Artificial Lure here, bringing you your fresh Florida Keys fishing report for Sunday, October 5th, 2025.
Sun’s coming up at 7:20 AM, with sunset at 7:09 PM. Key West tides today kick off with a low tide around 2:27 AM, then high tide peaking at 9:15 AM—it’s a solid swing, with another low at 3:04 PM and the final high of the night rolling in at 9:32 PM. These strong tidal shifts are setting up some prime feeding windows, especially on the incoming tide this morning according to Tide-Forecast.com and NOAA.
The weather’s classic early October: balmy, holding in the high 70s and low 80s through the day, with a gentle east breeze pushing about 9 knots. Slight chop over the nearshore flats, but offshore’s looking pretty comfortable if you’re venturing out for mahi or sails.
Fish activity is fired up—October’s making the reef come alive. Daily Fish Report for the Florida Keys notes mangrove snapper and yellowtail are thick just outside the bridges, with a good bite on fresh shrimp and pilchard. Grouper (especially black and gag) remain steady on the structure near the reef edge, and the offshore pelagics are running strong—mahi mahi are hitting ballyhoo and trolling skirts out past the drop-offs. Reports from Captain Experiences echo plenty of mutton snapper, lane snapper, permit, and some late-season tarpon shadowing the bridges in the early morning hours, bending rods for anglers throwing live crabs and jumbo shrimp.
Redfish and black drum are pushing into the backcountry mazes by Flamingo, and speckled trout mixed in around the grass beds—light tackle and popping plugs have been productive.
Artificial lures—this week’s standouts have been chrome and chartreuse bucktail jigs, soft jerkbaits (think gulp shrimp in new penny), and diving minnow plugs for that reactive snapper strike. For topwater, early morning walks with a bone or mullet-pattern Spook are drawing explosive hits near the mangroves at first light. Ballyhoo and pilchard remain the top fresh bait for offshore drift, especially when you’re targeting bigger mahi and sails, with reports of good hook-ups on pilchard chunks at the color change.
Best bait for the reef—live shrimp or small pinfish under a knocker rig. Offshore? Rig up with skirted ballyhoo or even try bonito strips for the heavier predators.
Hot spots today:
- The east side of Channel Two Bridge at Lower Matecumbe is producing heavy snapper and good grouper action on the incoming tide. The tidal coefficient’s on the high side, so look for strong current and fish holding tight to structure.
- Smathers Beach for land-based twilight trout and mackerel; walk the shoreline during the major bite windows around sunrise and sunset for best results.
- The Westin and Safe Harbor marinas in Key West—both kicking up mangrove snapper and small permit for those working with live shrimp under poppin’ corks, especially around the dock lights at night.
- Offshore, push out past the reef edge into 200-500 feet; look for weed lines, floating debris, and birds to spot the mahi, which are aggressive on trolled ballyhoo and brightly colored artificial skirts.
For newcomers, if in doubt, stick to your basics: fresh shrimp for snapper, ballyhoo for mahi, and jerkbaits for inshore action. Local guides are seeing rods bent nearly every trip, so whether you’re bottom fishing, throwing artificials, or trolling skirts, there’s a bite waiting.
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