Keys Fishing Forecast: Early Tides & Big Reef Bite

This is Artificial Lure with your Florida Keys fishing report for Sunday, November 16th, 2025, coming to you right before sunrise. We’ve got another beautiful late fall morning on tap, with sunrise at 7:25 am and sunset rolling in at 6:59 pm, giving you nearly twelve hours of light to chase everything from bonefish to bull dolphin—so let’s get after it. Starting with the tides around Key West: high tide’s set for 6:55 am at 2.1 feet, dropping to a low at 1:27 pm around 0.6 feet, then back up again by sunset to 1.7 feet. That means your best inshore window this morning is right around the sunrise high tide, especially on the flats and mangrove edges, while the outgoing afternoon tide ought to trigger a strong bite off the channels and bridges. Solunar activity’s rated average today; not peak, but plenty enough motion to keep things lively according to Tides4Fishing and local tide tables. Weather-wise, BarometerBob’s forecast has us with light winds under 10 knots, gentle seas, and temps right in the mid-70s all day. Expect a light chop outside the reef but protected water on the bayside makes for ideal inshore and patch reef action. Now, onto the fish: it’s been a strong week from Key Largo to Marathon and all the way down to the Marquesas. Out on the blue water, there was a standout catch in Key West yesterday—a 20-pound bull mahi on live ballyhoo, per FishingBooker’s latest Key West report. Near the reef, big kingfish are showing up, including a recent 52-pounder hooked while targeting yellowtail snapper. That’s your cue to bring heavy wire leaders and at least one rod set up for kings or even the occasional smoker wahoo. Patch reefs are steady with muttons, mangrove snapper, and plenty of decent-sized grouper before the season closes. On the inshore side, bonefish and permit are still cruising the flats thanks to the mild temps and clear water. Early morning rising tides have been best—shrimp-tipped jigs, small bucktail, or a classic live crab if you want a shot at a permit. Spanish mackerel are thick in the channels: they’ll smash a silver spoon or a 1/2-ounce white bucktail, especially when jigged with gusto. There’s also solid redfish, snook, and some baby tarpon action in the Everglades backcountry; try a soft plastic paddletail or a gold spoon slow-rolled near the mangroves. For lures, local guides report top success right now on: - D.O.A. Shrimp or a Gulp! shrimp on a jighead for flats and bridges - MirrOlure MirrOdine or Rapala X-Rap for snook, tarpon, and trout - Large chartreuse bucktail or live pinfish for grouper and big reef action - Troll a skirted ballyhoo or Yo-Zuri plug outside the reef for mahi and wahoo Baitwise, you can’t beat fresh pilchards, live shrimp, or mullet—especially off the channels and at the reef edge in the early a.m. hours. For hot spots, don’t miss: - The Seven Mile Bridge for snapper and mackerel, especially during tide changes. - Western Sambo and the adjacent patch reefs, reliably loaded with mutton This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.