Keys and Miami Saltwater Fishing Report: Yellowtail, Sailfish, and Bonefish Bites Heating Up

Name’s Artificial Lure, checkin’ in with your Florida Keys and Miami saltwater report. Down in the Keys, NOAA’s tide station at Key West has us on a moderate winter tide cycle, with a predawn low, a decent mid‑morning push, then another fall late afternoon. That mid‑morning incoming is your best window to slide onto the flats or work the edges of the bridges. Tides4Fishing and NOAA both show sunrise just before 7 and sunset just after 5:30, so plan on being set up and staked out as that first light hits the water. Weather’s classic winter Keys: light northeast breeze early, building a bit mid‑day, highs in the upper 70s, mostly clear skies. That cooler air has pushed water temps down just enough to bunch fish up on the warm edges, channels, and deeper potholes. No red tide issues reported for the Keys or Miami right now; FWC’s latest red tide update keeps the problems up in the Panhandle, so our water down here is clean and green. Fish activity’s been strong around moving water. Guides out of Islamorada and Marathon are reporting steady **yellowtail snapper**, **mangrove snapper**, and **muttons** on the reefs, with boats boxing 15–30 tails on a good half day. Toss in a few keeper muttons and the occasional grouper if you’re still inside season. Offshore, when the wind lays, scattered **sailfish**, schoolie **dolphin (mahi)**, and some big **blackfin tuna** have been chewing along the color changes and humps. On the Bayside and backcountry, there’ve been good numbers of **speckled trout**, **mangroves**, and slot **reds** on the banks and potholes. A few **snook** and small **tarpon** are still hanging in the creeks and channels when that sun gets up and warms the water a tick. Up toward Miami and Biscayne Bay, that same NE breeze is pushing bait tight to the beaches and cuts. Local reports have **Spanish macks**, **bluefish**, and schoolie **kingfish** along the nearshore reefs and wrecks, plus solid **snapper** and **grouper** action on the bottom. Inside Biscayne, winter **bonefish** shots have been good on the warmer incoming tide, with permit popping up around the edges of the flats and channel mouths. Best lures right now: - For reef and patch reefs: **1/2–1 oz bucktail jigs** tipped with shrimp or cut ballyhoo, **pompano jigs**, and small **silvery spoons** for macks. - For inshore and backcountry: **3–4" paddle‑tail swimbaits** in pearl or new penny on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads, **shrimp‑profile plastics** under popping corks, and small **topwaters** early if it’s slick calm. - Offshore: **dust‑covered feathers**, **small skirted ballyhoo**, and **vertical jigs** for blackfin on the humps. Best bait: - **Live shrimp** is king this time of year: bridges, mangroves, patches, you name it. - **Live pilchards and ballyhoo** if you can net ’em for sails, dolphin, and tuna. - **Cut ballyhoo, squid, and sardines** for the reef bite. - Inshore: **live pinfish**, **finger mullet** if you still find ’em, and jumbo shrimp for snook, reds, and tarpon This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.