Florida Keys Fishing Report: Ideal Conditions, Mullet Run, and Offshore Action

Good morning, folks—this is Artificial Lure with your Florida Keys fishing report for Friday, September 19th, 2025.

We’re waking up to a smooth start across the islands, with sunrise at 7:14 AM and sunset coming in at 7:26 PM, giving us over 12 hours of daylight to fish. Tides are on the moderate side: first low tide hit at 2:09 AM, first high tide at 9:06 AM, followed by a second low at 3:13 PM, and the final high tide at 9:52 PM, right in time for some late-evening snook or snapper action around the lights. The tidal coefficient sits low to moderate, so you’re not going to see huge current swings today. Fish will be a touch less active during slack but should perk up right at the tide changes, especially around that mid-morning high and after lunch as it drops out, as shown in the NOAA and Tide-Forecast charts.

Weather’s just about perfect for late September in the Keys. Mostly sunny skies, light southeast winds between 5 and 10 knots—expect temps to top out near 87, and water clarity should hold steady. With only light chop, the backcountry and patch reefs will be very accessible.

The fall mullet run is starting to push down the coast, and that means predators are on the prowl. According to Coastal Angler’s recent report, there’s been solid inshore action on tarpon up to 70 pounds smashing bait pods in the bridges, along with slot reds and some bruiser snook congregating around structure. The Hawk’s Channel bridges lit up last night with a mixed bag of mangrove snapper, some hefty yellowtails, and a surprise 38-inch red drum landed on live mullet.

Offshore, mahi-mahi have been showing up in good numbers outside the 400-foot line—most are schoolies in the 8–12 lb range, but there’s been some gaffer-size fish mixed in. Blackfin tuna are active early at first light near the humps, so don’t sleep in if you’re looking for sushi. Wreck fishing sees persistent action with mutton snapper, amberjack, and some keeper grouper. That night bite is still hot for swordfish; captains are it reporting that squid strips and glow skirts are doing the bulk of the work.

This week, the top-producing baits and lures have been live pilchards, pinfish, and mullet for inshore targets. If you’re throwing artificial, paddle tail swimbaits and topwater plugs have crushed snook and tarpon, especially around dock lights and bridge shadow lines. Offshore, trolling small feathers and bonita strips has put mahi-mahi in the box, while vertical jigging over reefs and wrecks with chartreuse or pink bucktail has been deadly for snapper and ‘cudas. If you’re looking for a reliable all-arounder, never leave home without a gold spoon and a white bucktail jig.

Hotspots today are Bahia Honda Bridge for tarpon and snook at dawn and dusk, and Marker 88 flats on the bayside for tailing reds and trout on the high dropping tide. For offshore, set a course for The Marathon Hump at daybreak—the blackfin bite has been best there. If you’re stuck on land, the channel edges around Channel Five have produced fat mangrove snapper and the occasional snook.

Thanks for tuning in to your Florida Keys fishing fix with Artificial Lure—don’t forget to subscribe for more local secrets. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, folks. This is artificial lure with your Florida
Keys fishing report for Friday, September nineteenth, twenty twenty five.
We're waking up to a smooth start across the islands,
with sunrise at seven fourteen am and sunset coming in
at seven twenty six pm, giving us over twelve hours
of daylight to fish. Tides are on the moderate side.

(00:21):
First low tide hit at two zero nine am, first
high tide at nine zero six am, followed by a
second low at three thirteen pm, and the final high
tide at nine fifty two pm, ride in time for
some late evening snook or snapper action around the lights.
The tidal core efficient sits low to moderate, so you're

(00:41):
not going to see huge current swings today. Fish will
be a touch less active during slack, but should perk
up right at the tide changes, especially around that mid
morning high and after launch as it drops out. As
shown in the Noah and Tied forecast charts. Weather's just
about perfect for late September and the Keys, mostly sunny skies,
light southeast winds between five and ten knots. Expect temps

(01:05):
to top out near eighty seven and water clarity should
hold steady with only light chop. The backcountry and patch
reefs will be very accessible. The fall mullet run is
starting to push down the coast, and that means predators
are on the prow According to Coast Langler's recent report,
there's been solid inshore action on Tarpah up to seventy pounds,

(01:25):
smashing bait pods in the bridges, along with slot reds
and some bruisers snook congregating around structure. The Hawk's channel
bridges lit up last night with a mixed bag of
mangrove snapper, some hefty yellow tails, and a surprise thirty
eight inch red drum landed on live mullet. Offshore, Mahi
mahi have been showing up in good numbers outside the

(01:45):
four hundred foot line. Most are schoolies in the eight
to twelve pound range. That there's been some gaffer sized
fish mixed in. Black fin tuna are active early at
first light near the humps, so don't sleep in if
you're looking for sushi recks. She sees persistent action with
mutton snapper, amberjack, and some keeper grouper that night bite

(02:05):
is still hot for swordfish. Captains are at reporting that
squid strips and glow skirts are doing the bulk of
the work this week. The top producing baits and lures
have been live pilchards, pinfish and mullet for inshore targets
if you're throwing artificial paddle tail swim baits and top
water plugs of crushed snook and tarpin, especially around dock
lights and bridge shadow lines. Offshore trolling small feathers and

(02:30):
benita strips has put mahi mayi in the box, while
vertical jigging over reefs and wrecks with chartruse or pink
buckdale has been deadly for snapper and coudas. If you're
looking for a reliable all around her, never leave home
without a gold spoon and a white bucktail jig. Hot
spots today are Behea Honda Bridge for tarpin and snook

(02:53):
at dawn in dusk and Marker eighty eight flats on
the Bay side for tailing reds and trout on the
high drop tied for offshore set a course for the
marathon hump at daybreak. The blackfin bite has been best there.
If you're stuck on land, the channel edges around Channel
five have produced fat mangrove snapper and the occasional snook.

(03:15):
Thanks for tuning in to your Florida Keys fishing fix
with artificial lore. Don't forget to subscribe for more local secrets.
This has been a Quiet Please production. For more check
out Quiet Please dot ai