Keys Fall Fishing Report: Snapper, Reds, Bones Biting Strong on the Tides

Artificial Lure here with your morning fishing report for the Florida Keys on Wednesday, October 29th, 2025.

We’re waking up to some classic fall Keys weather—partly cloudy skies, gentle northeast breeze around 10 knots, and air temps starting near 75 before warming up to the mid-80s by afternoon. Humidity’s holding steady, and the water clarity remains excellent in most backcountry and reef areas, especially as winds have settled since last week’s front. According to Tide-Forecast, sunrise hits at 7:31 AM and sunset will be at 6:47 PM, so anglers have a solid window of daylight to get in on the bite.

Tide action is steady today, and that means movement all day long. Content Keys and Key West tide charts show a strong high tide at 5:54 AM (4.28 ft), falling out to low at 2:25 PM (1.19 ft), before another solid high at 8:17 PM (2.94 ft). These swings favor both reef and inshore fishing, with the falling tide being a prime time for flats and channel edges where snook, redfish, and trout are pushing bait into nearby potholes.

Florida Insider Fishing Report and the Gulf of Mexico Florida Fishing Report say the action’s been hot for a late October. Anglers are catching good numbers of mangrove snapper around the bridges and channel humps, and upper keys patch reefs are still cranking out keeper yellowtail and mutton snapper—pilchards and fresh shrimp are working best here. Offshore, the mahi-mahi bite is late but alive, mostly in the 4–10 lb class out past the 600-foot line, with trolled skirted ballyhoo or pilchard-imitating artificials getting most hits.

Inshore, the bay-side flats are loaded with redfish and a late surge of sea trout. Reports confirm snook are moving onto current-swept points and deeper mangrove shorelines—topwater plugs at first light, then switch to paddle tail soft baits or live white bait as the sun climbs. Don’t sleep on bonefish this week, either: they’re tailing active in shallow sand as the morning tide creeps in, with small pink jigs and live shrimp rigged light working best.

Hot Spots to hit today:
- **Channel Five Bridge:** Reliable for snapper, grouper, hogfish; moving water always best.
- **Long Key Flats:** Early incoming tide is producing trout, redfish, bonefish and occasional tarpon.
- **Western Sambo Reef:** Find solid yellowtail snapper action plus roaming muttons—drift with chum and free-line pilchards.

Best lures and bait:
- **Topwater plugs** like Heddon Skitter Walks for snook and reds at dawn.
- **Soft plastics:** paddletails (pearl, glow, electric chicken) rigged weedless for reds and trout.
- **Live shrimp** and pilchards are king for snapper, mutton, and pretty much everything on the reef.
- Offshore, trolled **ballyhoo** with pink or blue skirts stay strong for mahi and blackfin tuna, especially on temperature breaks.
- For bonefish, go with small 1/8-oz pink bucktail jigs or a live shrimp on a light fluorocarbon leader.

Angler reports from local bait shops over the last 48 hours say limits of snapper and a few grouper are still coming in from patch reefs around Islamorada and Marathon, with late-day outgoing tides pulling gamefish into the channels. Mahi counts offshore are good but spotty, so keep moving and watch for frigate birds. Key Largo has seen a few tarpon rolling at dusk—big live mullet or topwater plugs landed two fish yesterday.

Remember, best fishing is on the moving tides and around major bite times, which today run from first light into the late afternoon lows. Keep an eye out for that incoming tide early which always stacks fish up on the flats and at bridge passes.

That’s your up-to-the-minute Florida Keys fishing report. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for daily tips and local intel! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lore. Here with your morning fishing report for the
Florida Keys on Wednesday, October twenty ninth, twenty twenty five.
We're waking up to some classic fall Keys weather, partly
cloudy skies, gentle northeast breeze around ten knots, and airtemps
starting near seventy five before warming up to the mid
seventies by afternoon. Humidity is holding steady and the water

(00:22):
clarity remains excellent in most backcountry and reef areas, especially
as winds have settled since last week's front. According to
tide forecast, sunrise hits at seven thirty one AM and
sunset will be at six forty seven pm, so anglers
have a solid window of daylight to get in on
the bite. Tide action is steady today and that means

(00:42):
movement all day long. Content Keys and Key West tide
charts show a strong high tide at five point fifty
four am four point two eight feet, falling out to
low at two twenty five pm one point one nine feet,
before another solid high at eight seventeen pm two point
nine four feet. These swings favor both reef and inshore fishing,

(01:04):
with the falling tide being a prime time for flats
and channel edges where snook, redfish and trout are pushing
bait into nearby potholes. Florida Insider Fishing Report and the
Gulf of Mexico Florida Fishing Report say the action's been
hot for a late October. Anglers are catching good numbers
of mangrove snapper or apple. Channel humps and upper keys

(01:26):
patch reefs are still cranking out keeper yellowtail and mutton snapper.
Pilchards and fresh shrimp are working best here. Offshore, the
mani mahi bite is late but alive, mostly in the
four to ten pounds class out past the six hundred
foot line, with trolled skirted ballyhoo or pulchered imitating artificials
getting most hits. Inshore, the bayside flats are loaded with

(01:50):
redfish and a late surge of sea trout. Reports confirmed
snook are moving onto current swept points and deeper mangrove
shore lines. Top water place at first light, then switch
to paddle tail, soft baits or live white bait as
the sun climbs. Don't sleep on bonefish this week, either,
their tailing active and shallow sand as the morning tide

(02:13):
creeps in. With small pink jigs and live shrimp rig
light working best hotspots to head today The action five
bridge reliable for snapper, grouper, hogfish, Moving water always best.
Long key flat's early incoming tide is producing trout, redfish, bonefish,

(02:33):
and occasional Tarpin western Sambo reef, find solid yellow tail
snapper action plus roaming muttons, drift with chum and freeline pilchards.
Best lures and bait. Popwater plubs like head and skiter
walks for snook and reds at dawn, soft plastics, paddle tails,
pearl glow, electric chicken rigged weedless for reds and trout.

(02:59):
Live shrimp and pilchards are king for snapper, mutton, and
pretty much everything on the reef. Offshore trolled balihu with
pink or blue skirts stay strong for mahi and black fintuna,
especially on temperature breaks. For bonefish, go with small one
a found pink buck tailed jigs or a live shrimp

(03:22):
on a light floor. Carbon leder angler. Reports from local
bait shops over the last forty eight hours say limits
of snapper and a few grouper are still coming in
from patch reefs around Islamorada and Marathon, with late day
outgoing tides pulling game fish into the channels. My counts

(03:42):
offshore are good but spotty, so keep moving and watch
for frigate birds. Key Largo has seen a few tarp
and rolling at dusk. Big live mullet or top water
plugs landed two fish yesterday. Remember, best fishing is on
the moving tides and around major bite times, which today
run from first light into the late afternoon lows, keep

(04:06):
an eye out for that incoming tide early which always
stacks fish up on the flats and at bridge passes.
That's your up to the minute Florida Keys Fishing Report.
Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to subscribe for
daily tips and local intel. This has been a quiet
please production. For more check out Quiet Please dot ai