South Florida Fishing Update: Snapper, Mackerel, and Offshore Action Abound

Artificial Lure here with your South Florida fishing report for Sunday, October 26th, 2025, coming to you straight from the heart of the Florida Keys and Miami! Let’s kick things off with the **tide and weather** outlook. Miami Beach today sees a low tide at 5:28 AM, high tide at 12:00 PM, then another low at 6:04 PM, and the second high at 11:52 PM. Over in the Keys—Key West specifically—high tide hits at 12:32 AM, low at 7:27 AM, high again at 2:06 PM, and we’re back to low at 6:02 PM. **Sunrise is right at 7:25 AM, and sunset rounds out the day at 6:43 PM in Miami; in Key West that's 7:30 AM and 6:51 PM.** Expect air temps pushing the mid-80s, and water temps steady near 80F. Winds from the east at 15-20 mph mean a nice drift for offshore anglers, but do watch out for red and purple flag advisories—surf and visibility can get nasty after rough weather. Now, onto the **fish activity.** Local 10 News notes a wild encounter yesterday off Boca Chica Key—with a shark, so always keep a sharp eye open and respect the bigger predators out here. But for the rest of us, this week’s catches have been hot. On the reefs and inshore, anglers have been landing solid numbers of **yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, and some big muttons** closer to the drop-offs. Channels and patch reefs have produced steady action, with smaller but lively schoolie mackerel and the occasional **Spanish mackerel** showing. Offshore boats have found **dolphin (mahi-mahi)** in 300-600 ft, especially on weedlines, and some wahoo were reported early in the week on the troll. Children fishing the bridges have lucked into snapper and the odd **grunt or porgy** using shrimp and squid bits. Backcountry guides have drifted pinfish and live pilchards for **sea trout and redfish** up in Florida Bay, but the real excitement came from tarpon rolling near Tavernier Creek on dusk tides Wednesday night. For **lure and bait choices**, the bite’s been sweet on **live pilchards or greenies**, with dead shrimp and cut ballyhoo also pulling their weight for snapper and grouper. Offshore, trolls with **blue-and-white Islanders** and rigged ballyhoo have triggered the most mahi and wahoo strikes. Early morning topwater plugs—think **Rapala X-Rap and MirrOlure Popper**—are turning up jacks and the occasional barracuda around the bridges and seawalls. Hot spots to hit: - **Islamorada’s 409 Hump:** Outstanding for dolphin if you’re heading offshore. - **Seven Mile Bridge:** Inshore snapper and mackerel as the tide swings, especially sunrise to noon. - **Government Cut (Miami):** Morning run for tarpon on live shrimp works magic; big jacks and snook too. - **Long Key Bight:** Good patch reef snapper action on the drop-offs with outgoing tides. Final tip—those mid-day outgoing tides around noon have seen the most frenzied bites lately. Don’t forget extra fluorocarbon leader and steel for a few toothy critters, especially with the mackerel and sharks prowling. Keep safe, be mindful of red flag sur This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.