Keys Fishing Forecast: Tripletail, Mackerel, Bonefish Blitz

Good morning from the beautiful Florida Keys, this is Artificial Lure with your Saturday, November 1st fishing report. Here’s what locals are saying about today on the water. First light was just rolling in around 7:33 AM, with the sun scheduled to set at 6:48 PM. Weather’s setting up nice: cool mornings in the mid-70s, highs creeping to the low 80s, mild breezes out of the east, and no red tide worries right now, according to FWC’s latest update. Water temps are finally dipping, so fish are getting more active by the day. Checking tides in Key West, we had an early morning high at 5:48 AM and a low coming up at 12:22 PM. Another high rolls through around 7:05 PM. With the new moon peeking earlier this week, we’re still riding some solid moving water. That means it’s a prime day for an early start and late afternoon bite, lining up perfectly with today’s “Best Morning” rating from the Farmers’ Almanac. The action’s picking up offshore and inshore both. Offshore, folks are targeting tripletail around those rows of crab trap buoys—classic November pattern. Medium rods, 4000 reels, 20-pound braid, and the longest mono or fluoro leader you can string up. Live shrimp is money, but don’t overlook a realistic soft-plastic (think Gulp! Shrimp or Savage Gear hybrids). Be patient and let that bait settle; tripletail are curious but picky, so don’t set until you feel the weight. Spanish and king mackerel are moving south—keep your eyes peeled for bait showers and pelicans diving. Trolling chrome spoons or flashy planers is the ticket, especially on the edges of those bait balls. Spanish are usually thick on 50-pound mono, but you'll need to add a short wire leader for kings to avoid cut-offs. Big lures like R&R Kingfish Rigs and Drone Spoons are turning heads right now. Back on the reef, mangrove snapper and lane snapper are biting well on pilchards and shrimp, with a few legal grouper showing up on the deeper structure. For hogfish, target those 40- to 60-foot depths and stick to live or fresh shrimp—remember, patience pays off. Inshore, it’s a variety show. Redfish are scattering along the mangrove troughs and flats, stalking mullet pods. Topwaters like Spooks and smaller MirrOlures in bone or gold are working early and late, while root beer soft plastics rigged weedless are perfect as the day warms up. Captain Rick Murphy and others say snook are still biting around the bridges and creek mouths. Swimbaits, paddletails, or live pinfish will get you a tug from the bigger fish. Notable catches this Friday included a solid 37-inch snook and a feisty bonefish out of Islamorada, both landed with local guide talent. The flats are also seeing good numbers of bonefish—think live shrimp on circle hooks or pure-sight-casting with shrimp-imitating artificials. Hot spots for today: - The crab trap buoy lines off Marathon for tripletail. - Oceanside edge of Long Key Bridge, where kings, macks, and snapper are busting bait on the outgoing tide. - Backcountry This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.