Islamorada Early Summer: Mahi, Tuna, and Backcountry Snook in the Upper Keys

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Islamorada fishing report from the heart of the Upper Keys. We’ve got a classic early-summer pattern rolling. Overnight temps sat in the upper 70s, climbing into the mid to upper 80s by afternoon, with that steady southeast breeze about 8–15 knots. Humidity is up, skies partly cloudy with a good mix of sun and passing showers offshore. Sunrise came in just after 6:30 this morning, with sunset set for just after 8:15 this evening, so you’ve got a big window of light to work with. Tide-wise, we’re looking at a typical Keys cycle: higher water pushing in through the early morning, easing toward a midday slack, then a decent outgoing this afternoon into evening. That first push of incoming on the ocean side and the start of the afternoon fall on the bay side have been the ticket all week. Focus your best efforts around those tide changes. Offshore, the bluewater bite has been solid. Folks running 15–25 miles out to the edge of the Gulf Stream have been finding schoolie to decent gaffer dolphin, with a few nicer fish mixed in and the occasional wahoo riding the color changes. Best producers have been small to midsize skirted ballyhoo, pink-and-white or blue-and-white, plus naked ballyhoo trolled at a modest clip. When the mahi school up behind the boat, switching to chunked bait and small bucktails or flashy soft plastics seals the deal. Keep a pitch rod ready with a live pilchard or cigar minnow; that’s been money on the better fish. On the humps and deeper wrecks, blackfin tuna are still around, especially early and late. Vertical jigs in blue and silver, or live pilchards on fluorocarbon leaders, have been putting footballs in the box. You might bump into an amberjack or two if you drop heavier jigs or live baits. Reef and patch reef action off Islamorada has been steady. Yellowtail snapper have been chewing over the 60–90 foot stuff when the current and water clarity line up. A light chum slick, 12–20 lb fluoro, small circle hooks, and slivers of ballyhoo or squid will fill a bucket in short order. Mixed in, you’ll see mangrove snapper and the odd mutton on the deeper edges. Grouper are still lurking on the rockpiles and ledges; big live pinfish, grunts, or mullet on the bottom are your best bet, but work them quick before the sharks find out. Backcountry and bay have that classic summer feel. Out toward the Cape and up around the banks, seatrout, mangroves, and the occasional redfish are hanging in potholes and along channel edges. Small jigheads tipped with shrimp, Gulp-style scented soft plastics, and live shrimp under popping corks have been the go-to. Around the mangrove shorelines and creek mouths on higher water, snook and juvenile tarpon are taking live pilchards and soft-plastic paddletails in natural colors. On the flats, early and late are key. Bonefish are tailing on the oceanside flats on the higher stages of the tide. Light shrimp or crab patterns on fly, or small live shrimp on a light leader, will get you in the game. Baby tarpon have been rolling in the backcountry basins at first light; black or purple soft plastics and small suspending plugs are working well. A couple of local hot spots to keep in mind: – The **Islamorada Hump** offshore has been a strong bet for blackfin tuna and the occasional mahi cruising the edges. – The **patch reefs just off Alligator Reef Light** have been productive for yellowtail and mixed snapper on that cleaner incoming water. Lure-wise, if you’re trying to keep it simple: small bucktail jigs in white or chartreuse, 3–5 inch paddle-tail soft plastics in natural baitfish colors, and a couple of mid-depth diving plugs in green-back or blue-back patterns will cover most of what you’ll run into. For bait, you can’t beat fresh ballyhoo offshore, and a livewell full of pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp will carry you from the reef to the backcountry. That’s the word from Islamorada today. 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