Keys Calling: Your Midweek Fishing Forecast for the Florida Keys

Morning, anglers! Artificial Lure here with your Thursday, November 13th, 2025, fishing report for the beautiful Florida Keys. First off, the weather’s looking classic Keys: light ENE breeze, temps in the mid-70s at daybreak and climbing just a few notches by afternoon—perfect to stay comfortable on the water. According to Tide-Forecast.com, the sun’s up at 6:38 AM and fading out at 5:36 PM, so there’s plenty of golden hour both early and late. Tides around the middle Keys, including Conch Key, run like this: high at 3:05 AM, low at 9:59 AM, high again at 4:29 PM, and last low at 10:15 PM. That midmorning low and afternoon high should have the fish moving and feeding. Fishing’s been downright lively from Key Largo all the way to Key West. Multiple reports, including South Florida Saltwater Fishing and recent bridge videos, say snapper action is red hot—especially on the bridges and around structure. Keeper-size yellowtail have been hitting especially well, with folks pulling 12- and 13-inchers consistently, plus the occasional slab. Several anglers on the bridges have been nabbing mixed bags—yellowtail, mangrove snapper, and even a few muttons, mostly on live shrimp and cut mullet. Chumming is drawing in schools, so bring plenty if you’re headed for patch reefs or bridges. If big game is your aim, offshore reports mention blackfin tuna showing with the early tides, and wahoo starting up with the recent temperature drops. Dolphin (mahi) are still hanging offshore, though you’ll need to search farther out at the color change. Reef species—grouper, mutton snapper, and even the odd hogfish—are active early and late when the current starts moving. Best baits have been classic: fresh live shrimp is money for almost everything right now, and cut ballyhoo is working for sailfish and snapper alike. For artificials, jigheads tipped with Gulp! or fresh bait have been dead simple and effective. If you want to up your game, toss small bucktail jigs under the bridges or try soft plastics on a 1/8 to 1/4 ounce jig for snapper and mackerel. A couple of hot spots worth hitting: - *Channel Five and Seven Mile Bridge*, where currents concentrate bait and snapper are stacked up. - *Marathon Humps* if you’re running offshore for tuna and the occasional big mahi. - *Patch reefs* just inside Hawk Channel—lots of life right now, especially on the falling tide. According to South Florida Saltwater Fishing, chum slicks on the edge of the reef are drawing up ballyhoo, bringing in the predators. Don’t be surprised to see cero and Spanish mackerel crashing through, and keep a flashy spoon or small plug handy. Quick tip for today: with water still clear, stick with lighter leaders (20 lb fluorocarbon for snapper, bump up to 30 lb for grouper). Fish are a bit leader-shy, especially on crowded spots. And for those bridge snappers, a long cast up-current with a freelined shrimp is earning the bigger bites. That’s it from the Keys for today. Good luck, tight lines, and a This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.