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Islamorada Fishing Report: Mahi, Tuna, and Snapper Biting in the Keys
Artificial Lure here with your Islamorada local fishing report for November 18th, 2025.
Today in Islamorada, we’re kicking off with **calm, mild weather**—expect light easterly winds around 10 to 15 knots, tapering off as the morning rolls in and seas holding steady around 1 to 2 feet. That’s classic Keys fall fishing weather: comfortable for both inshore skiffs and offshore center consoles. **Sunrise happened at 6:38 AM, and sunset will close the day at 5:37 PM.**
**Tides are mellow but important.** According to TidesChart.com, we had a low tide this morning around 9:26 AM and a high around 3:09 PM—both less than a foot in swing. This means your best bets for action are shifting water windows, not slack, so time those lines with the moving tides.
Now, for the **fish that are biting**: Reports out of local boats and Bud N’ Mary’s tell us mahi are still hanging offshore, especially along color changes and floating debris between 600 and 1,200 feet. Tuna—especially blackfin—have been moving strong in 200-400 feet; expect to find them busting just outside the Islamorada Hump. Bonito are mixed in, keeping things lively if your arms need a workout.
Inshore and around the bridges, snapper—from **mangrove** to **yellowtail**—are thick at night and during the early tide changes. Pilchards and live shrimp on a light jighead or freelined are catching limits. At the bridges, especially Channel 2 and Channel 5, the **mutton snapper** bite remains hot, with some solid fish reported in the last two days—best on live pinfish or a fresh chunk of mullet dropped near the pilings. There’s still a few tarpon lingering around the bridges as well, especially near sunset, but most of the giants have moved out for the season.
Reef action is producing **schoolie kingfish**, plus some nice barracuda and the ever-present jacks. Look for kingfish on the edge in 80-120 feet—drift a live pilchard or blue runner beneath a stinger rig and hold on. And for those hunting trophies, a couple wahoo have made surprise appearances around deep structure, likely pushed in by cleaner water and bait schools.
**Best baits and lures today:** Offshore, you can’t beat a trolled ballyhoo rigged with a blue/white skirt or a Williamson Speed Pro deep diver for mahi and tuna. Inshore, live pilchards are gold right now—if you can net them at first light, you’re “in the fish.” If not, frozen shrimp on a jig will get a mixed bag. For lures, try NLBN paddle tails or a silver Yo-Zuri Twitchbait along the mangroves for snook and snapper. Near the humps, vertical jigging with bucktail or butterfly jigs is pulling solid blackfins.
**A couple of hotspots locals are raving about:**
- **Islamorada Hump:** Blackfin tuna in the early hours; try vertical jigs or live runners drifted deep.
- **Channel 2 Bridge:** A steady night bite for mangrove and mutton snapper—anchoring up current and chumming is your best move.
Bridge and reef regulars have also reported **good catches of lane and yellowtail snapper**, and spearfishers landed a pile of lionfish over the weekend, helping out the reefs.
That’s your November 18th rundown from Islamorada—where the fish are biting, the water’s clear, and the tides are right. Thanks for tuning in. Don’t forget to subscribe for more local insight, and keep those lines tight.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Today in Islamorada, we’re kicking off with **calm, mild weather**—expect light easterly winds around 10 to 15 knots, tapering off as the morning rolls in and seas holding steady around 1 to 2 feet. That’s classic Keys fall fishing weather: comfortable for both inshore skiffs and offshore center consoles. **Sunrise happened at 6:38 AM, and sunset will close the day at 5:37 PM.**
**Tides are mellow but important.** According to TidesChart.com, we had a low tide this morning around 9:26 AM and a high around 3:09 PM—both less than a foot in swing. This means your best bets for action are shifting water windows, not slack, so time those lines with the moving tides.
Now, for the **fish that are biting**: Reports out of local boats and Bud N’ Mary’s tell us mahi are still hanging offshore, especially along color changes and floating debris between 600 and 1,200 feet. Tuna—especially blackfin—have been moving strong in 200-400 feet; expect to find them busting just outside the Islamorada Hump. Bonito are mixed in, keeping things lively if your arms need a workout.
