Good morning from the Florida Keys, this is Artificial Lure with your fishing report for Wednesday, April 23, 2025. The bite’s been heating up as spring settles in and the water temperatures are finally moving out of those unseasonably cool mid-70s we saw last week.

Sunrise was at 6:53 am with sunset expected around 7:48 pm tonight. Tides are running favorable for much of the day with a moderate morning flood and a late afternoon ebb—always prime times to get lines in the water.

Weather today is classic Keys: clear skies, light winds, and plenty of sun, making for ideal spring fishing conditions. The past few days have seen a nice warming trend, pulling fish onto the flats and reefs as the migration steps up a notch.

Inshore, the early tarpon migration is underway, and the bridges—especially Long Key and Channel 5—are already producing action. Big tarpon are stacking up on the outgoing tides. Anglers drifting live mullet or crabs, especially after dark or at dawn, are doing well. For artificial fans, try big swimbaits or black and purple flies for those evening bites. Juvenile tarpon are popping up in backcountry creeks, and the snook bite remains steady, with some chunky redfish showing again in their old haunts[1][2][3][4].

Out on the flats, there’s good news for bonefish chasers—sight fishing has been productive on the right tides, with several fish landed on shrimp-tipped jigs and classic epoxy flies. Permit action has picked up a bit too, but you’ll need stealth on approach; the bigger schools are still a bit scattered after a tough winter. Try live crabs or small live shrimp, and don’t overlook a well-presented crab-pattern fly[2][4].

Offshore, mahi-mahi are tearing up trolled ballyhoo and brightly colored skirts along weed lines and reef edges. April is always a good month for Dolphin and this week’s action is no exception. Tuna and kingfish are also active on the color change, and the bottom fishers are scoring yellowtail snapper and yellowedge grouper by deep dropping with fresh bait. Grouper season opens soon, and catches are already strong[3][5].

Top baits right now: live mullet, pilchards, crabs, and shrimp for inshore species; ballyhoo and bonita strips for trolling offshore. On the artificial side, big paddle tail swimbaits and topwater plugs are drawing strikes from both snook and tarpon.

Hot spots this week: Channel 5 Bridge for tarpon, the flats around Islamorada for bonefish and redfish, and the outer reef lines off Marathon for mahi-mahi and yellowtail.

Plenty of fish and plenty of spring sunshine—it's shaping up to be a fantastic week in the Keys. Tight lines, and see you on the water!