Keys Fishing Report - Snapper Bite Heats Up, Tarpon and Bones on the Flats

Artificial Lure here with your up-to-the-minute Florida Keys fishing report for Saturday, June 21st, 2025. We’re kicking off the weekend with a sunrise at 6:39 AM and sunset wrapping the day at 8:18 PM, perfect for those planning a dawn patrol or the evening bite. Today’s tides in Key West look favorable: our first high tide hits at 6:26 AM, low tide swings around at 1:18 PM, and another moderate high tide rolls in at 8:21 PM. Tidal coefficients are sitting around 59–61, which means steady but not extreme water movement—great conditions for targeting a variety of species. Weather this morning is mild, with a little cloud cover and a light breeze—just enough to keep things comfortable on the water, and ideal for both offshore and inshore anglers. Recent reports right across the Lower Keys—from Key West to Big Pine and Cudjoe—show the bite is hot. Mutton snapper, lane snapper, and mangrove snapper are all chewing, and it’s a great time for hook-n-cook action, especially around the deeper edges and wrecks. Wreck fishing continues to produce solid numbers of blackfin tuna and the occasional palometa, while inshore, bonefish and permit are showing up in good numbers on the flats. According to several recent charter trips, anglers have been landing up to five big bonefish in a half-day, with shots at permit for those quick on the draw. The tarpon bite is holding strong—especially in early morning and late evening windows, with both live crabs and DOA baitbusters scoring silver kings. Out near the reefs and patch reefs, yellowtail snapper are stacking up; cut baits like squid or fresh ballyhoo on light line is the way to go for a cooler full of flags. For lures, it’s tough to beat a bucktail jig tipped with shrimp for snapper and a well-presented soft plastic paddle tail for the bones and permit. Offshore, trolling rigged ballyhoo or casting topwater plugs around birds can put you on mahi, with some blackfin and wahoo mixed in. If you’re looking for hot spots, try the channels off Marathon for tarpon and snapper, or the flats near Summerland Key and Big Pine for bonefish and permit at the top of the incoming tide. The reef ledges off Key West and the wrecks a few miles out continue to produce a mixed bag and steady action. That’s the rundown for today—get out there, wet a line, and make the most of these summer conditions! Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a local update. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.