Islamorada Fishing Report: Summer Heat, Tarpon at Dusk, and Bonefsh on the Flats

This is Artificial Lure checking in with your Islamorada fishing report. We’re sitting on a light southeast breeze this morning, around 5–10 knots, building a bit in the afternoon with a typical early summer pattern: warm, humid, and a good chance of a mid‑afternoon thunder boom or two. Skies are partly cloudy, with enough sun to get that water shining. Sunrise hit right around 6:30 a.m., with sunset pushing about 8:10 p.m., giving you a long window to work the tides. Around the Islamorada area, the tide on the ocean side is running a morning incoming pushing toward mid‑day, then turning to an afternoon outgoing. On the bay side, figure the switch roughly an hour later. That morning incoming has been the money tide for both reef and inshore action, with the falling water this evening setting up nicely for bridge and channel fishing. Offshore, boats running 10–20 miles out have been finding decent dolphin scattered along weedlines and color changes, mostly schoolies with a few gaffers mixed in. Trolled ballyhoo and small skirted lures in blue/white or pink have been getting the bites, with some fish also coming off chunks once a school is found. A few blackfin tuna are still hanging around the humps, especially early and late; live pilchards and small jigs have been the ticket there. On the reef edge in 60–120 feet, the snapper bite has been steady. Yellowtail are chewing on the cleaner water of the incoming tide, especially when the current isn’t ripping. Light fluorocarbon, small hooks, and a steady chum line are key. Cut baits — squid strips, ballyhoo, and small chunks of pilchard — have all been working. Expect a mix of yellowtail, mangroves, and the odd mutton for those putting a live bait or bigger chunk on the bottom. Inshore and around the bridges, the tarpon game is still very much alive, especially at dusk and into the night around Channel Two, Channel Five, and the Snake Creek Bridge. Crabs and big mullet are still prime baits, but soft‑plastic paddletails in natural colors will get crushed when the fish are rolling and laid up along the shadow lines. You’ll also find plenty of mangrove snapper and the occasional snook hugging those same bridge pilings on the outgoing tide. On the flats and in the backcountry, early morning has been producing bonefish on the oceanside flats on a good incoming tide. Small shrimp, live or very lightly weighted, have been best for bait anglers. For artificials, think small, tan or olive shrimp‑style jigs. The bay side is giving up redfish and snook along the mangrove shorelines, especially where there’s moving water and a little shade. Topwater plugs at first light — walk‑the‑dog style in bone or mullet patterns — then switching to soft plastics or bucktail jigs once the sun gets higher is a solid game plan. Best all‑around lures this week have been: - 3–5 inch paddletail plastics on 1/8–1/4 ounce jig heads in natural baitfish colors for snook, reds, and trout. - Bone or chrome topwaters at dawn around points, channels, and oceanside flats. - Small bucktail or feather jigs tipped with bait for the humps and deeper channels. Best baits: - Live pilchards, mullet, and shrimp inshore. - Crabs and big mullet for tarpon. - Ballyhoo, squid, and cut pilchard on the reef and offshore. A couple of hot spots to keep on your list: the Islamorada Hump for tuna and the chance at a bigger dolphin nearby, and the Channel Two/Channel Five bridge complex for tarpon, mangroves, and mixed action on a moving tide. For inshore folks, the oceanside flats just east of Upper Matecumbe have been quietly producing bonefish for those willing to stalk slow and cast light. That’s your Islamorada rundown from Artificial Lure. 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