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Islamorada Fishing Report: Hunting Gamefish on the Flats and Reefs
Artificial Lure here with your Islamorada fishing report for Friday, August 15, 2025. The sunrise lit up the flats at 6:53 this morning, and we’ll see the last rays drop behind the palms around 8:01 tonight. Folks on the water early caught a calm breeze out of the east-southeast, around 12 mph, with the mercury sitting at a humid 88°F and a heat index tapping 101°F by midday, so stay hydrated out there—summer’s still packing a punch according to Marine Weather.
Tides are running on the bigger side today, as Alligator Reef's chart shows a morning low at 2:31 am, high at 8:39 am, afternoon low at 2:45 pm, and another high rolling in near 9:17 pm. That big tidal coefficient (hanging in the 80s today) is stirring up plenty of moving water, translating to strong current and increased action—gamefish are on the hunt during both ends of these swings.
Backcountry action's been firing up lately. Leatherneck Backcountry Fishing says folks are seeing solid numbers of redfish, snook, sea trout, and mangrove snapper tailing at first light, especially around Snake Creek and the Channel 2 Bridge. The hot weather means the deeper cuts and holes—find them with a good bottom reader or work familiar channels—are holding the bigger fish through the heat of the day.
Salt Strong Fishing highlights the importance of targeting those deep holes this time of year, with guides like Captain Mark “Hollywood” Johnson putting anglers on the fish by drifting shrimp-tipped jigs and small pilchards down past the ledges.
On the reef side, yellowtail snapper are biting at the crack of dawn and dusk on cut ballyhoo and slabs of squid. Further out, the mahi mahi bite is steady—smaller peanuts with the occasional gaffer—mostly caught trolling bonita strips and bright bucktail jigs past weedlines off Alligator and Islamorada Humps. Lionfish are still showing up thick on the reefs; recent derby crews tagged 321 of these invasives last weekend, so bring your pole spears and help clean up the local habitat.
If you’re sticking to lures, you can’t go wrong with pearl or chartreuse paddletails fished on a light jighead—these are crushing both sea trout and snapper in the bay. For the big bruisers like tarpon or permit, a live crab or mullet fished deep on the slack tide might just get you that run of the summer. Trolling spreaders with feathers and chuggers is turning up kingfish and the occasional wahoo around Pickles Reef.
Couple hot spots to check today: the flats northeast of Windley Key for laid-up tarpon and bones on the early flood, and the deeper channels just west of Indian Key, loaded with snapper and a few respectable grouper lurking. Offshore folks should keep an eye on the color change lines near the Islamorada Hump for mahi and blackfin.
Wrap it all up with an evening drift under the Channel 5 Bridge—plenty of mangroves and keeper yellowtails in that fast water as the sun sets.
Thanks for tuning in to the Islamorada report—I’m Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe, and for more local angling news and fresh tips, check out quietplease dot ai. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
Tides are running on the bigger side today, as Alligator Reef's chart shows a morning low at 2:31 am, high at 8:39 am, afternoon low at 2:45 pm, and another high rolling in near 9:17 pm. That big tidal coefficient (hanging in the 80s today) is stirring up plenty of moving water, translating to strong current and increased action—gamefish are on the hunt during both ends of these swings.
Backcountry action's been firing up lately. Leatherneck Backcountry Fishing says folks are seeing solid numbers of redfish, snook, sea trout, and mangrove snapper tailing at first light, especially around Snake Creek and the Channel 2 Bridge. The hot weather means the deeper cuts and holes—find them with a good bottom reader or work familiar channels—are holding the bigger fish through the heat of the day.
Salt Strong Fishing highlights the importance of targeting those deep holes this time of year, with guides like Captain Mark “Hollywood” Johnson putting anglers on the fish by drifting shrimp-tipped jigs and small pilchards down past the ledges.
On the reef side, yellowtail snapper are biting at the crack of dawn and dusk on cut ballyhoo and slabs of squid. Further out, the mahi mahi bite is steady—smaller peanuts with the occasional gaffer—mostly caught trolling bonita strips and bright bucktail jigs past weedlines off Alligator and Islamorada Humps. Lionfish are still showing up thick on the reefs; recent derby crews tagged 321 of these invasives last weekend, so bring your pole spears and help clean up the local habitat.
If you’re sticking to lures, you can’t go wrong with pearl or chartreuse paddletails fished on a light jighead—these are crushing both sea trout and snapper in the bay. For the big bruisers like tarpon or permit, a live crab or mullet fished deep on the slack tide might just get you that run of the summer. Trolling spreaders with feathers and chuggers is turning up kingfish and the occasional wahoo around Pickles Reef.
Couple hot spots to check today: the flats northeast of Windley Key for laid-up tarpon and bones on the early flood, and the deeper channels just west of Indian Key, loaded with snapper and a few respectable grouper lurking. Offshore folks should keep an eye on the color change lines near the Islamorada Hump for mahi and blackfin.
Wrap it all up with an evening drift under the Channel 5 Bridge—plenty of mangroves and keeper yellowtails in that fast water as the sun sets.
