Florida Keys Fishing Report: Tarpon, Bonefish, and Snappers Abound

Good morning from the Florida Keys, it’s Artificial Lure here with your May 21, 2025, fishing report, local style and hot off the water. Today kicked off with a sticky sunrise at 6:37 AM and we’ll have daylight right through till about 8:01 PM. Weather’s running hot and humid, with light winds and very little rain expected for most of the Keys. The tides are running moderate today with an incoming tide peaking late morning—ideal for a variety of action, especially around the bridges and cuts. Tarpon are still the main event and have been on a solid feed, especially with the recent warm ups and settled winds. The backcountry bite remains productive. If you’re after silver kings, hit the local channels around Islamorada or drift the Seven Mile Bridge on that incoming tide. Live mullet or crab are your best bets right now, but if you want to go artificial, toss big swimbaits, or even black-and-purple Hogy lures. Several crews have been reporting multiple hook-ups a day, with most fish running 70 to 100 pounds and a few monsters over that mark. Persistence and a little patience are paying off for those willing to wait for the bite[3]. Bonefish have been cruising strong on the flats, especially with these hot midday tides. Early birds poling around Key West and Sugarloaf Key have been rewarded with quality fish. Go with small live shrimp or pink shrimp-pattern flies and you’ll get noticed. If you’re a plug fan, try a small white paddle tail jig. Reports from local guides show up to five big bones landed on a morning outing, which is about as good as it gets[4]. Permit missed the memo about being shy this week. Several anglers lost them on the flats, but plenty of shots are being had. Live crab is the go-to bait, but an olive crab fly or a Berkley Gulp! crab will turn heads. Steer clear of the heaviest current and focus on patch reefs and edges of the flats near the Content Keys around high tide. Out on the patch reefs and wrecks, mutton snapper and lane snapper are steady, with plenty of smaller fish for the table and the odd doormat mutton showing up. Anchoring and chumming with cut ballyhoo or pilchards is doing the trick. Grouper are still closed for harvest, but catch-and-release is fair game if you want to test your tackle[4]. Hot spots to try today are the bridges near Islamorada for tarpon and bonefish, and the flats around Lower Sugarloaf for bonefish and permit. If the reef’s calling your name, head out to the Western Sambos for good snapper action. That’s the word from the water. Tight lines and keep your drag set light. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.