Islamorada dawned with a picture-perfect Sunday. Sunrise is at 6:50 a.m. and sunset will be 8:06 p.m., giving anglers a long, warm Florida summer day to chase bites. Weather’s mostly calm, a touch of humid wind early and some scattered clouds, but expect the heat to rise through midday—a classic August in the Keys.

Shallow waters are coming off a low tide around 5:41 a.m., building toward the morning high tide about 11:09 a.m. (That’s prime time for reef and flats action! According to Tide-Forecast.com, the incoming tides will keep things moving right through the afternoon.) Strong tidal coefficients mean good current and plenty of fish movement, so plan your sets around those peak flows.

Reports from yesterday show solid backcountry and reef catches. Mangrove snapper are thick this week—most boats pulling limits with fish up to 16 inches. Pilchards and fresh shrimp are working best on the snapper, rigged light to keep it natural. Some keeper mutton snapper are showing near deeper patch reefs just outside Snake Creek and Davis Reef. Try a small live grunt or Ballyhoo fished near the bottom.

Offshore, there’s a good dolphin (mahi) bite running past Alligator Reef. Most of the schoolies are 5–10 lbs, but several boats worked outside on color changes and scored 18-lb gaffers yesterday. Bright feather trolling lures—especially in blue-white and pink—are getting hit. Chunks of squid or bonito strip also reliable.

Tarpon remains excellent at sunset and just after sunrise, especially around Channel Two Bridge and Long Key. Bahia Honda is producing big silver kings on live small blue crabs, the hottest ticket for locals according to Captain Rich Smith. Juvenile tarpon are chasing Bass Assassin 5″ Shad baits rigged weedless; cast deep into mangrove shadow lines for explosive strikes.

Permit are cruising the flats. If you’re up for technical sight fishing, toss a live crab or a classic Merkin crab fly on quiet afternoon push. Bonefish are scattering across the ocean side flats near Lower Matecumbe—they’re picky, so go light and stealthy with fresh shrimp or small pink bucktail jigs.

Grouper news is good—there’s an emergency catch limit increase on Gulf red grouper per NOAA Fisheries, so the wrecks and channels between Lignumvitae and Alligator Reef are worth a run. Heavy jigs tipped with big pinfish or dead ballyhoo are producing for folks drifting.

Best bait lately: live pilchards, shrimp, crab, and pinfish for bottom and reef; squid and bonito strip for trolling. Top artificial lures are Bass Assassin shads, DOA TerrorEyz, and Yozuri crystal minnows (especially at first light).

A couple of hot spots for today:
- Davis Reef: Snapper and grouper, especially near the ledges in 25–40 feet.
- Channel Two Bridge: For tarpon on both tides, and plenty of action on mangrove snapper near the current seams.
- Alligator Reef: Mahi sight-fishing and trolling just past the lighthouse, plus mutton snapper around rubble patches.

Water clarity is excellent, with just enough sargassum to hold bait and cruising fish. Watch out for some afternoon thunderstorms brewing off the Atlantic.

Get those leaders light and your hooks sharp; fish have been aggressive early with the high moving water, slacking just after the tide turns, then hitting again right before sunset. With steady bait and active predators, it’s hard to go wrong anywhere from the bridges out to the reef.

Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure’s Islamorada report. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss the bite.

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