Thanks for tuning in to the Islamorada report—I’m Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe, and for more local angling news and fresh tips, check out quietplease dot ai. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
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By Quiet. PleaseArtificial Lure here with your Islamorada fishing report for Friday, August 15, 2025. The sunrise lit up the flats at 6:53 this morning, and we’ll see the last rays drop behind the palms around 8:01 tonight. Folks on the water early caught a calm breeze out of the east-southeast, around 12 mph, with the mercury sitting at a humid 88°F and a heat index tapping 101°F by midday, so stay hydrated out there—summer’s still packing a punch according to Marine Weather.
Tides are running on the bigger side today, as Alligator Reef's chart shows a morning low at 2:31 am, high at 8:39 am, afternoon low at 2:45 pm, and another high rolling in near 9:17 pm. That big tidal coefficient (hanging in the 80s today) is stirring up plenty of moving water, translating to strong current and increased action—gamefish are on the hunt during both ends of these swings.
Backcountry action's been firing up lately. Leatherneck Backcountry Fishing says folks are seeing solid numbers of redfish, snook, sea trout, and mangrove snapper tailing at first light, especially around Snake Creek and the Channel 2 Bridge. The hot weather means the deeper cuts and holes—find them with a good bottom reader or work familiar channels—are holding the bigger fish through the heat of the day.
Salt Strong Fishing highlights the importance of targeting those deep holes this time of year, with guides like Captain Mark “Hollywood” Johnson putting anglers on the fish by drifting shrimp-tipped jigs and small pilchards down past the ledges.
On the reef side, yellowtail snapper are biting at the crack of dawn and dusk on cut ballyhoo and slabs of squid. Further out, the mahi mahi bite is steady—smaller peanuts with the occasional gaffer—mostly caught trolling bonita strips and bright bucktail jigs past weedlines off Alligator and Islamorada Humps. Lionfish are still showing up thick on the reefs; recent derby crews tagged 321 of these invasives last weekend, so bring your pole spears and help clean up the local habitat.
If you’re sticking to lures, you can’t go wrong with pearl or chartreuse paddletails fished on a light jighead—these are crushing both sea trout and snapper in the bay. For the big bruisers like tarpon or permit, a live crab or mullet fished deep on the slack tide might just get you that run of the summer. Trolling spreaders with feathers and chuggers is turning up kingfish and the occasional wahoo around Pickles Reef.
Couple hot spots to check today: the flats northeast of Windley Key for laid-up tarpon and bones on the early flood, and the deeper channels just west of Indian Key, loaded with snapper and a few respectable grouper lurking. Offshore folks should keep an eye on the color change lines near the Islamorada Hump for mahi and blackfin.
Wrap it all up with an evening drift under the Channel 5 Bridge—plenty of mangroves and keeper yellowtails in that fast water as the sun sets.
Thanks for tuning in to the Islamorada report—I’m Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe, and for more local angling news and fresh tips, check out quietplease dot ai. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
Tides are running on the bigger side today, as Alligator Reef's chart shows a morning low at 2:31 am, high at 8:39 am, afternoon low at 2:45 pm, and another high rolling in near 9:17 pm. That big tidal coefficient (hanging in the 80s today) is stirring up plenty of moving water, translating to strong current and increased action—gamefish are on the hunt during both ends of these swings.
Backcountry action's been firing up lately. Leatherneck Backcountry Fishing says folks are seeing solid numbers of redfish, snook, sea trout, and mangrove snapper tailing at first light, especially around Snake Creek and the Channel 2 Bridge. The hot weather means the deeper cuts and holes—find them with a good bottom reader or work familiar channels—are holding the bigger fish through the heat of the day.
Salt Strong Fishing highlights the importance of targeting those deep holes this time of year, with guides like Captain Mark “Hollywood” Johnson putting anglers on the fish by drifting shrimp-tipped jigs and small pilchards down past the ledges.
On the reef side, yellowtail snapper are biting at the crack of dawn and dusk on cut ballyhoo and slabs of squid. Further out, the mahi mahi bite is steady—smaller peanuts with the occasional gaffer—mostly caught trolling bonita strips and bright bucktail jigs past weedlines off Alligator and Islamorada Humps. Lionfish are still showing up thick on the reefs; recent derby crews tagged 321 of these invasives last weekend, so bring your pole spears and help clean up the local habitat.
If you’re sticking to lures, you can’t go wrong with pearl or chartreuse paddletails fished on a light jighead—these are crushing both sea trout and snapper in the bay. For the big bruisers like tarpon or permit, a live crab or mullet fished deep on the slack tide might just get you that run of the summer. Trolling spreaders with feathers and chuggers is turning up kingfish and the occasional wahoo around Pickles Reef.
Couple hot spots to check today: the flats northeast of Windley Key for laid-up tarpon and bones on the early flood, and the deeper channels just west of Indian Key, loaded with snapper and a few respectable grouper lurking. Offshore folks should keep an eye on the color change lines near the Islamorada Hump for mahi and blackfin.
Wrap it all up with an evening drift under the Channel 5 Bridge—plenty of mangroves and keeper yellowtails in that fast water as the sun sets.
Thanks for tuning in to the Islamorada report—I’m Artificial Lure. Don’t forget to subscribe, and for more local angling news and fresh tips, check out quietplease dot ai. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn