Summer Tarpon Tactics and Backcountry Bites in Islamorada

Good morning from Islamorada! This is Artificial Lure with your fishing report for Sunday, June 1st, 2025.

Sunrise painted the sky at 6:34 AM, and we’re expecting sunset tonight around 8:08 PM, giving plenty of daylight for anglers heading out. Today’s weather in the Upper Keys is typical for early June—hot, humid, with light southeast winds and a chance of afternoon storms, so pack plenty of water and keep an eye on those clouds.

Tidal movement is moderate, with a low tide this morning around 9:00 AM and the next high tide peaking near 2:10 PM. The tidal coefficient sits in the mid-60s, so expect some decent water movement, especially this afternoon, which should fire up the bite according to the numbers from Tides4Fishing.

Now, the fish are on the move. Tarpon are still the main draw—while the giant spring schools have broken up, you’ll find singles and small pods early along the oceanside channels and backcountry edges. According to Captain Brett Greco and the local guides, these summer tarpon hold tight in the deeper basins during the midday heat and slide up onto the flats in the cool of the morning. Target them with live mullet or crabs—the go-to baits for the silver king—or throw black and purple or chartreuse artificial swimbaits if you’re hunting a reaction bite. Fly anglers, this is your window for sight-casting with toad patterns and black/purple streamers. Night trips have also been producing, especially around the bridges.

Beyond tarpon, the Everglades backcountry is loaded with action. Reports from Captain Experiences and local charters show solid numbers of snook, redfish, speckled trout, jacks, and mangrove snapper. If you’re going after snook or redfish, try soft plastics on 1/8oz jig heads, or live pilchards and finger mullet around the mangrove edges and creek mouths. For snapper, cut baits like squid, shrimp, or pilchard chunks fished near the bridges and patch reefs are getting hit hard. Yellowtail snapper are biting well on the patches with small jigs tipped with shrimp or cut bait—just don’t forget the chum bag.

Hot spots this week include the bridges—Channel 2 and Channel 5—where big mangrove snapper and the occasional mutton snapper are stacking up. In the backcountry, focus on the flats west of Flamingo and around Sandy Key for tarpon and snook action. Oceanside, the flats off Indian Key and around Alligator Reef are holding permit and bonefish on the right tides.

To wrap up, the bite is getting better as summer settles in—morning sessions are best before the heat and storms roll in. Bring live bait if you have it, or rig up your favorite soft plastics and hard baits in natural and darker colors for the backcountry species.

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