Fishing the Florida Keys and Miami on August 31, 2025 - Steady Snapper, Mahi, and Flats Action

Good morning anglers, this is Artificial Lure with your Florida Keys and Miami fishing report for Sunday, August 31, 2025.

Sunrise is at 7:08 AM and sunset hits at 7:46 PM, so we've got a full day to hit the water. Today’s tides in Key West roll in with a high at 3:15 AM and 5:18 PM, and lows at 10:59 AM and 7:33 PM, with modest coefficients meaning minimal current and calmer fishing. Over in Miami Beach, tidal swings are similar—expect the high to come at 2:03 PM with the lows just after breakfast and near sunset. For those fishing up near Tavernier or Channel Two Bridge, you’re looking at highs around 7:40 AM and 2:37 AM, so hit that early bite while you can.

Weather's looking favorable: expect light westerly winds all day—mostly 5 to 10 knots, seas at 2 feet or less, and only light chop on the Bay. Keep an eye out for the chance of scattered storms building into the afternoon. According to the National Weather Service Miami, plan for possible gusts if those showers roll through.

The fish have stayed pretty active with the steady, warm August waters. Reports out of the Keys say patch reefs are holding solid numbers of **yellowtail snapper**, with most boats limiting out using light jigs tipped with cut squid or small pilchards. The deeper wrecks are stacked with **mutton snapper** and the occasional **black grouper**—live pinfish or large pilchard work here. Offshore, the dolphin (mahi-mahi) bite remains decent—mostly schoolies, but a few gaffers mixed in. Trolling small feather lures in dolphin colors or rigged ballyhoo behind skirted lures is doing the trick especially in the afternoons when weedlines get pushed closer by light winds.

Closer to Miami, snook and tarpon have been holding around inlets and bridges during dawn and dusk. The outgoing tide has produced the best bite—throw big swimbaits, live mullet, or DOA TerrorEyz if you’re working artificials. For daytime action, you’ll have the most luck with mangrove snapper tight to structure; small live shrimp or pilchard on a low-profile rig is best.

Bonefish action has picked up on the flats near Islamorada and Biscayne Bay, especially on the early morning incoming tide. Fly anglers rigged with Gotchas or epoxy shrimp patterns report steady hookups when moving quietly over turtlegrass, while spin folks are connecting with small white bucktail jigs.

Hotspots you don’t want to miss:
- **Channel Two Bridge (Lower Matecumbe Key):** great for snapper, tarpon at night—fish live shrimp or crab, or toss big swim plugs after sunset.
- **Islamorada Patch Reefs:** loaded with yellowtail and mixed snapper right now, drifting with light jigs or cut bait means fast limits.
- **Government Cut (Miami):** strong snook and tarpon in the early evening, with some permit showing up around rock piles; try crabs or big paddle tails.

For bait, pilchards remain king, but fresh ballyhoo and cut squid are producing across the board, especially for snapper and grouper. Live shrimp and small crabs are gold for flats species.

Lure recommendations: If you like artificials, keep a few Rapala X-Raps, Hogy paddletails, and bucktails handy—chartreuse or white colorways are reliable. Fly anglers should match the hatch with Gotcha, Clouser, or crab patterns.

Action's been steady; a few boats reported limits on snapper and some shared photos of dolphin in the 10–20 lb range midweek. Grouper remain scattered, but a couple of nice blacks near 25 pounds were landed over deep wrecks.

Thanks as always for tuning in—don't forget to subscribe and stay dialed in with Artificial Lure for your up-to-the-minute report before every trip. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease.ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, anglers. This is artificial lore with your Florida
Keys and Miami Fishing report for Sunday, August thirty first,
twenty twenty five. Sunrises at seven o eight am and
sunset hits at seven forty six pm, so we've got
a full day to hit the water. Today's tides in
Key West roll in with a high at three fifteen
am and five eighteen pm and lows at ten fifty

(00:22):
nine am and seven thirty three pm, with modest coefficients
meaning minimal current and calmer fishing. Over in Miami Beach,
tidal swings are similar. Expect the high to come at
two oh three pm, with the lows just after breakfast
and near sunset. For those fishing up near Tavinir or
Channel two Bridge, you're looking at highs around seven forty

(00:43):
am and two thirty seven am, so hit that early
bite while you can. Weather's looking favorable. Expect light westerly
winds all day, mostly five to ten knots, sees at
two feet or less, and only light chop on the bay.
Keep an eye out for the chance of scattered storms
building into the afternoon. According to the National Weather Service,

(01:04):
Miami planned for possible gusts if those showers roll through.
The fish have stayed pretty active with the steady warm
August warders reports out of the Keys say patriifes are
holding solid numbers of yellowtail snapper, with most boats limiting
out using light jigs tipped with cut squid or small pilchards.

(01:24):
The deeper wrecks are stacked with mutton snapper and the
occasional black grouper, live pinfish or large pilchered work here.
Off shore, the dolphin mahi mahi bite remains decent, mostly schoolies,
but a few gaffers mixed in trolling small feather lures
and dolphin colors or rigged ballyhoo behind skirted lures is

(01:46):
doing the trick, especially in the afternoons when weed lines
it pushed closer by light winds. Closer to Miami, snook
and tarpah have been holding around inlets and bridges during
dawn and dusk. The outgoing tide has produced the best bite.
Throw big swim baits, live mullet, or doa terra. Wise,
if you're working artificials for daytime action, you'll have the

(02:10):
most luck with mangrove snapper tight to structure. Small live
shrimp or pilchered on a low profile rig is best.
Bonefish action has picked up on the flats near Islamrata
and Biscayne Bay, especially on the early morning incoming tide.
Fly anglers rid with gotches or epoxy shrimp patterns report

(02:32):
steady hookups when moving quietly over turtle grass, while spin
folks are connecting with small white bucktail jigs. Hotspots you
don't want to miss. Channel two bridge lower may come
key great for snapper, tarpin at night, fish live shrimp
or crab, or toss big swim pluds after sunset. Makem's

(02:56):
Islamorada patch reefs loaded with yellowtail and mixed snap right now.
Drifting with light jigs or cut bait means fast limits
first government cut Miami strong snooke and tarpin in the
early evening, with some permit showing up around rock piles.
Try crabs or big paddle tails for bait. Pilchards remain king,

(03:19):
but fresh ballyhoo and cut squid are producing across the board,
especially for snapper and grouper. Live shrimp and small crabs
are gold for flat species. Lower recommendations if you like artificials.
Keep a few Rapalla X wraps, Hogi paddle tails and bucktails.
Handy chartreuse or white color ways are reliable. Fly anglers

(03:44):
should match the hatch with Gotcha, plouser or crab patterns.
Action's been steady. A few boats reported limits on snapper
and some shared photos of dolphin in the ten to
twenty pound range. Midweek grouper remain scad, but a couple
of nice blacks near twenty five pounds were landed over
deep wrecks. Thanks as always for tuning in. Don't forget

(04:07):
to subscribe and stay dialed in with artificial lure for
your up to the minute report before every trip. This
has been a quiet please production. For more check out
quiet please dot ai