Islamorada Fishing Report - Mahi, Yellowtail, and Tarpon Biting Strong This Weekend

Good morning, folks—Artificial Lure here with your Saturday, September 13th, 2025 Islamorada fishing report. If you’re gearing up for a day on the water in the Upper Keys, we’ve got prime conditions coming your way. First off, let’s talk tides and sun. According to Tide-Forecast.com, we started with a high tide at 2:38 AM, dropping to a near-bottomed-out low at 11:05 AM—just 0.08 feet—before the next high at 4:31 PM. That mid-afternoon high is lining up perfect for the evening bite. Sunrise hit at 7:07 AM and we’ll see sunset at 7:28 PM, so you’ve got some solid light to work with if you’re heading out early or pushing into dusk. For weather, the marine forecast is calling for typical late summer Keys patterns—warm, humid, with gentle southeast winds 5 to 10 knots. Scattered clouds and only a slight chop in the backcountry and along the reef. Conditions are ideal for both offshore and inshore runs, and no red tide issues are being reported this week by FWC, which is a relief. Fishing activity has stayed hot all month and is holding right up this weekend. Offshore, the annual run of mahi-mahi is still active out past the humps, with some slammers pushing 20 pounds getting boxed by early-morning crews. Coral Sea Charters and several of the local guides are reporting steady catches on both live pilchards and trolling with bright skirted ballyhoo. A handful of sailfish are being spotted, mostly around the color change between 200–300 feet, though most hook-ups are coming from sharp-eyed anglers slow-trolling live baits. On the reef and patch channels, yellowtail snapper limits are coming easy, especially on the outgoing tide. Chum hard—block chum is key—and then free-line small chunks of cut ballyhoo or live shrimp on 12–15 pound fluoro leader for the best bite. Grouper are holding along deeper rock piles in 40–80 feet. Mix things up with large pinfish or dead sardines on a sliding sinker rig if you’re targeting black or gag grouper. Inshore, the usual suspects are out and about. Tarpon activity near the bridges is winding down a touch from summer peak, but there are still solid Silver Kings rolling through Snake Creek and Channel 2 at sunset. Use live crabs, big mullet, or artificial swimbaits for the best shot. Mangrove snapper are stacking up in the mangroves; small live pilchards or shrimp under a popping cork will get hammered. Don’t overlook the backcountry—redfish and snook have been more active with the shifting tides. Topwater plugs like the Heddon Super Spook at dawn can trigger explosive hits. As for hot spots: - The Islamorada hump for offshore mahi and blackfin tuna. - Alligator Reef Light for yellowtail and muttons. - Channel edges east of Snake Creek Bridge for tarpon and snapper at dusk. Bait shops are flush with pilchards, ballyhoo, and live shrimp. For artificials, stick with bright skirted trolling lures offshore, 3–4 inch soft plastics or shrimp imitations on the flats, and big popping plugs in low-light. Don’t forget your