Florida Keys & Miami Fishing Report: Mahi, Tuna, Snapper, and More!

Artificial Lure coming to you with your September 6th fishing report for the Florida Keys and Miami area. It’s early fall but it still feels like summer out there, and the bite is on. Here’s what you need to know to get on some fish today. Let’s talk tides: In Key West, low tide hit at 2:38 a.m., with high tide rolling in at 9:30 a.m., followed by another low around 3:49 and a high just before 10:30 tonight, according to Tide-Forecast.com. Sunrise is at 7:10 a.m., sunset at 7:40 p.m. That means you want to focus your efforts on the moving water of that morning incoming tide for best results, especially near passes and creek mouths. Weather-wise, we’re seeing gentle south to southwesterly winds, 5 to 10 knots through the day, with seas staying friendly at 1 to 2 feet. But heads up: the National Weather Service out of Key West notes chances for scattered showers and thunderstorms, so pack that rain gear and keep an eye on the sky. Otherwise, it’s classic humid Keys weather—hot, breezy, and plenty fishy. The action offshore has really picked up—Mahi-mahi and blackfin tuna have been moving in strong past the edge, with multiple reports in the last few days of boats limiting in less than three hours, according to the Islamorada, Florida Daily Fishing Report. Look for birds, weedlines, or floating debris in 500 to 1200 feet, and throw out small purple-and-black trolling feathers or rigged ballyhoo for the mahi. Tuna have been slamming live pilchards and butterfly jigs at the humps. Back inshore, mangrove snapper are chewing on the patch reefs and around bridges, especially on the rising tide. Use cut shrimp or pilchard chunks on light wire hooks for mangroves. Tarpon are stacked up near the bridges at night, hitting live mullet and big swimbaits. Early morning and late evening are still good for bonefish on the flats—go stealthy with small shrimp or gulp peeler crabs. Up in Miami, the beaches and inlets are giving up snook and the occasional tarpon after last week’s moon. Try artificial paddle tails and flair hawk jigs around Haulover and Government Cut after dark for best results. Daytime, focus on the surf for snook and blue runners with live pilchards or croakers. What about bait and lures? Offshore, rigged ballyhoo and small trolling feathers in pink, purple, or blue are getting plenty of looks. Butterfly jigs are crushing blackfin tuna. Inshore, live shrimp or pilchards remain king, but soft plastic jerkbaits and topwater plugs like Super Spooks are making big snook commit early and late. For the fly anglers, bonefish have been active on the oceanside flats around Islamorada and Lower Matecumbe, especially during that mid-morning moving tide. Small tan or pink shrimp patterns with a slow strip have been the ticket. Hot spots today: - The Islamorada Hump for tuna and mahi-mahi, especially with the tides moving mid-morning. - Snake Creek and Channel 2 bridges—night tarpon and mangrove snapper. - Biscayne Bay flats, particularly off Matheson This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.