Florida Keys Early Summer: Bones, Permit, and Tarpon On the Rise

This is Artificial Lure checking in with your Florida Keys fishing report. We’ve got a classic early‑summer pattern setting up down here. Light southeast breeze around 5–10 knots overnight, building to 10–15 by mid‑day, with scattered clouds, steamy temps in the high 80s, and that usual Keys humidity. Nearshore seas are running 1–3 feet on the reef, a little lumpier beyond the edge. Sunrise came just after 6, with sunset roughly a little after 8, giving you a long low‑light window at both ends of the day. Morning incoming has been the money tide: water pushing in, clean and a touch cooler on the oceanside flats, with a decent fall this afternoon on the bayside. On the **flats**, bonefish and permit have been active from Key Largo down through Islamorada. Guides around Islamorada and Marathon have been putting clients on solid bones in the 3–6 pound class with a few bigger fish mixed in, plus scattered permit cruising the edges of deeper flats. Best producers have been small pale shrimp patterns on fly, or live shrimp and quarter‑crab on spinning gear. For artificials, think 1/8‑oz skimmer jigs, tan or pink, and super subtle paddle tails. Tarpon fishing is still hanging on. Bridges like Seven Mile, Long Key, and Bahia Honda are giving up a few silver kings at dawn and into the night. Most fish are in the 60–100 pound range with some bigger girls rolling through. Live mullet, crabs, and big pinfish are prime. If you’re throwing hardware, slow‑rolled swimbaits in natural mullet colors and soft‑plastic eel imitations are working when the current is right. Out on the **reef**, the snapper bite has been steady. Boats working the 40–80 foot edge off Marathon and Key West are boxing up good numbers of yellowtail, plus some mangroves and muttons. Light chum slick, small pieces of cut ballyhoo or squid on 12–20 lb fluoro leaders are getting the job done. For artificials, go with small bucktails tipped with a sliver of bait, or scented soft plastics drifted back in the slick. Early morning and the first part of the incoming tide have been best. Just past the reef, **dolphin (mahi)** are still around but scattered. Crews running 10–20 miles out of Islamorada and Key West are picking off schoolies with an occasional gaffer. Troll small skirted ballyhoo, feather jigs in blue‑and‑white or pink, and have spinning rods ready with chunk baits and pilchards for when a pack shows up behind the boat. Around the **backcountry and bayside**, redfish and snook are nosing around the mangrove edges north of the Lower Keys and toward Flamingo. Topwater plugs at first light, then switching to soft jerkbaits and live pilchards as the sun climbs, have been producing. On deeper channels and edges, expect some trout, jacks, and the odd cobia or small shark. A couple of hot spots to put on your list: - The **Seven Mile Bridge area**: great shot at tarpon at dawn, plus snapper and some grouper on the nearby patches. - The **oceanside flats off Islamorada**: tailing bonefish and cruising permit on the morning incoming tide when the wind stays down. Overall, fish activity is solid if you play the tides and beat the heat. Focus on low‑light, moving water, downsize your leaders, and be ready to switch between natural baits and subtle artificials. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn