Fishing Report: Snook Crushing It in Florida Bay, Yellowtails Biting Offshore

Hey there, fellow anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Florida Keys and Miami fishing report for Monday, May 5th, 2025. The sunrise today was around 6:45 AM and sunset will be near 7:50 PM, giving you plenty of daylight hours to reel in some beauties. Weather's cooperating nicely with moderate winds and comfortable temperatures – perfect conditions for a day on the water. Florida Bay is absolutely on fire right now! Snook are the main attraction and they've been hitting consistently over the past week. Captain Ridge Murphy confirmed this just a few days ago, so if you're looking to hook into some quality snook, that's where you want to be. Offshore, the yellowtail snappers are biting well in 60-90 feet of water, particularly during the incoming tide. The patch reefs are loaded with big lane snappers and yellowtails too, according to recent reports from charter captains operating out of Key West and Marathon. Down in the Lower Keys, inshore fishing has been productive with redfish and tarpon making strong showings. For those of you heading to the flats, light tackle has been the way to go as that bite is really heating up now. In the Miami area, we've seen tuna and kingfish pushing into shallow water, while mutton snappers have been chewing on live bait. The shark bite remains solid if you're using big live baits. Several guides including Bryan Maffei out of Miami Beach reported excellent catches just yesterday. For those targeting mahi-mahi, they've been a bit elusive with the colder offshore waters we had earlier, but things are warming up nicely. Keep a bait in the water after hooking one, as they've been traveling in schools. As for tarpon, both the juvenile and larger specimens are becoming more consistent as we transition into more summer-like conditions. Some solid 30-inch redfish have been spotted in their old haunts closer to home too. Best baits right now? Live bait is king for the mutton snappers, while artificials are working well for snook in the backcountry. Light tackle with smaller lures has been productive on the flats. Hot spots to check out: The patch reefs around Islamorada for yellowtails and lanes, Florida Bay for snook action, and if you're after permit, head further south where the bigger schools have been hanging out. Remember folks, the early bird gets the fish! Tight lines and good luck out there on the water today! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.