Fall Fishing Frenzy in the Florida Keys

Good morning from the sun-soaked Florida Keys—this is Artificial Lure with your Friday fishing report for September 26, 2025. We're heading into the weekend with a classic early fall setup down here. Sunrise will greet us at 7:17 AM and sunset will give us that last golden cast at 7:18 PM, so you’ve got over 12 hours of daylight to chase that dream fish. The tides are showing a nice bit of action today: look for a low tide around 7:08 this morning, high tide just past lunch at 1:32 PM, then another low near 6:18 PM. That means strong tidal movement through the back half of the day—always a good sign for bent rods and tight lines, especially around the passes and flats. According to Tide-Forecast.com, these swings should get the bait moving and the bigger fish feeding. We’re starting the day around 80°F, with likely some breezy east winds pushing through at 10–15 knots. Expect good water clarity early, before the wind stirs up that incoming tide. Bring your polarized shades, but keep an eye on squalls rolling off the Atlantic in the afternoon. Let’s talk fish. This week, the reef edges and bridges have been on fire for mangrove snapper and yellowtail, especially if you’re fishing the last couple hours of incoming tide with live shrimp or pilchards. Boats running further out are reporting solid gag grouper hauls—Hubbard’s Marina shared a hefty closing-week report stuffed with big grouper at the end of the gag season. If you’re bottom dropping, squid and pinfish are doing the work. Deep wrecks around Marathon and Islamorada have gone electric for amberjack—Florida Insider Fishing Report had footage of arm-burning action with 40–50 lb jacks hammering big jigs and slab-sided plastics. If you want a shot at these bruisers, rig up with heavy gear and drop Yo-Zuri Pro Series Glide Baits down deep; heavy duty, matte finish models shine in that clear late-September water, especially if you add a flutter or pause to mimic a wounded baitfish. For inshore hunters, bonefish have been tentatively tailing in the early morning’s skinny water on oceanside flats from Long Key down to Lower Matecumbe. Soft plastics like Gulp Swimmin’ Mullet and small live shrimp have been getting the nod from local guides. Permit are prowling deeper patch reefs, and a well-presented live crab is still the gold standard—they’re picky, but the right drift makes all the difference this time of year. Hot spots you won’t want to miss: the Seven Mile Bridge at first light for mixed snapper and the occasional tarpon, and Tennessee Reef outside Marathon, particularly when that midday incoming tide kicks off. The Oceanside flats just north of Islamorada have also been holding big bonefish and the odd permit for patient stalkers with stealthy presentations. For baits, you can’t beat live pilchards or small pinfish for the reefs and wrecks. Inshore, try live shrimp under a popping cork, or if you’re pumping artificials, the matte shad pattern Yo-Zuri Glide Bait and white bucktail jigs h This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.