Inshore and around the bridges, snapper—from **mangrove** to **yellowtail**—are thick at night and during the early tide changes. Pilchards and live shrimp on a light jighead or freelined are catching limits. At the bridges, especially Channel 2 and Channel 5, the **mutton snapper** bite remains hot, with some solid fish reported in the last two days—best on live pinfish or a fresh chunk of mullet dropped near the pilings. There’s still a few tarpon lingering around the bridges as well, especially near sunset, but most of the giants have moved out for the season.
Reef action is producing **schoolie kingfish**, plus some nice barracuda and the ever-present jacks. Look for kingfish on the edge in 80-120 feet—drift a live pilchard or blue runner beneath a stinger rig and hold on. And for those hunting trophies, a couple wahoo have made surprise appearances around deep structure, likely pushed in by cleaner water and bait schools.
**Best baits and lures today:** Offshore, you can’t beat a trolled ballyhoo rigged with a blue/white skirt or a Williamson Speed Pro deep diver for mahi and tuna. Inshore, live pilchards are gold right now—if you can net them at first light, you’re “in the fish.” If not, frozen shrimp on a jig will get a mixed bag. For lures, try NLBN paddle tails or a silver Yo-Zuri Twitchbait along the mangroves for snook and snapper. Near the humps, vertical jigging with bucktail or butterfly jigs is pulling solid blackfins.
**A couple of hotspots locals are raving about:**
- **Islamorada Hump:** Blackfin tuna in the early hours; try vertical jigs or live runners drifted deep.
- **Channel 2 Bridge:** A steady night bite for mangrove and mutton snapper—anchoring up current and chumming is your best move.
Bridge and reef regulars have also reported **good catches of lane and yellowtail snapper**, and spearfishers landed a pile of lionfish over the weekend, helping out the reefs.
That’s your November 18th rundown from Islamorada—where the fish are biting, the water’s clear, and the tides are right. Thanks for tuning in. Don’t forget to subscribe for more local insight, and keep those lines tight.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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By Inception Point AiArtificial Lure here with your Islamorada local fishing report for November 18th, 2025.
Today in Islamorada, we’re kicking off with **calm, mild weather**—expect light easterly winds around 10 to 15 knots, tapering off as the morning rolls in and seas holding steady around 1 to 2 feet. That’s classic Keys fall fishing weather: comfortable for both inshore skiffs and offshore center consoles. **Sunrise happened at 6:38 AM, and sunset will close the day at 5:37 PM.**
**Tides are mellow but important.** According to TidesChart.com, we had a low tide this morning around 9:26 AM and a high around 3:09 PM—both less than a foot in swing. This means your best bets for action are shifting water windows, not slack, so time those lines with the moving tides.
Now, for the **fish that are biting**: Reports out of local boats and Bud N’ Mary’s tell us mahi are still hanging offshore, especially along color changes and floating debris between 600 and 1,200 feet. Tuna—especially blackfin—have been moving strong in 200-400 feet; expect to find them busting just outside the Islamorada Hump. Bonito are mixed in, keeping things lively if your arms need a workout.
Inshore and around the bridges, snapper—from **mangrove** to **yellowtail**—are thick at night and during the early tide changes. Pilchards and live shrimp on a light jighead or freelined are catching limits. At the bridges, especially Channel 2 and Channel 5, the **mutton snapper** bite remains hot, with some solid fish reported in the last two days—best on live pinfish or a fresh chunk of mullet dropped near the pilings. There’s still a few tarpon lingering around the bridges as well, especially near sunset, but most of the giants have moved out for the season.
Reef action is producing **schoolie kingfish**, plus some nice barracuda and the ever-present jacks. Look for kingfish on the edge in 80-120 feet—drift a live pilchard or blue runner beneath a stinger rig and hold on. And for those hunting trophies, a couple wahoo have made surprise appearances around deep structure, likely pushed in by cleaner water and bait schools.
