Florida Keys Fishing Report: Late September Paradise

Artificial Lure here with your Florida Keys fishing report for Saturday, September 20, 2025. Sunrise was at 7:11 AM and sunset’s set for 7:22 PM—plenty of daylight for chasing trophy fish in paradise. Today's tidal coefficient is riding high at 88, meaning we’ve got active tides and steady water movement. High tides hit around 3:16 AM and again at 3:14 PM, with lows in between. More current means more bait moving and game fish hunting, so plan your trips around these swings for best results (source: Channel Five Hawk Channel tide charts and Flamingo, Florida Bay tide tables).

Weatherwise, it’s classic late September Keys—starting near 82°F at dawn, climbing to the upper 80s by midday. Winds are light out of the southeast, less than 10 knots, and water clarity is excellent. Calm seas will let you get out to the reefs, bridges, or flats without a fuss. The bite picks up with the incoming tide, so mid-morning through late afternoon should be prime time.

Fish activity has been fantastic all week, with recent catches ranging from hefty mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, and swing-busting snook to big tarpon reported both after dark and at dawn (Spacefish and Suns Out Fishing reports). Offshore, dolphin (mahi-mahi) are migrating south—look for weed lines and birds, especially outside Tennessee Reef and around Islamorada Hump. Sailfish are starting to show early thanks to cooling waters, with king mackerel mixed in just outside the reef line.

Inshore, the bridges lit up at dusk with snapper and mackerel, and the flats have produced bonefish, permit, and a few juvenile tarpon for the patient stalkers. Pinfish and pilchards are abundant in the shallows, which means the predators aren’t far behind.

For bait, live pilchards and pinfish are the gold standards. If you’re bridge or marina bound, cut ballyhoo on a jig or freelined shrimp have been deadly. On the flats, a well-placed crab or shrimp will get the bonefish rooting. Artificial anglers, break out minnow baits—soft jerk shads rigged weedless, scented split-tail minnows, and small topwaters like Rapala’s Crush City Mooch Minnow mimic the real deal and fool wary snook and trout. Wired2Fish notes that adding scent gels to plastics is a proven difference-maker when the fish are playing hard to get.

Hotspots you shouldn’t miss:

- Channel Five Bridge, east side of Hawk Channel: Night and early morning sessions here have been electric for snapper and mackerel. Fish spinning gear with live pilchards, or bump a scented jerk shad near pilings.
- Long Key Flats: Sunup brings bonefish cruising and some surprise permit. Downsize leader and quietly cast a live shrimp or crab.
- Tennessee Reef: Dolphin and sailfish have been popping up along weed lines. Troll skirted ballyhoo or pitch live bait under birds for explosive action.
- Islamorada Hump: Deep drop rigs and vertical jigs are putting big blackfin tuna and amberjack in the cooler.

Bridge fishing after sunset has been reliable, with mangrove and lane snapper thick. If you prefer the backcountry, Flamingo and the Everglades edge are not only producing snook but decent redfish numbers, especially near river mouths and mangroves.

To wrap things up, keep an eye on those tides and water temps. Live bait is running the show, but don’t overlook artificials—especially heavily scented and action-packed models—to draw in aggressive strikes. The Florida Keys are delivering across the board, so whether it’s tarpon under the stars or snapper at high noon, rig up, get out, and make the most of these September tides.

Thanks for tuning in! Subscribe so you never miss a bite, and as always, this has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease.ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lore. Here with your Florida Keys fishing report for Saturday,
September twenty, twenty twenty five. Sunrise was at seven eleven
am and sunsets set for seven twenty two pm, Plenty
of daylight for chasing trophy fish in Paradise. Today's tidle
coefficient is riding high at eighty eight, meaning we've got
active tides and steady water movement. High tides head around

(00:22):
three sixteen am and again at three fourteen pm with
lows in between. More current means more bait moving in
game fish hunting, so plan your trips around these swings
for best results. Source Channel five, Hawk Channel tibe charts
and Flamingo Florida Bay tide tables. Weatherwise, it's classic late
September keys, starting near eighty two degrees fahrenheit at dawn,

(00:45):
climbing to the upper eighties by midday. Winds or light
out of the southeast less than ten knots and water
clarity is excellent. Calm seas will let you get out
to the reefs, bridges or flats without a fuss. The
bite picks up with the income coming tide, so mid
morning through late afternoon should be primetime. Fish activity has

(01:05):
been fantastic all week, with recent catches ranging from hefty
mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, and swing busting snook to big
tarpin reported both after dark and at dawn. Spacefish and
Sun's outfishing reports Offshore dolphin Mahi mahi are migrating south.
Look for weed lines and birds, especially outside Tennessee Wreath

(01:26):
and around Islamorada. Hump sailfish are starting to show early
thanks to cooling waters, with king mackerel mixed in just
outside the reef line. Inshore, the bridge is lit up
at dusk with snapper and mackerel, and the flats have
produced bonefish permit and a few juvenile tarpin for the
patient stalkers. Pinfish and pilchards are abundant in the shallows,

(01:47):
which means the predators aren't far behind. For bait, live
pilchards and penfish are the gold standards. If your bridge
or Marina bound cut balahou on a jig or freelined
shrimp have been deadly on the flat, a well placed
crab or shrimp will get the bonefish rooting Artificial anglers
breakout meno baits, soft jerk shads, rig weedless scented split

(02:09):
tail minnows and small top waters like Rippaula's crush City
Mooch minnow mimic the Real Deal and fool Weary snoken trout.
Wired two Fish notes that adding scent gels to plastics
is a proven difference maker when the fish are playing
hard to get hotspots. You should not miss Channel five
bridge east side of Hawk Channel. Night and early morning

(02:31):
sessions here have been electric for snapper and mackerel fish
spinning gear with live pelchers or bum a scented jerk
shad near pilings long key flats. Sun up brings bonefish
cruising in some surprise permit downsized leader and quietly cast
a live shrimp or crab. Tennessee reef, dolphin and sailfish
have been papping up along weed lines, troll skirted balahou

(02:53):
or pitch live bait under birds for explosive action is
lamor to a hump, deep drop rigs and vertical jigs
of putting big blackfintuna and amberjack in the cooler bridge.
Fishing after sunset has been reliable with mangrove and lane snapper.
Thick if you prefer the backcountry. Flamingo and the Everglade's

(03:17):
edge are not only producing snook, but decent redfish numbers,
especially near river mouths and mangroves. To wrap things up,
keep an eye on those tides and water temps. Live
bait is running the show, but don't overlook artificials, especially
heavily scented and action packed models to draw on aggressive strikes.

(03:38):
The Florida Keys are delivering across the board, so whether
it's tarpon under the stars or snapper at high noon,
rig up, get out and make the most of these
September tides. Thanks for tuning in, subscribe so you never
miss a bite. And as always, this has been a
quiet Please production. For more check out Quiet Please dot

(03:59):
ai