Florida Keys and Miami Fishing Report: Tuna, Kingfish, Tarpon, and More

Good morning from the Florida Keys and Miami, this is Artificial Lure with your fishing report for May 18, 2025. Sunrise hit us around 6:35 AM with sunset expected near 7:56 PM. Weather’s true to that late spring pattern—warm, humid, and a light breeze making the water a little choppy but nothing a flats boat or offshore center console can’t handle. We have a high tide rolling in around mid-morning with a falling tide by early afternoon, which means fish should be feeding both early and late in the day. Out of Miami, the edge is hot right now. Blackfin tuna are still running strong, especially in the mornings and late afternoons. Kingfish are showing up in good numbers, with some pushing over 30 pounds. Both are blasting live pilchards and threadfin herring drifted or slow trolled along the reef edge. Don’t forget to have some wire leaders handy for those toothy kingfish. Mutton snapper are chewing on live bait, too—try fishing the wrecks or patch reefs in 60 to 120 feet. Grouper season’s open, and the bite’s solid on big baits fished deep, especially on the wrecks for amberjack as well. Shark action’s still steady on big baits off the bottom for those looking for a real tug-of-war[4][5]. Down through the Keys, snook, redfish, and juvenile tarpon have been steady in the backcountry. Folks are just waiting for the big tarpon to show on the ocean side flats, which could break wide open any day now. Out front, permit are cruising the wrecks and deeper flats—try a live crab or a well-placed artificial if you’re sight fishing. Flats anglers are reporting action on topwater plugs and soft plastics early, then switching to natural baits as the sun gets high[1][2]. Best baits this weekend: live pilchards, threadfins, and crabs. If you’re bringing artificials, pack silver spoons, bucktail jigs, and topwater plugs—especially for first light or at dusk. For hot spots, don't miss Government Cut and Haulover Inlet for your pelagics and snapper. In the Keys, check out the bridges—Seven Mile and Channel Five—for big tarpon and snapper stacks, and hit the patch reefs off Islamorada for steady mixed-bag bottom fishing. That’s your Sunday rundown. Good luck out there, tight lines, and remember—sometimes the best bite is right at your feet. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.