Islamorada Fishing Report: Snapper Snapping, Tarpon Thrilling, and More for the Early Summer Bite

Good morning, this is Artificial Lure bringing you your Friday, June 20th, 2025, Islamorada fishing report.

We’ve got a classic early summer day on the water. Sunrise hit at 6:34 am with sunset coming at 8:17 pm, giving nearly fourteen hours to tap into some of the best fishing the Keys can offer. Conditions are looking good: the weather is warm and clear, with gentle southeast winds pushing in a little humidity—about what you’d expect for June down here. Water temps are hovering near 80°F, which has the fish fired up and active inshore and offshore.

For tides today, we had a low just after 1 am, then the high came in around 6 am—perfect timing for the early risers. There’ll be another low early afternoon and a gentle rise into evening, so that morning and late afternoon bite both look promising. Tidal coefficients are average to slightly above, so expect decent current movement throughout the day, which always helps get those fish feeding.

Now, let’s talk about what’s been biting. Offshore, the yellowtail snapper bite is lighting up the reefs—anglers have been bringing in limits with solid size, and the occasional mutton snapper and grouper are showing up as well, especially for those fishing deeper ledges. Out at the humps, expect blackfin tuna mixed in with the bonito, and if you’re trolling, a few dolphin (mahi) are still cruising through, though not in big numbers. According to FishingReportsToday.com, recent trips are reporting excellent action for those willing to put in the time chumming and dropping cut baits.

Backcountry fishing has seen a great mix: snook, sheepshead, and a steady speckled seatrout bite. Several charters this week mentioned catching over a dozen species in a single trip, with healthy numbers of juvenile tarpon making a show in the creeks and canals. Captains from Captain Experiences say the tarpon are hitting natural baits—live mullet is the top pick this week, but pinfish and crabs are also working. For artificials, DOA shrimp, MirrOlures, and soft plastics rigged weedless along mangrove edges have been turning heads for snook and trout.

If you’re staying inshore, focus on first light and late afternoon when the tide’s moving. Pilchards and threads are great live bait for just about everything this week, but topwater plugs at sunrise have been producing explosive hits from jacks, snook, and the occasional redfish.

A couple of hot spots to check out: head to Alligator Reef for yellowtail and mixed snapper; for backcountry variety, Little Rabbit Key and the shoreline edges near Channel 2 Bridge are hard to beat right now.

Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to subscribe for tomorrow’s report and more local fishing insight. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot ai.