Islamorada Fishing Report: Tarpon, Snook, Reef Action Heat Up as October Winds Blow

Artificial Lure here coming to you from Islamorada on Friday, October 24th, 2025, with your local fishing report and a fresh cup of boat ramp gossip to start your morning. Right now, the sun rose over the water at 7:25 AM and she’ll set at 6:48 PM tonight, with those classic gold-and-purple Keys colors promising some magic hours just before sundown.

Tide action today is steady as she goes. According to TidesChart, we had a high tide roll through just after 4 AM at 0.79 feet, a low tide at 9:49 AM at 0.72 feet, and we’ll see the next good push of water come in around 3:31 PM with another high at 0.75 feet. Solunar tables out of Channel Two show a tidal coefficient of 69, so while the action’s not extreme, there’s still enough current to stir up the bait and move the gamefish. Early morning and late afternoon are your best shots for strikes, especially around those tide changes.

On the weather front, it’s classic late October—light north winds, temps right around 79 degrees at dawn and climbing to the low 80s. Water temperature is holding around 81°F, so there’s still plenty of tropical punch to keep the fish active, and no real cold snaps in sight yet, just a stiff breeze forecasted this weekend, which should fire up the bait migration even more.

The bite has been good but selective. According to Capt. Rick Stanczyk, the tarpon bite is fair but windows are short—when you find ’em, get ready quick, because the fish won’t hang around long. Folks fishing the backcountry creeks have been picking up juvenile tarpon on live pinfish and finger mullet, with three nice fish caught and several more hooked up on recent trips. Bigger tarpon are scattered but still showing, especially near live mullet schools. The snook bite has come alive with the cooler nights, and solid fish up to slot size are staging around deeper mangrove edges and creek mouths, with pinfish, pilchards, and threaded glass minnows getting it done.

Offshore and reef action has taken the spotlight. Islamorada Fishing Reports say the mahi-mahi are still trickling through, mostly schoolies running weedlines, and sailfish are showing strong with the fall run warming up down deep. Reef fishers working patch reefs and deeper channel edges have loaded up on yellowtail and mangrove snapper, with muttons biting for sharp-eyed drifters. Spanish mackerel have blitzed the edges of the flats, especially during that falling tide, with some boats reporting double-digit catches in just a couple hours using small spoons and live pilchard chum.

Best baits right now? For tarpon and snook, free-lined pinfish and fresh-cut mullet are money, but artificial lures like DOA TerrorEyz and Hogy paddletails in natural colors are producing when the live stuff is hard to find. Offshore, get your ballyhoo rigged right for sails and keep a few silver spoons handy for tuna and mackerel. Snapper are flashing for chunks of pilchard, squid, and even tipped jigs—if you want the edge, lay down a fresh chum line and be patient.

Hot spots on my list today:

- Channel Two Bridge: Consistent snook and tarpon action near the pylons, best on outgoing tide, with snapper mixed in.
- Alligator Reef: Patch reef yellowtail and occasional mahi, plus shots at sailfish when you push just past the drop.
- Snake Creek: Early morning for baby tarpon and snook, especially if you can match a low-lit tide with a big mullet run.

Local chatter says black drum have started showing up around bridge pilings and there are whispers of the first push of big jacks on the flats. Offshore, if you see birds crashing or flying fish, get out there quick before another boat does!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial lore here coming to you from Islamorada on Friday,
October twenty fourth, twenty twenty five, with your local fishing
report and a fresh cup of bull ramp gossip to
start your morning right now. The sun rose over the
water at seven twenty five am, and she'll set at
six forty eight pm tonight with those classic gold and
purple keys colors promising some magic hours just before sundown.

(00:24):
Tide action today is steady as she goes. According to
Tibes chart. We had a high tide roll through just
after four am at zero point seven nine feet, a
low tide at nine forty nine am at zero point
seven two feet, and we'll see the next good push
of water come in around three thirty one PM with
another high at zero point seven five feet. Sol lunar

(00:47):
tables out of Channel two show a tidal coefficient of
sixty nine, so while the action's not extreme, there's still
enough current to stir up the bait and move the
game fish. Early morning and late afternoon are your best
shots for strike, especially around those tide changes. On the
weather front, it's classic late October, light north winds, temps

(01:07):
right around seventy nine degrees at dawn and climbing to
the low eighties. Water temperature is holding around eighty one
degrees fahrenheit, so there's still plenty of tropical punch to
keep the fish active and no real cold snaps in
sight yet. Just a stiff breeze forecasted this weekend which
should fire up the bait migration even more. The bite
has been good but selective. According to Captain Rick Stanchik,

(01:29):
the tarpin bite is fair, but windows are short when
you find them, get ready quick because the fish won't
hang around long. Folks fishing the backcountry creeks had been
picking up juvenile tarpin on live pinfish and finger mullet,
with three nice fish caught and several more hooked up
on recent trips. Bigger tarpin are scattered but still showing,
especially near live mullet schools. The snook bite has come

(01:53):
alive with the cooler nights and solid fish up the
slot size are staging around deeper mangrove edges and creek
mouths with pinfish, pilchards and thirded glass minnows getting it
done offshore in refaction has taken the spotlight. Isla morade

(02:16):
of fishing reports say the Mahi mahi are still trickling through,
mostly schoolies running weed lines and sail fishers showing strong
with the fall run warming up down deep reef fishers
working patch reefs and deeper channel edges have loaded up

(02:36):
on yellow tail and mangrove snapper, with muttons biting for
sharp eyed drifters. Spanish mackerel of blits the edges of
the flats, especially during that falling tide, with some boats
reporting double digit catches in just a couple hours using
small spoons and live pilched chum. Best baits right now
for tarpin and snook, free lined pinfish and fresh cut

(02:59):
mulletter money, but artificial lures like doa terror eyes and
hogy paddle tails and natural colors are producing when the
live stuff is hard to find offshore. Get your ballyho
rig right for sales and keep a few silver spoons
handy for tuner and mackerel. Snapper are flashing for chunks
of pilchard, squid and even tip jigs. If you want

(03:19):
the edge, lay down a fresh chum line and be patient.
Pot spots on my list today. Channel two Bridge consistent
snoke and tarpain action near the pylons best on outgoing
tide with snapper mixed in alligator, reef patch reef yellowtail
and occasional mi plus shots at sailfish when you push
just past the drop Snake Creek early morning for baby

(03:40):
tarpin and snook, especially if you can match a low
lid tide with a big mullet run. Local chatter says
black drum have started showing up around bridge pilings and
there are whispers of the first push of big jacks
on the flats offshore. If you see birds crashing or
flying fish, get out there quick before another boat does.
Thanks for tuning in and don't forget to subscribe. This

(04:02):
has been a quiet please production. For more check out
Quiet Please dot ai