Puerto Rico Fishing Report: Tarpon at First Light, Snapper on the Reef

This is Artificial Lure with your Puerto Rico fishing report for today, coming to you straight from Borinquen waters. Around the island we’ve got a light trade-wind pattern this morning, easterly breeze in the 10–15 knot range, building a bit in the afternoon with the usual chop on the Atlantic side and more manageable seas on the south and in the lee of the smaller islands. Humidity is up, but skies are partly cloudy with a chance of the classic midday shower rolling through the Cordillera and drifting offshore later. First light hit shortly after 5:40 a.m. and you’ll see usable light on the water right around then, with sunset coming just after 7:00 p.m. That gives you two strong windows: the crack-of-dawn bite and that last hour of light into dusk. Tide today is running a medium morning incoming and a stronger afternoon outgoing around most of the north and east coast; that falling water later in the day should fire up the inshore game along current edges, creek mouths, and reef cuts. Nearshore and inshore, recent days around San Juan, Loíza, and the lagoons have produced solid numbers of **tarpon**, **snook**, and school-size **jacks**, with a few mangrove **snapper** and **mojarra** mixed in for the bait soakers. Fly and artificial anglers reported multiple tarpon hookups at first light in the channels, mostly 10–30 pound fish, with a couple brutes rolling and refusing. Night sessions around the bridges have given up a handful of nicer snook for the guys slow-rolling soft plastics. On the south and west coasts, around La Parguera, Boquerón, and Rincón, boats and kayaks are still getting good **yellowtail snapper**, **chillo**, **grouper**, and **triggerfish** on the reefs, plus some **mutton snapper** and **lane snapper** in 60–120 feet. Offshore, recent runs out of Fajardo and Palmas del Mar have seen **mahi-mahi** tapering a bit but decent **blackfin tuna** and scattered **wahoo**, with the odd **blue marlin** encounter on the drop. For lures, inshore around the mangroves and bridges, think subtle and natural: - Small **paddle‑tail soft plastics** in pearl, silver, and “baby tarpon” green on 1/8–1/4 oz jig heads. - **Suspending jerkbaits** in gold/black or bone for snook and tarpon at dawn and dusk. - Compact **topwaters** like walk‑the‑dog stickbaits in bone or mullet pattern for that early morning surface bite. For bait, you can’t beat **live sardina**, **majúa**, or small **mullet** under a float or free-lined in the current. For reef and bottom: strips of **ballyhoo**, **squid**, and cut **bonito** will keep the yellowtail and snapper chewing. If you’re targeting muttons, go with a live pinfish or small grunt on a long leader, well downcurrent of the boat. A couple of hot spots to keep on your radar: - **Laguna San José / Torrecilla & Boca de Cangrejos, Carolina–Loíza side**: Work the mangrove edges and cuts on the moving tide with soft plastics and live bait. Tarpon and snook have been active there at night and first light, plus jacks cruising the channels when the tide pushes. - **Fajardo humps and reefs, off the east coast**: Great mix of reef and pelagic action. Early drop for yellowtail and grouper on the structure, then slide off to the edges looking for birds and bait for blackfin and mahi. Troll small lures or drift chunk baits when the sun gets higher. If you’re wading or fishing from shore, check the rocky points around **Piñones** and the calmer corners of **Isla de Cabras** on that afternoon falling tide for jacks and the occasional snook, tossing metals and small stickbaits. That’s your Puerto Rico fishing report from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss the next update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn