for sails. In Hawk Channel and on the patch reefs, boats have been putting together **snapper slams**—mangroves, yellowtail, and the odd mutton—along with **porgies and keeper grouper** where seasons allow. Chum hard, then fish **1/0–3/0 circle hooks** with **cut ballyhoo, squid, or live pilchards**. A natural‑looking **white or chartreuse bucktail tipped with shrimp** will pick off mangroves and mackerel when you drift it back. Backcountry around Florida Bay is still on fire: guides are reporting **redfish, snook, seatrout, and plenty of mangrove snapper** on the edges of flats and in creek mouths. Hard‑charging **jack crevalle** are roaming the channels. Here, think **live shrimp under a popping cork, pilchards free‑lined, or soft‑plastic paddletails** in natural colors on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads. On the flats from Islamorada down toward Big Pine, bonefish and permit have been sliding up on the warmer afternoon incoming tides. Bring **small shrimp or crab‑pattern jigs**, or live shrimp and crabs if you want to play it old‑school. A few hotspots to circle today: - **Hens and Chickens (off Islamorada)** – good patch‑reef snapper and mackerel on the falling tide, plus a shot at a grouper. - **Snipe Point / Snipe Keys backcountry** – great mix of reds, snook, and trout on potholes and channel edges as the water dumps off the flats. Best all‑around offerings right now: - **Bait: This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.