Florida Keys Summer Bite: Reef Snapper, Backcountry Snook, and Offshore Dolphin Action

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Florida Keys fishing report. We’ve got a light summer pattern setting up. Overnight showers offshore, then mostly sun with a light east–southeast breeze around 8–12 knots. Air temps climbing to the mid‑80s, humidity up there, but seas inside the reef are pretty friendly, 1–2 feet, a little bumpy on the outside edge. Tide-wise, around Key Largo and Islamorada you’re looking at an early morning incoming, topping out mid‑morning, then falling through early afternoon. Down toward Marathon and Big Pine it all lags about 30–45 minutes. Low water and slack around mid‑day, with the second push coming late afternoon into evening. That incoming around the flats and channels has been the money window. Sunrise is right around 6:30 a.m., sunset just after 8:10 p.m., so you’ve got long low-light periods. First light to about 9 a.m. and then the last two hours before dark have been the best bite. Offshore, the charter docks have been hanging good flags. Boats running out 10–20 miles off Islamorada and Marathon have been bringing in mixed dolphin: schoolies with a few gaffers in the 15–20 pound range, plus scattered blackfin tuna and the odd wahoo on the deeper edges. Trolled rigged ballyhoo, small chuggers, and peanut-sized skirted lures in blue/white and pink have been hot. Keep a spinning rod rigged with a bucktail or small swimming plug for dolphin that swim up on the weedlines. On the reef, the snapper bite has been steady. Yellowtail in the 12–16 inch class with some bigger mangroves mixed in over the patch reefs and the 60–90 foot edge. Lightweight chum, 12–15 pound fluoro, and small hooks are helping when the water’s clear. Best baits have been cut ballyhoo, squid strips, and live pilchards. A few muttons coming off the deeper rubble for folks patient with a live pinfish on the bottom. Inshore, the backcountry is classic summer Keys. Around Islamorada and the Everglades side, anglers are getting snook, redfish, and a few tarpon in the creeks and channel mouths on the mid‑to‑late incoming. Soft-plastic paddletails in new penny or root beer, gold spoons, and live shrimp under a popping cork are all producing. Early morning, rolling tarpon around the bridges and channels have been eating live mullet and crabs; once the sun gets high they’re a lot pickier. On the flats from Key Largo down through Big Pine, bonefish have been active on the late rising and early falling tides when you’ve got a little breeze to break the surface. Small shrimp patterns on fly, tan or olive skimmer jigs, and live shrimp on a light leader are working. Permit reports are decent around the oceanside wrecks and deeper flats using live crab or crab‑profile jigs. Best artificial choices right now: - For reef and wrecks: 1–2 oz bucktail jigs tipped with bait, medium diving plugs in natural baitfish colors. - For backcountry: 3–4 inch paddletails on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads, gold spoons, and walk‑the‑dog topwaters at dawn. - Live bait: pilchards, pinfish, mullet, shrimp, and small crabs are all top tier. Couple local hot spots to circle on your chart: - The Islamorada reef line from Alligator Reef down to Tennessee Reef for yellowtail, mangroves, and the occasional mutton, plus dolphin just outside the edge. - Bahia Honda Bridge area for tarpon on that early morning incoming and again right before dark, especially around the shadow lines. Work those tide changes, keep your leaders light and your baits natural, and you’ll bend a rod. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn