Good morning from Islamorada, folks—Artificial Lure here, bringing you your fishing report for Friday, August 8th, 2025. Sunrise cracked the horizon at 6:50 AM, and we’ll fish through sunset at 8:06 PM, giving everyone a full day to chase that next big catch. Weather’s holding calm winds and sunny spells after a touch of cloud cover yesterday—a classic late-summer Keys pattern, with the barometer steady and that air thick with humidity. Perfect for stalking both inshore and offshore action.

Tides today are gentle but move enough to get things biting, with a high tide just after 4 AM and again right before 5 PM. The midday slack around 1 PM means inshore and backcountry hunters can target rips and edge current until it slows, then reposition for the late afternoon push according to Tide-Forecast.com.

Recent catches around Islamorada are living up to summer legend—guides with Captain Experiences and Islamorada Tarpon report good numbers of snapper, tarpon, and bonus species like cobia, while offshoreinlilly on Instagram shared a sweet haul of mahi just yesterday for “dinner and a dolphin show.” Out in the backcountry, it’s all about snapper, tarpon, snook, and the occasional barracuda—with solid numbers of mangrove snapper holding tight around patch reefs and bridge pilings, perfect for those looking to fill the cooler. Midnight Fly Charters notes tripletail and jack crevalle are also patrolling the trap lines and channel markers, while a few slots of permit and bones have been sighted along local flats. Not as fiery as spring, but summer is steady with action.

Offshore, mahi (dolphin) are active along weedlines in the 200–600 ft range—gather up your small, flashy skirted ballyhoo and trolling feathers; green-and-yellow or blue and silver have been king lately. For live bait, pilchards and cigar minnows are the winning ticket when you can score ‘em. Deep color changes and debris lines are the go-to, especially around Alligator Reef.

Tarpon bite got a spark again this week around first light and sunset; Capt. Rick Stanczyk’s tarpon outings are finding late summer fish rolling with those high tides. Topwater plugs and live mullet or crab are prime in the evening, and natural baits like cut ladyfish are still producing on the swing of that incoming water.

Inshore, mangrove snapper are thick—small bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp, pilchard, or squid keep things simple and effective. Plenty of folks running the bridges at Channel 2 and Channel 5 are limiting out before lunchtime. Around the potholes, try gold spoons and MirrOlure suspending twitchbaits for snook and juvenile tarpon. If you’re hitting the flats for bones or permit, nothing beats a well-placed live crab or a small, tan or olive fly like a Crazy Charlie.

For those targeting jacks and pompano—both active early and late—Ultimate Fishing Site recommends spoons, jigs, and Gotcha plugs for jacks, banana jigs for pompano, and sand fleas or shrimp for natural baits.

A couple of today’s hot spots:
- Alligator Reef: productive for mahi early; look for sargassum lines and color changes.
- Channel 2 and Channel 5 bridges: best early for snapper, jacks, and the odd tarpon rolling at dawn.
- Snake Creek and Patch Reefs: consistent for snapper, juvenile grouper, and a grab-bag of summer action.

Quick reminder: With lobster season just underway, make sure you’re following all regulations—FWC made headlines this week after a big bust on some out-of-season lobster poachers in Grassy Key, so have your paperwork right and leave those undersized bugs alone.

That’s the bite for today in paradise. Tight lines out there and safe boating—remember to respect the water, the sun, and your fellow anglers. Thanks for tuning in; don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of local fishing reports.

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