**Best baits and lures today:** Offshore, you can’t beat a trolled ballyhoo rigged with a blue/white skirt or a Williamson Speed Pro deep diver for mahi and tuna. Inshore, live pilchards are gold right now—if you can net them at first light, you’re “in the fish.” If not, frozen shrimp on a jig will get a mixed bag. For lures, try NLBN paddle tails or a silver Yo-Zuri Twitchbait along the mangroves for snook and snapper. Near the humps, vertical jigging with bucktail or butterfly jigs is pulling solid blackfins.
**A couple of hotspots locals are raving about:**
- **Islamorada Hump:** Blackfin tuna in the early hours; try vertical jigs or live runners drifted deep.
- **Channel 2 Bridge:** A steady night bite for mangrove and mutton snapper—anchoring up current and chumming is your best move.
Bridge and reef regulars have also reported **good catches of lane and yellowtail snapper**, and spearfishers landed a pile of lionfish over the weekend, helping out the reefs.
That’s your November 18th rundown from Islamorada—where the fish are biting, the water’s clear, and the tides are right. Thanks for tuning in. Don’t forget to subscribe for more local insight, and keep those lines tight.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
Today in Islamorada, we’re kicking off with **calm, mild weather**—expect light easterly winds around 10 to 15 knots, tapering off as the morning rolls in and seas holding steady around 1 to 2 feet. That’s classic Keys fall fishing weather: comfortable for both inshore skiffs and offshore center consoles. **Sunrise happened at 6:38 AM, and sunset will close the day at 5:37 PM.**
**Tides are mellow but important.** According to TidesChart.com, we had a low tide this morning around 9:26 AM and a high around 3:09 PM—both less than a foot in swing. This means your best bets for action are shifting water windows, not slack, so time those lines with the moving tides.
Now, for the **fish that are biting**: Reports out of local boats and Bud N’ Mary’s tell us mahi are still hanging offshore, especially along color changes and floating debris between 600 and 1,200 feet. Tuna—especially blackfin—have been moving strong in 200-400 feet; expect to find them busting just outside the Islamorada Hump. Bonito are mixed in, keeping things lively if your arms need a workout.
Inshore and around the bridges, snapper—from **mangrove** to **yellowtail**—are thick at night and during the early tide changes. Pilchards and live shrimp on a light jighead or freelined are catching limits. At the bridges, especially Channel 2 and Channel 5, the **mutton snapper** bite remains hot, with some solid fish reported in the last two days—best on live pinfish or a fresh chunk of mullet dropped near the pilings. There’s still a few tarpon lingering around the bridges as well, especially near sunset, but most of the giants have moved out for the season.
Reef action is producing **schoolie kingfish**, plus some nice barracuda and the ever-present jacks. Look for kingfish on the edge in 80-120 feet—drift a live pilchard or blue runner beneath a stinger rig and hold on. And for those hunting trophies, a couple wahoo have made surprise appearances around deep structure, likely pushed in by cleaner water and bait schools.
**Best baits and lures today:** Offshore, you can’t beat a trolled ballyhoo rigged with a blue/white skirt or a Williamson Speed Pro deep diver for mahi and tuna. Inshore, live pilchards are gold right now—if you can net them at first light, you’re “in the fish.” If not, frozen shrimp on a jig will get a mixed bag. For lures, try NLBN paddle tails or a silver Yo-Zuri Twitchbait along the mangroves for snook and snapper. Near the humps, vertical jigging with bucktail or butterfly jigs is pulling solid blackfins.
**A couple of hotspots locals are raving about:**
- **Islamorada Hump:** Blackfin tuna in the early hours; try vertical jigs or live runners drifted deep.
- **Channel 2 Bridge:** A steady night bite for mangrove and mutton snapper—anchoring up current and chumming is your best move.
Bridge and reef regulars have also reported **good catches of lane and yellowtail snapper**, and spearfishers landed a pile of lionfish over the weekend, helping out the reefs.
That’s your November 18th rundown from Islamorada—where the fish are biting, the water’s clear, and the tides are right. Thanks for tuning in. Don’t forget to subscribe for more local insight, and keep those lines tight.
This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI