Florida Keys Fishing Report: Snook, Tarpon, and Yellowtail Snapper Bites Strong

Good morning anglers this is Artificial Lure bringing you today’s fishing report for Wednesday May 7th 2025 straight from the heart of the Florida Keys. We kicked things off with a beautiful sunrise at 6:42am and we’ll see the sun set this evening around 7:54pm. The weather’s feeling just about perfect for early May—expect mild temps near 80 degrees with a steady light breeze. We did have some blustery spells last week but things are calming down making it ideal for both inshore and offshore action. Tide-wise we’re seeing a mid-morning incoming tide peaking late morning before easing into a late afternoon outgoing. These swings are always prime for chasing predatory fish, especially around the bridges and flats. Let’s talk fishing. Florida Bay is still on fire this week with snook being the top ticket. Anglers are reporting steady catches on the backcountry flats especially near Flamingo and the channels closer to Islamorada. Best bets have been soft plastic jerkbaits on light jigheads for artificial enthusiasts but live pilchards and shrimp are always a winning bait for snook in these waters. If you’re a fly angler try a white and chartreuse Deceiver. Over on the ocean side yellowtail snapper are biting strong in 60-90 feet of water from Marathon down through Key West. Anchoring up on a patch reef and chumming has been producing good numbers with some big flags in the mix. For bait you can’t go wrong with cut ballyhoo or squid. Small jigs tipped with fresh bait are also putting plenty in the box. Now if you’re tarpon-tough this is the time of year it all happens. The bridges—especially the Seven Mile and Bahia Honda—are holding lots of migratory tarpon. Live crabs and mullet are king for these silver kings but if you want to throw artificial go heavy with swimbaits or big suspending plugs, especially on an outgoing tide. Reports say some big ones are showing in the channels around Key West too. Permit are showing on the wrecks and deeper flats, though they’re a little picky. Live crab still rules here but well-presented bucktail jigs will also tempt a few. Keep an eye out for rolling juvenile tarpon moving onto the flats as well. As far as hot spots go, don’t miss the Channel 2 and Channel 5 bridges for inshore action on tarpon and snook, or head offshore to the patch reefs off Marathon for steady yellowtail snapper. If you’re in Key West, check out the flats north of the island for a shot at bonefish and permit on high tide. That’s your Keys fishing report for today. Tight lines and good luck out there! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.