Late Summer Bite: Mahi, Snook, and Tarpon in the Florida Keys and Miami

Artificial Lure here with your local fishing report for the Florida Keys and Miami, Thursday, August 28, 2025. Let’s get right into it—today was a classic late summer day on the water, with solid action for those who timed their trips around some dynamic tides and favorable weather. In Miami, sunrise hit at 6:58 a.m., and sunset’s wrapping up tonight at 7:45 p.m. Over in Key West, first light was at 7:01 a.m. and we’ll see the sun down at 8:01 p.m. If you were out early, you know that’s when things started to pop. Both Miami Beach and the Keys are seeing strong tidal swings today: high tidal coefficients of 81 in Miami and 80 in Key West mean heavy current and solid water movement—a big trigger for feeding activity according to Tides4Fishing and Tide-Forecast. Low tide came just before sunrise, then built to a late morning high: Miami’s first high tide was at 11:05 a.m., Key West’s at 1:53 p.m. If you missed those moving water windows, you probably found the mid-afternoon bite a little slow. Weather-wise, we’re still under warm, muggy skies with those classic southeast breezes laying down enough chop to keep the bait nervous. No major storms reported, just that persistent subtropical energy we expect in August. Let’s talk about what’s biting. The Florida Insider Fishing Report has been lit up all week with catches of mahi-mahi out past the reefs, especially off Marathon and Islamorada—most fish running schoolie size, but some bigger bulls pushing 20 pounds in the mix by the color changes and rips. On the reefs, mangrove snapper are still loaded up, and yellowtail are thick just outside the patch reefs in 40 to 70 feet. Tarpon are running steady on the bridge channels around channel 2 and 5, with a few big boys reported at sunset. Inshore, bonefish and permit have been tailing early on quiet flats—especially around Sugarloaf and Biscayne Bay on that tide switch. Snapper and grouper reports are solid from nearshore ledges, and for the bridge crowd, steady action with snook in the shadow lines just about everywhere from Tavernier to the Miami causeways. According to Captain Experiences, most guides are running a mix of light tackle, live bait, and artificial lures—trolling plugs and vertical jigs offshore, while beach and jetty anglers are doing well on paddle tails and topwater walkers early. As for what’s pulling best: early morning and just after tide changes are your prime windows. Offshore, trolled ballyhoo and bonita strips with bright skirts are out-catching everything, but don’t overlook big, flashy diving plugs. On the reefs, cut pilchards and live shrimp are still king for snapper, while a 2-ounce pink bucktail jig can fire up just about anything sitting below the bait schools. If you’re chasing tarpon at dusk, nothing beats a big mullet or live crab drifted near current edges. Top lure picks for this week: - **Topwater poppers** at first light for snook and bonefish - **White or chartreuse paddle tails** on a 1/4 oz jighead for the This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.