Midweek Fishing Report: Snook, Tuna, and Permit Bite Strong in the Florida Keys and Miami.

Good morning anglers, Artificial Lure here with your midweek fishing report for the Florida Keys and Miami area, dated May 7, 2025. We are kicking off May in classic Keys and Miami fashion with warm weather, light winds, and calmer seas than we saw over the winter. Sunrise this morning was at 6:38 AM, and you can expect sunset around 7:53 PM. Tides today are running moderate, with a high tide peaking mid-morning and an outgoing tide through the afternoon, setting the stage for some prime bites inshore and offshore. In Florida Bay, the snook action is still on fire. Anglers are reporting steady hookups, especially around mangroves and creek mouths. Soft plastics, paddle tails, and live pilchards have been the ticket. Move out a little deeper, and the yellowtail snapper bite is strong in 60 to 90 feet. Anchor up on the reef, chum heavy, and drop back small cut baits or silversides for a limit of tails. Grouper season is open, and you can find them on the reefs and structure. Drop a big live pinfish or grunt to entice the larger fish lurking below[1][4]. Off Miami, it is meat fish season. Kingfish and blackfin tuna have pushed in shallow, with plenty of action reported along the edge. Kingfish have been hitting live pilchards slow-trolled on wire rigs, and the blackfins are biting best during the early morning and late afternoon hours, especially on live baits or vertical jigs. Expect some bigger kings over 30 pounds if you put in your time[2][5]. Mahi-mahi have started to show up further offshore, so keep an eye out for floating debris and weed lines. There is also a strong mutton snapper bite—these fish are chewing well on live baits fished over patch reefs and wrecks[5]. On the bottom, amberjack are stacked on the deep wrecks, willing to take big live blue runners. Back inshore, the tarpon migration is heating up, with juvenile fish already active and the big migrators expected to push through any day. Early morning or dusk with live mullet or crabs is your best shot. Permit are around bridges and flats, especially on the incoming tide. Try live crabs or well-presented shrimp for picky fish[3]. Hot spots for today include the Channel 5 Bridge for snapper and permit, and the Haulover Inlet or Government Cut for kingfish, tuna, and the occasional wahoo. Florida Bay’s edges and any nearby mangrove creek mouths are still holding snook. Best baits today are live pilchards, pinfish, mullet, or big shrimp. Top lures are paddletail jigs for snook and tuna, vertical jigs offshore, and bucktail jigs for grouper. That’s the latest from the water. Tight lines, and I’ll see you out there! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.