Keys Fishing Report: Wahoo, Snook, and Spanish Mackerel Bite On

Good morning, anglers—Artificial Lure reporting live from the heart of the Florida Keys on Friday, September 5th, 2025. Right now, the weather is classic late-summer Keys: expect muggy early hours with a light southeasterly breeze, variable cloud cover, and the usual chance of a brief shower midmorning. Temps are pushing into the mid-80s by late morning, with sunrise at 7:03 AM and sunset at 7:35 PM. Take hydration and sun protection seriously out there. Tides are running average today. In Key Largo, first low tide is at 3:55 AM and the first decent high rolls in at 9:28 AM, peaking at just under a foot. The afternoon low settles in at 4:12 PM before the second high arrives at 10:06 PM—a good tidal swing if you’re working both early and late bites. With that, expect active currents during those swings, which usually means better fish movement, especially near structure and patch reefs. Tidal coefficients are climbing through the day, so keep an eye on those current lines for lurking predators. Fish activity is steady across the board. Offshore, the wahoo bite is ON according to local guides—fast-trolling deep-divers in bluewater off Islamorada and Marathon is producing some excellent strikes. Mahi are still scattered but present; try running weedlines just outside the reef after the high tide for good numbers. Blackfin tuna and king mackerel are cruising edges of the humps early and late. Inshore, keeper snook are showing up around deep points in the creeks and at the mouths of the passes. Anglers working the outside flats with live pinfish, big shrimp, or chunk ladyfish are doing best. Artificial lures like the MirrOlure MirrOdine and D.O.A. glow soft plastics are pulling slot redfish and snook around mangrove edges according to Captain Toney out Homosassa way. Trout are in 3-4 feet over rough bottom, with live or cut pinfish the go-to bait. The north and south running bars during outgoing tide are holding decent trout and the occasional slot red. If you’re in Marathon, Spanish mackerel are blitzing bait balls near the Seven Mile Bridge—silver spoons or fast-retrieved paddletails are crushing it. Recent catches in the past couple days tell the story: offshore boats returned with double-digit wahoos, half a box of dolphin, steady blackfin, and late-season yellowtail snapper. Reef guys picked up big mangrove and yellowtail snapper, plenty of grunts, and a handful of keeper groupers. On the flats, snook and redfish are moving good, and the tarpon bite is spotty but worth a shot on outgoing tide if you’re armed with live mullet or big soft plastics. As for best baits and lures, here’s my hot list: - Live pinfish, whitebait, and shrimp for most inshore action. - Chunk ladyfish for snook; glass minnows for trout and snapper. - MirrOlure MirrOdine, D.O.A Glow Shrimp, and paddletails for artificials. - Offshore, target wahoo with high-speed trolling lures—Yo-Zuri Bonitas, rigged Ballyhoo, and skirted jet heads. - For reef fishing, small jigs tippe This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.