Keys Fishing Report: Offshore Snappers, Inshore Reds, and Tricks for the Tide

Artificial Lure here—your boots-on-the-dock angling buddy, dropping the Florida Keys fishing report for Halloween, Friday October 31, 2025.

First light is expected right at 7:33 a.m., with sundown at 6:47 p.m. Weather coming off the water this morning is breezy, with northwest winds pushing 20 to 25 knots. Outer Gulf and Florida Straits seas are building up to 6–8 feet, while Hawk Channel is running 2–4 foot chop according to the National Weather Service. A word to the wise: reef trips and open water ventures are best tackled by hardy crews and bigger boats today. Nearshore and inside waters are manageable, especially on the lee side of islands.

Tide timing’s critical—high water at 5:41 a.m., low at 12:24 p.m., then another high at 7:03 p.m. The tidal coefficient’s just 33 early, which means we’re not expecting dramatic current for most of the day, so plan to fish structure and edges rather than counting on moving water for churning up the bite.

Now, onto the meat! Offshore, the bite’s been solid for yellowtail snapper and mutton snapper on the deeper reef edges with cut ballyhoo or fresh shrimp as top natural baits. Recent catches from local party boats out of Marathon and Islamorada show several snapper limits, with plenty of mixed bag action—think mangrove snapper, grouper, and a few surprise hogfish. The fall king mackerel run is heating up, so bringing along a flashy spoon or a blue and silver Rapala X-Rap is wise if you’re working bait schools near drop-offs.

Backcountry anglers are seeing fair numbers of sea trout and redfish, mostly on soft plastics with natural hues—think Gulp shrimp or paddle tails, rigged weedless for grass edges. This week, live mullet or pilchard continues to out-perform, especially on late tide outgoing flows around the island flats. Jack crevalle and ladyfish are thick at times near bridges—great targets for kids and newcomers with noisy topwaters or white bucktail jigs. Early morning hours and dusk are your best bets for action.

Hot spots right now include:
- The west end of Seven Mile Bridge for snapper, grouper, and mackerel. Fish the slack tide, especially early or late.
- Long Key Bight’s grass beds for trout, reds, and the occasional snook.
- Oceanside of Islamorada near Alligator Reef—yellowtail and mutton snapper with live shrimp or silversides.

For chasing bonefish and permit, the flats off Sugarloaf Key are producing, mostly during the morning incoming tide. Long leaders and small shrimp flies or live crabs get results. For permit, check shallow wrecks on the patch reefs using live blue crabs where the water’s moving.

Best lures for the day:
- Soft plastic shrimp in natural brown/white over grassy flats
- Silver spoons and swim baits for mackerel
- Rapala X-Rap or Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnow for trolling and casting near bait pods offshore

A quick note: due to those minor tidal swings, focus efforts around the dawn and dusk high tides, with bonus bites possible when winds lay down into the afternoon. Reef fishing has been producing heavier fillet bags this week—folks using jigs tipped with squid strips have out-fished those with bait alone. Deep dropping for vermillion and yelloweye snapper is still solid for boats equipped with heavier tackle.

Thanks for tuning in to your Florida Keys fishing report—subscribe to stay ahead of the bite and always keep a rod handy. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

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

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lure. Here your boots on the dock, angling buddy dropping.
The Florida Keys Fishing report for Halloween Friday, October thirty first,
twenty twenty five. First light is expected right at seven
thirty three am, with sundown at six forty seven pm.
Weather coming off the water this morning is breezy, with
northwest winds pushing twenty to twenty five knots. Outer Gulf

(00:21):
and Florida Straight seas are building up to six to
eight feet, while Hawk Channel is running two four foot chop.
According to the National Weather Service, a word to the
wys Reef trips and open water ventures are best tackled
by hardy crews and bigger boats. Today, near shore and
inside waters are manageable, especially on the lease side of islands.
Tide timing's critical high water at five forty one am,

(00:45):
low at twelve twenty four pm, then another high at
seven zero three pm. The title coefficients just thirty three early,
which means we're not expecting dramatic current for most of
the day, so planned to fish structure and edges rather
than counting on moving way for churning up the bite.
Now onto the meat offshore. The bite's been solid for yellowtail,

(01:06):
snapper and mutton snapper on the deeper reef edges, with
cut valleyhou or fresh shrimp as top natural baits. Recent
catches from local party boats out of Marathon and Islamorada
show several snapper limits with plenty of mixed bad action
think mangrove snapper, grouper, and a few surprise hotfish. The
fall king mackerel run is heating up, so bringing along

(01:28):
a flashy spoon or a blue and silver ripola x
rap is wise if you're working baits schools near dropoffs.
Backcountry anglers are seeing fair numbers of sea trout and redfish,
mostly on soft plastics with natural hues think gulp, surump
or paddle tails rig weedless for grass edges. This week,
live mullet or pilchard continues to outperform, especially on late

(01:51):
tide outgoing flows around the island flats. Jack cravall and
ladyfish are thicke at times near bridges, great targets for
kids in newcomers with noise. Top waters or white buck
tailed jigs early morning hours and duster are your best
bets for action. Hot spots right now include Duck the
West end of seven Mile Bridge for snapper, grouper and

(02:11):
mackerel fish the slack tide, especially early or late long
key bites, grass beds for trout, reds and the occasional snook.
Ocean side of Islamorada near alligator wreef, yellowtail and mutton
snapper with live shrimp or silver sides for chasing bonefish
and permit. The flats off Sugarloaf Key are producing mostly
during the morning incoming tide. Long leaders and small shrimp,

(02:35):
flies or live crabs get results for permit check shower
wrecks on the patch reefs using live blue crabs where
the water's moving. Best lures for the day. Soft plastic
shrimp and natural brown white over grassy flats, silver spoons
and swin mates for mackerel, Ripola x wrap or Yozeri
crystal minnow for trolling and casting your bait pods offshore.

(02:58):
A quick note due to those minor title swings. Focus
efforts around the dawn and dusk high tides with bonus
bites possible when winds lay down into the after mer.
Refishing has been producing heavier filette bags this week. Folks
using jigs tipped with squid strips have outfished those with
bait alone deep dropping for vermlin and yellow eyes. Snapper

(03:18):
is still solid for boats equipped with heavier tackle. Thanks
for tuning in to your Florida Keys Fishing Report. Subscribe
to stay ahead of the bite and always keep a
rod handy. This has been a quiet please production. For
more check out Quiet Please dot ai