Keys Fishing Report: Offshore Snappers, Inshore Reds, and Tricks for the Tide

Artificial Lure here—your boots-on-the-dock angling buddy, dropping the Florida Keys fishing report for Halloween, Friday October 31, 2025. First light is expected right at 7:33 a.m., with sundown at 6:47 p.m. Weather coming off the water this morning is breezy, with northwest winds pushing 20 to 25 knots. Outer Gulf and Florida Straits seas are building up to 6–8 feet, while Hawk Channel is running 2–4 foot chop according to the National Weather Service. A word to the wise: reef trips and open water ventures are best tackled by hardy crews and bigger boats today. Nearshore and inside waters are manageable, especially on the lee side of islands. Tide timing’s critical—high water at 5:41 a.m., low at 12:24 p.m., then another high at 7:03 p.m. The tidal coefficient’s just 33 early, which means we’re not expecting dramatic current for most of the day, so plan to fish structure and edges rather than counting on moving water for churning up the bite. Now, onto the meat! Offshore, the bite’s been solid for yellowtail snapper and mutton snapper on the deeper reef edges with cut ballyhoo or fresh shrimp as top natural baits. Recent catches from local party boats out of Marathon and Islamorada show several snapper limits, with plenty of mixed bag action—think mangrove snapper, grouper, and a few surprise hogfish. The fall king mackerel run is heating up, so bringing along a flashy spoon or a blue and silver Rapala X-Rap is wise if you’re working bait schools near drop-offs. Backcountry anglers are seeing fair numbers of sea trout and redfish, mostly on soft plastics with natural hues—think Gulp shrimp or paddle tails, rigged weedless for grass edges. This week, live mullet or pilchard continues to out-perform, especially on late tide outgoing flows around the island flats. Jack crevalle and ladyfish are thick at times near bridges—great targets for kids and newcomers with noisy topwaters or white bucktail jigs. Early morning hours and dusk are your best bets for action. Hot spots right now include: - The west end of Seven Mile Bridge for snapper, grouper, and mackerel. Fish the slack tide, especially early or late. - Long Key Bight’s grass beds for trout, reds, and the occasional snook. - Oceanside of Islamorada near Alligator Reef—yellowtail and mutton snapper with live shrimp or silversides. For chasing bonefish and permit, the flats off Sugarloaf Key are producing, mostly during the morning incoming tide. Long leaders and small shrimp flies or live crabs get results. For permit, check shallow wrecks on the patch reefs using live blue crabs where the water’s moving. Best lures for the day: - Soft plastic shrimp in natural brown/white over grassy flats - Silver spoons and swim baits for mackerel - Rapala X-Rap or Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow for trolling and casting near bait pods offshore A quick note: due to those minor tidal swings, focus efforts around the dawn and dusk high tides, with bonus bites possible when winds lay down into the afternoon. R This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.