Fishing the Florida Keys and Miami on August 31, 2025 - Steady Snapper, Mahi, and Flats Action

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Florida Keys and Miami fishing report for Sunday, August 31, 2025. Sunrise is at 7:08 AM and sunset hits at 7:46 PM, so we've got a full day to hit the water. Today’s tides in Key West roll in with a high at 3:15 AM and 5:18 PM, and lows at 10:59 AM and 7:33 PM, with modest coefficients meaning minimal current and calmer fishing. Over in Miami Beach, tidal swings are similar—expect the high to come at 2:03 PM with the lows just after breakfast and near sunset. For those fishing up near Tavernier or Channel Two Bridge, you’re looking at highs around 7:40 AM and 2:37 AM, so hit that early bite while you can. Weather's looking favorable: expect light westerly winds all day—mostly 5 to 10 knots, seas at 2 feet or less, and only light chop on the Bay. Keep an eye out for the chance of scattered storms building into the afternoon. According to the National Weather Service Miami, plan for possible gusts if those showers roll through. The fish have stayed pretty active with the steady, warm August waters. Reports out of the Keys say patch reefs are holding solid numbers of **yellowtail snapper**, with most boats limiting out using light jigs tipped with cut squid or small pilchards. The deeper wrecks are stacked with **mutton snapper** and the occasional **black grouper**—live pinfish or large pilchard work here. Offshore, the dolphin (mahi-mahi) bite remains decent—mostly schoolies, but a few gaffers mixed in. Trolling small feather lures in dolphin colors or rigged ballyhoo behind skirted lures is doing the trick especially in the afternoons when weedlines get pushed closer by light winds. Closer to Miami, snook and tarpon have been holding around inlets and bridges during dawn and dusk. The outgoing tide has produced the best bite—throw big swimbaits, live mullet, or DOA TerrorEyz if you’re working artificials. For daytime action, you’ll have the most luck with mangrove snapper tight to structure; small live shrimp or pilchard on a low-profile rig is best. Bonefish action has picked up on the flats near Islamorada and Biscayne Bay, especially on the early morning incoming tide. Fly anglers rigged with Gotchas or epoxy shrimp patterns report steady hookups when moving quietly over turtlegrass, while spin folks are connecting with small white bucktail jigs. Hotspots you don’t want to miss: - **Channel Two Bridge (Lower Matecumbe Key):** great for snapper, tarpon at night—fish live shrimp or crab, or toss big swim plugs after sunset. - **Islamorada Patch Reefs:** loaded with yellowtail and mixed snapper right now, drifting with light jigs or cut bait means fast limits. - **Government Cut (Miami):** strong snook and tarpon in the early evening, with some permit showing up around rock piles; try crabs or big paddle tails. For bait, pilchards remain king, but fresh ballyhoo and cut squid are producing across the board, especially for snapper and grouper. Live shrimp and small crabs are gold for This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.