Puerto Rico Summer Bite: Tarpon in the Shallows and Mahi in the Blue

This is Artificial Lure with your Puerto Rico fishing rundown. Out on the north coast from San Juan to Dorado, the trades stayed steady overnight, east to east‑northeast around 10–15 knots with a light chop and passing showers. Air temps are cruising high 70s to mid‑80s, water temps sitting in that sweet low‑80s band, just right to keep the bite alive on the reefs and bluewater edges. Sunrise slipped in a little after 5:45 a.m. local, with sunset lined up just before 7:10 p.m., giving you a long, workable window around the prime tide swings. Tides along the San Juan and Fajardo area are running a modest morning high with a falling tide into late morning, then a weaker push back in the afternoon. That dropping mid‑morning tide is your money time on the flats and mangroves; it pulls bait off the edges and stacks predators in the cuts and potholes. Inshore, the bite’s been classic summer Caribbean. Bay boats and kayaks around San Juan Bay, Piñones, and the Loíza mangroves have been picking at decent numbers of **snook**, **tarpon**, and **mangrove snapper**. Most boats are reporting a half‑dozen to a dozen tarpon encounters on a good tide window, with two or three solid hook‑ups, mostly schoolies in the 10–30‑pound class and the occasional bigger silver slab rolling through. Snook are not thick, but the ones chewing have shoulders, especially on first light. Best inshore offerings: - For artificials, small **paddle‑tail swimbaits** in white or pearl on 1/8–1/4 oz jigheads, and **suspending twitchbaits** in gold or bone. - For natural bait, live **sardinas**, small mullet, and live **shrimp** under a popping cork are producing steady action on snook, snapper, and jacks. On the flats around Carolina and out toward Palmas del Mar, bonefish and small permit have been picky but present. Quiet wading anglers are getting a handful of shots in the first two hours after sunrise. Light **shrimp‑pattern jigs** and small tan‑and‑pink flies are the ticket when they’re skittish. Offshore, the bluewater east of Fajardo and down the south side off Ponce has been lively. Charters working the 600–1,000‑foot line picked up **mahi‑mahi**, **blackfin tuna**, scattered **wahoo**, and a few early‑season **blue marlin** over the last couple of days. Boats dragging spreader bars and small skirted ballyhoo are averaging 3–6 mahi per trip when they find clean blue water and weed lines, plus a couple blackfin in the box. The marlin are mostly window‑shoppers, but a few crews have released fish in the 150–300‑pound range. Offshore lures and baits to run: - Small to medium **skirted ballyhoo**, blue‑white, pink‑white, and purple. - Jet‑head lures and cedar plugs for tuna. - High‑speed **bullet heads** and darker skirts if you’re hunting wahoo along the drop. Reef and bottom fishing around Vieques, Culebra, and the reefs off La Parguera continue to produce mixed bags: **yellowtail snapper**, **mutton snapper**, **hind grouper**, triggerfish, and grunts. A patient crew soaking cut ballyhoo or squid on knocker rigs in 60–120 feet can put together a solid cooler. Expect a dozen or more keeper snapper and a couple of decent grouper on a dialed‑in half‑day. Best bottom bait: fresh **ballyhoo strips**, cut squid, and live pinfish if you can find them. A glow **jigging spoon** or slow‑pitch jig worked near the bottom will also pick off muttons and grouper when the current eases. A couple of hot spots to circle on your mental chart: - **Fajardo / La Cordillera Cays** – Great mix of nearshore tarpon and snook at dawn, then a quick hop to bluewater for mahi, tuna, and the chance at marlin once the sun is up. - **La Parguera** on the southwest – Crystal water, strong night reef bite on snapper and grouper, plus easy access to the deep for pelagics when the weather cooperates. Work the moving water, fish low light for your inshore game, and keep your offerings natural and quiet when the sun climbs hig Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn