Islamorada Fishing Report: Late Fall Action on Mahi, Snook, and Snapper

This is Artificial Lure, coming to you from Islamorada, the sportfishing capital of the world, bringing your boots-on-the-dock fishing report for Sunday, November 9, 2025.

The sun’s just up over the palm line at 7:28 a.m. and will dip back behind the horizon tonight at 6:44 p.m., so you’ve got a solid day to get lines wet. We’re looking at mild post-cold-front weather—temps kicking off in the low 70s this morning, climbing to the low 80s by midafternoon, with passing clouds and a breeze out of the north keeping things cool and clear most of the day. According to MarineWeather.net, we’ll be partly cloudy and breezy, which lines up well for a November bite.

For tides today in Islamorada, the day started with a high at 2:35 a.m., low tide around 11:44 a.m., and another high at 5:16 p.m. Not a ton of water movement—the tidal coefficient is just 34, which means the tides are mellow and currents weak. Fish will be playing tight to structure and looking for ambush points, especially around those peak transition periods—plan your casts accordingly with this slow flow, especially on the ocean side and inside the backcountry, per Tides4Fishing.

Let’s talk about the bite. The past few days, captains and locals have been reporting a mix of classic late-fall action. The offshore grounds are still lively with mahi-mahi working weed lines out toward Alligator Reef; most caught have been keepers in the 5-12 pound range, with some chicken dolphin mixed in. A couple sailfish flags flew yesterday, with the best bites on the troll using rigged ballyhoo and blue/white Islander lures, especially on live color changes as the tide switched over in the afternoon—reports from Spreaker’s Islamorada Daily confirm that the pelagic action picked up as soon as the late-morning breeze set up.

Inshore, snook, redfish, and trout are all fired up in the backcountry. Several boats fishing tail end of yesterday’s falling tide around Snake Creek and Lignumvitae reported solid snook in the 22-28 inch class—white paddle tails and live pilchards both did work, especially when skipped under the mangroves. Redfish are holding around oyster bars and creek mouths north of Shell Key, with best bites on cut ladyfish and fresh shrimp. Check out the flat edges on the ocean side between Upper Matecumbe and Indian Key—multiple tripletail were sighted on crab trap buoys, and one boat brought in a couple nice keepers, both on live shrimp freelined beneath the surface.

The patch reefs are turning on as water temps dip: yellowtail snapper are feeding hard from Conch Reef back west toward Tennessee Reef, best on small bits of cut ballyhoo and silversides on the outgoing tide. Some keeper mangrove and mutton snapper are being picked up as well—try a sliding sinker rig and live pinfish or pilchards for the bigger fish.

Best baits and lures for today:
- Offshore: rigged ballyhoo, blue/white plastics, and small trolling feathers for mahi.
- Inshore/backcountry: white 4” paddle tails, live pilchards, fresh shrimp, and cut ladyfish. Topwater walkers at daybreak for snook and trout.
- Reef: fresh cut bait or small live pilchards for snapper, with chum slicks key to getting them up.

Hot spots to fish today:
- Alligator Reef and Crocker Reef edges for mahi and sails if you’re running offshore.
- Trout Pond and the mouth of Whale Harbor Channel for snook and reds, especially as the tide starts coming in this afternoon.
- Patch reefs near Davis Reef and Hens and Chickens for yellowtail and mangrove snapper.

That’s your Islamorada fishing fix for November 9th. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe and get your bait early, because the bite waits for no one. 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 you from Islamarada, the
sport fishing capital of the world. Bringing your boots on
the dock. Fishing report for Sunday, November ninth, twenty twenty five.
The sun's just up over the palm line at seven
twenty eight am and we'll dip back behind the horizon
tonight at six forty four pm, so you've got a
solid day to get lines wet. We're looking at mild

(00:22):
post cold front weather temperatures kicking off in the low
seventies this morning, climbing to the low eighties by mid afternoon,
with passing clouds and a breeze out of the north
keeping things cool and clear. Most of the day. According
to Marine weather dot Net, will be partly cloudy and breezy,
which lines up well for a November bite. For tides
today in Islamarata, the day started with a high at

(00:45):
two thirty five am, low tide around eleven forty four am,
and another high at five sixteen pm. Not a ton
of water movement. The tidal core fishing is just thirty four,
which means the tides are mellow and currents weak. Fish
will be playing tight to structure and looking for ambush points,
especially around those peat transition periods. Plan your casts accordingly

(01:08):
with this slow flow, especially on the ocean side and
inside the back country per tides for fishing, Let's talk
about the bite. The past few days, captains and locals
have been reporting a mix of classic late fall action.
The offshore grounds are still lively, with my my working
weed lines out toward Alligator Reef. Most cot had been

(01:29):
keepers in the five to twelve pound range, with some
chicken dolphin mixed in. A couple selfish flags flew yesterday
with the best bites on the troll using rig ballyhoo
and blue white islander lures, especially on live color changes
as the tide switched over in the afternoon. Reports from
Speaker's Islamorada Daily confirm that the pelagic action picked up

(01:51):
as soon as the late morning breeze set up. Inshore, snoke,
redfish and trout are all fired up. In the back country,
sir row boats fishing tail end of yesterday's falling tide
around Snake Creek and Lignum Vitie reported solid snook in
the twenty two to twenty eight inch class white paddle
tails and live pilchers. Both did work, especially when skipped

(02:13):
under the mangroves. Red fisher holding around oyster bars and
creek mounts north of Shelkey with best bites on cut
ladyfish and fresh shrimp. Check out the flat edges on
the ocean side between Upper Makecmby and Indian Key. Multiple
tripletail were sighted on crab trap buoyes and one boat
brought in a couple nice keepers, both on live shrimp

(02:33):
freeline beneath the surface. The patcheries are turning on as
water temp's dip. Yellowtail snapper of feeding hard from cock
reef back west toward Tennessee Reef. Best on small bits
of cup valley who and silver sides. On the outgoing tide.
Some keeper mangrove and mutton snapper are being picked up
as well. Try a sliding sinker rig and live pinfish

(02:55):
or pilchards for the bigger fish. Best baits and lures
for today offshore rig Ballyhoo, blue white plastics and small
trolling feathers for mahee inshore backcountry white four paddle tails,
live pilchards, fresh shrimp and cut ladyfish topwater walkers at
daybreak for snook and trout. Reef fresh cup bait or
small live pilchards for snapper with chum. Slick's key to

(03:18):
getting them up hot spots the fish today Alligator reef
and Crocker reef edges for mahee and sales. If you're
running off shore, trout pond and the Mouth of Whale
Harbor Channel for snook and reds, especially as the tide
starts coming in this afternoon, patch RAFs near Davis reef
and hens and chickens for yellowtail and mangrove snapper. That's
your Slamarade fishing fix for November ninth. Thanks for tuning in.

(03:41):
Don't forget to subscribe and get your bait early, because
the bite waits for no one. This has been a
quiet please production. For more check out quiet please dot
ai