Keys Fishing Report: Timing, Tides, and Tackling Fall Inshore and Offshore Bites

Artificial Lure here, bringing you your boots-on-the-dock fishing report for Wednesday, November 5th, 2025, right here in the heart of the Florida Keys. It's all about timing, tides, and tuning in to those subtle shifts only a local sees.

Sunrise broke at 6:36 AM with lines hitting the water as streaks of gold colored the flats, and sunset will come pretty early tonight at 5:44 PM. Conditions are set up smooth—with a light morning breeze and spotty clouds. The real story’s in the water: according to NOAA’s tide predictions, your low tide hit at 2:52 AM, followed by a nice rising high at 9:51 AM, and another low at 2:31 PM before a healthy evening flood pushes in at 9:04 PM. That means excellent moving water and good current for the bite, especially around the bridges and channels.

Temps are hovering in the low 80s, water clarity is solid, and minor king tides are still hanging around, but nothing too crazy for flooding this week, per Local 10 News. Out past the reefs, the ocean’s laying down just enough for boats to get offshore without hammering the kidneys.

Now, on to the action—it's been another banner week for inshore, with recent reports from Key Largo and Marathon showing plenty of snook and mangrove snapper coming over the rails. Anglers have hooked into snook up to 34 inches in the mangroves, especially at dawn and dusk on the falling tide, as noted by FishingBooker reports. Tarpon are still lingering in the backcountry channels, though the bigger push is slipping south as temps cool. Mangrove snapper and a few chunky yellowtails are stacked on patch reefs from Tavernier down to Big Pine, and you can't count out Goliath grouper around bridge pilings. Sharks—blacktip, bonnethead, even a few hammerheads—are shadowing the mullet schools just offshore.

Offshore, the Islamorada fleet's lighting up the radio with sailfish flags. Multiple boats have released sailfish this week as that classic fall bite fires off over the edge of the reef, according to November reports from FishingBooker. Mahi-mahi numbers have dipped, but there are still enough gaffers cruising just outside the color change to make the run worth it.

As for the tools of the trade, chartreuse is absolutely the color du jour—Spacefish calls it the “secret power” this week. Top inshore lures include soft plastic paddle tails like the Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ in chartreuse or root beer, especially when rigged weedless for those tight mangrove pockets. Live pilchards and finger mullet always produce, but morning and evening plugs—think Rapala X-Rap or MirrOlure MR17—are red-hot around dock lights and drop-offs. Offshore, deckhands are slow-trolling live ballyhoo for sails, with the occasional bonita strip getting nailed by kingfish.

If you want numbers, the last few days have seen catches of a dozen or more snappers per trip, with the occasional slot red and keeper-sized grouper mixed in. There’s been a reliable tarpon each morning for those with patience, while lucky crews out of Islamorada have pulled two to three sails a day when the current lines up just right.

Hotspots to put on your float plan: Channel 5 and Channel 2 bridges for a mixed bag of snappers, snook, and tarpon—especially on those quick-moving outgoing tides. For offshore anglers, the edge of the reef in 120-160 feet off Alligator Light is the place for sailfish and the last mahi of the season. Nighttime prowlers: don’t sleep on the channels west of Marathon under a waxing moon for snapper, sharks, and the odd surprise.

That’s your boots-on-the-dock report straight from the Keys on this early November morning. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a local tip or hot bite.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lore. Here bringing you your boots on the dock
fishing report for Wednesday, November fifth, twenty twenty five, Right
here in the heart of the Florida Keys. It's all
about timing tides and tuning in to those subtle shifts
only a local seas sunrise broke at six thirty six am,
with lines hitting the water as streaks of gold colored

(00:20):
to flats, and sunset will come pretty early tonight at
five forty four pm. Conditions are set up smooth with
a light morning breeze and spotty clouds. The real stories
in the water. According to Noah's Tide predictions. Your low
tide hit at two fifty two am, followed by a
nice rising high at nine fifty one AM and another

(00:41):
low at two thirty one PM before a healthy evening
flood pushes in at nine zero four pm. That means
excellent moving water and good current for the bite, especially
around the bridges and channels. Temps are hovering in the
low eighties, Water clarity is solid and minor king tides
are still hanging around, but nothing too crazy for flooding

(01:01):
this week. Per Local ten News, out past the reefs,
the ocean's laying down just enough for boats to get
offshore without hammering the kidneys. Now on to the action.
It's been another banner week for inshore, with recent reports
from Key Largo and Marathon showing plenty of snoke and
mangrove snapper coming over the rails. Tarpin are still lingering

(01:23):
in the backcountry channels, though the bigger push is slipping
south as temps cool. Mangrove snapper and a few chunky
yellowtails are stacked on patch reefs from Tavanir down to
Big Pine, and you can't count out belaiath gruper around
bridge pilings, Sharks, black tip, bonnet, heead, even a few
hammerheads are shadowing the mullet schools just offshore. Offshore the

(01:44):
Islamorada fleets lighting up the radio with sailfish flags. Multiple
boats have released sailfish this week as that classic fall
bite fires off over the edge of the reef. According
to November reports from Fish and Booker, Mahi mahi numbers
have dipped, but there are still enough gaffers cruising just
outside the color change to make the run worth it.

(02:04):
As for the tools of the trade, chartreuse is absolutely
the colored dajore spacefish calls it the secret power this week.
Top inshore lures include soft plastic paddle tails like the
z man dzel Meno, z in chartreuse or root beer,
especially when rigged weedless. For those tighte mangrove pockets, live

(02:24):
pilchards and finger mullet always produce, but morning and evening
plugs think Rapalla x rap or mural war Mr one
seven are red hat around dock lights and drop offs.
Offshore deckhands are slow trolling live bally who for sales,
with the occasional benita strip getting nailed by kingfish if
you want numbers. The last few days have seen catches

(02:47):
of a dozen or more snappers per trip, with the
occasional slot red and keeper sized grouper mixed in. There's
been a reliable tarp in each morning for those with patients,
while lucky crews out of Islamorada have pulled two to
three sails a day when the current lines up just right.
X lag odd spots to put on your float. Plan
Channel five and Channel two bridges for a mixed bag

(03:09):
of snappers, snook and tarpin, especially on those quick moving
outgoing tides. For offshore anglers, the edge of the reef
in one hundred twenty to one hundred sixty feet off
Alligator Light is the place for sailfish and the last
mahi of the season. Nighttime prowlers don't sleep on the
channels west of Marathon under a waxing moon for snapper

(03:30):
sharks and the odd surprise that's your boots on the dock.
Report straight from the keys on this early November morning.
Thanks for tuning in. Don't forget to subscribe so you
never miss a local tip or hop bite. This has
been a quiet Please production. For more check out Quiet
Please dot ai