Fishing in and around the Florida Keys and Miami today, August 6th, 2025, brought classic late-summer conditions and plenty of opportunities for anglers willing to work the tides and dodge a pop-up shower or two. Sunrise came early at 6:49 AM with sunset not till 8:03 PM, offering a lengthy, sun-soaked window to get after it.

The tides ran a bit on the modest side today with the first high tide peaking at 5:35 AM around Miami Beach, dropping to low at 11:59 AM, and then a steady rise to the evening’s 6:35 PM high. Over in the Keys, Key West began with a low at 1:06 AM, a solid high at 8:07 AM, a second low at 3:26 PM, and another high at 10:03 PM. That’s a tidal coefficient starting low at 48 but rising toward 59-70 by nightfall, so currents were mild but building as the day progressed—ideal for picking apart patch reefs and channels around high slack.

Weatherwise, a gentle breeze out of the east kept things comfortable, though everyone out on the water noticed the odd shower rolling through, courtesy of a weak tropical wave shifting conditions throughout the afternoon. According to the National Weather Service out of Key West, expect gentle winds 10 knots or less and a light chop on the bay waters—a touch of drizzle but nothing to keep folks off the bite.

Let’s dig into the fishing itself. Inshore, the sea trout and mangrove snapper bite has been solid early mornings and evenings, especially drifting grass flats or working mangrove edges. Pilchards, live shrimp, and small pinfish have been the ticket if you’re soaking bait under a popping cork, but if you prefer artificials, soft plastics on a jighead—think Z-Man MinnowZ or Gulp! Swimming Mullet—are getting hit hard. Tarpon are still cruising channels around the bridges at dusk and dawn, hitting both live mullet and free-lined crabs. The summer snook pattern is firing around dock lights and structure with topwater plugs and large paddle-tail swimbaits after dark.

Offshore action is focused on mahi-mahi (dolphin) and blackfin tuna, running weedlines and looking for bird activity past the reef edge. The best reports today have been coming around Alligator Reef and out near the Humps out of Islamorada. Trolling small skirted ballyhoo or chugging pilchards behind the boat have both put mahi in the box. For tuna, vertical jigs and butterfly jigs dropped around deeper wrecks have accounted for plenty of blackfin, especially in the early morning. Remember, as noted by Baitmasters, ballyhoo are off-limits in August due to seasonal closures, so you’ll want to stock up on squid, mullet, bonito strips, or rigged artificials before heading offshore.

On the reef itself, yellowtail snapper are biting best on the evening tide with cut bait and small jigs—chumming heavy draws in flag-size fish. Grouper and mutton snapper can be taken on live pinfish or chunk baits fished deep on wrecks and rocky structure, especially during that first push of high water.

For best results, local anglers point to two hotspots:
1. Alligator Reef Light (off Islamorada) for pelagics and mixed-bag reef action.
2. Doctors Arm in the Lower Keys for inshore snapper and mixed species, especially with the rising tide.

With all this in mind, the summer pattern is in full swing—work the tides, follow the bait, and be ready to move if a storm pops up. Grab your live bait at the docks early, or carry a solid selection of swimbaits, jerk shads, and topwater plugs. The fish are out there, and with the right game plan and respect for the changing summer weather, you’ll find plenty of bent rods across the Keys and Miami waters.

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