Florida Keys & Miami Fishing Report - September 17, 2025

This is Artificial Lure coming to you live with your Florida Keys and Miami fishing report for Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

First up, the **tides**. Out in the Keys, the morning high tide peaked at 7:06 AM, rolling up to 2.19 feet, with a low tide coming in at 1:58 PM around 0.44 feet, and another high at 8:52 PM. Miami Beach saw a similar story, with an early high at 5:19 AM, low at 11:40 AM, and the evening’s push arriving by 6:06 PM. That means mellow tidal movement today, with September’s coefficients hanging soft around 39 to 46 out in the islands and about 59 for Miami Beach—not much current, so you’ll want to work those lures a little more to catch the eye of any lookers, especially on flats and around patch reefs.

**Weather** remains typical September subtropics—**sunrise at 7:14, sunset at 7:28** in Key West with a little more daylight up in Miami. Expect things to be warm and humid; air temps started around 80 and should rise to the upper 80s, with water temps right at that ideal 85 degrees. Winds are light out of the southeast, keeping the surface slick inshore, hardly enough to rustle the mangroves or kick up the reef.

Let’s talk **fishing activity**. The recent bite’s been varied but solid, especially near the deep edge offshore and inside the patch reefs. Down in the Lower Keys, charter captains have been coming back with good hauls of **yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, and a few big muttons** from around the reef line, especially early and just before sunset. **Dolphin (mahi-mahi)** are showing on weedlines in 200–400 feet, most in the five to ten-pound class, but a few slammers. Backcountry waters are holding **tarpon** near the channels and bridges—best action at first and last light, a classic fall push, with some snook and reds mixed in close to the mainland banks.

**Baits and lures:** If you’re bottom fishing, it’s hard to beat fresh-cut ballyhoo or squid for the snappers and grouper. Drift a pilchard or pinfish and you may luck into a big mutton or even a lazy grouper. Those chasing pelagics offshore, rig up a trolling ballyhoo with a little sparkle, or toss out a chartreuse or pink feather when the sun’s high. Around the bridges, big live mullet or blue crabs will tempt tarpon and snook, but artificials shine too—try a paddle-tail like the Monster 3X shrimp, or a DOA baitbuster bounced slow and low at sunrise.

**Hot spots:**
- **Channel 2 and Channel 5 bridges:** Consistent tarpon action, plus snappers piling up at the pilings.
- **Long Key Light to Conch Reef:** Yellowtail and mixed snapper are steady, especially on the outgoing tide.
- **Haulover Inlet north to Government Cut in Miami:** Early morning snook and some active jacks smashing topwater plugs.
- **Islamorada Humps:** Dolphin, blackfin tuna, and an occasional sailfish—nothing like a sunrise troll when the surface is popping.

Inshore and flats anglers—the Key Largo and Biscayne flats are holding healthy numbers of bonefish and permit; best bets are just after the tide turns, using small live shrimp or a classic bonefish jig in pink or chartreuse.

As always, keep an eye on those afternoon summer storms. Storms can fire up the bite but move fast and get out if things start to brew. Most of all, respect the resource—let the little ones grow and keep only what you’ll eat.

Thanks a bunch for tuning in to your Florida Keys and Miami fishing report, brought to you by Artificial Lure. Subscribe for daily updates, and tight lines out there. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is artificial lore coming to your live with your
Florida Keys and Miami fishing report for Wednesday, September seventeenth,
twenty twenty five. First up, the tides out in the Keys.
The morning high tide peaked at seven zero six am,
rolling up to two point one nine feet, with a
low tide coming in at one fifty eight PM around

(00:21):
zero point four to four feet, and another high at
eight fifty two PM. Miami Beach saw a similar story,
with an early high at five nineteen am, low at
eleven forty am, and the evening's push arriving by six
zero six pm. That means mellow, tidle movement today with
September's coefficients hanging soft around thirty nine to forty six

(00:44):
out in the Islands and about fifty nine for Miami Beach.
Not much current, so you'll want to work those loose
a little more to catch the eye of any lookers,
especially on flaps and around patch reefs. Weather remains typical
September subtropics. Sun rise at seven fourteen sunset at seven
twenty eight in Key West, with a little more daylight

(01:06):
up in Miami. Expect things to be warm and humid.
Air temps started around eighty and should rise to the
upper eighties with water temps right at that ideal eighty
five degrees. Winds are light out of the southeast, keeping
the surface slick in shore, hardly enough to rustle the
mangroves or kick up the reef. Let's talk fishing activity.

(01:27):
The recent bite's been varied but solid, especially near the
deep edge off shore and inside to patch reefs down
the lower Keys. Charter captains have been coming back with
good hauls of yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, and a few
big muttons from around the reef line, especially early and
just before sunset. Dolphin mahi mahi are showing on weed

(01:48):
lines in two hundred to four hundred feet, most in
the five to ten pound class, but a few slammers.
Back country waters are holding tarpa near the channels and bridges.
Best action at first and last light. A classic fall
push with some snook and reds mixed in close to
the mainland banks, dates and lures. If you're bottom fishing,
it's hard to beat fresh cut ballyhoo or squid for

(02:09):
the snappers and grouper drift, a pilchard or pinfish, and
you may luck into a big mutton or even a
lazy grouper. Those chasing peljigs offshore, rig up a troll
on Ballyhoo with a little sparkle, or toss out a
chartruse or pink feather. When the sun's high around the bridges,
big live mullet or blue crabs will tempt tarpin and snook,
but artificial shine too. Try a paddle tail like the

(02:32):
Monster three X shrimp, where a doa big buster bounce
slow and low at sunrise hotspots. The mullet of Channel
Channel two and Channel five bridges consistent tarpin action plus
snappers piling up at the pilings. Long key light to
conk reef, yellowtail and mixed snapper are steady, especially on
the outgoing tide haul over Inlet North the Government Cut

(02:54):
in Miami. Early morning snook and some active jack smashing
top water plugs, Osla humps, dolphin, blackfing, tuna, and an
occasional sailfish. Nothing like a sunrise troll when the surface
is popping inshore in flats anglers. The Key Largo and
Biscayne flats are holding healthy numbers of bonefish and permit.
Best bets are just after the tide turns, using small

(03:16):
live shramp or a classic bonefish jag and pink or
tratt ruse as. Always keep an eye on those afternoon
summer storms. Storms can fire up the bite, but move
fast and get out if things start to brew. Most
of all, respect the resource, let the little ones grow,
and keep only what you'll eat. Thanks a bunch for
tuning into your Florida Keys and Miami Fishing report, brought
to you by Artificial Lure. Subscribe for daily updates and

(03:39):
tight lines out there. This has been a quiet please seduction.
For more check out Quiet please dot ai