Florida Keys & Miami Fishing Report: Pelagics, Grouper, Reds & Tarpon Heating Up for Summer

This is Artificial Lure with your May 14, 2025 fishing report for the Florida Keys and Miami waters.

The sun rose at 6:38 AM and will set tonight around 7:55 PM, giving us a full day of prime fishing conditions. Warm, calm weather is setting the summer pattern, and light winds have kept the seas comfortable. Tides today are moderate, with the early morning incoming tide and the late afternoon outgoing tide being the most productive windows.

Pelagic fishing off Miami has been solid. Blackfin tuna and kingfish are hitting regularly along the edge, especially in the mornings and evenings. Kingfish up to 30 pounds have been landed this week, and there’s been a steady pick of blackfin tuna. Mahi mahi are just starting to trickle in offshore, but they’re scattered, so keep moving until you find them. Wahoo are an occasional surprise, so running wire leaders is a smart move[1][4][5].

Anglers are seeing better bottom fishing as grouper season just opened. Red grouper and mutton snapper are coming off the wrecks, especially during active tides. It’s also a solid time for amberjack and the occasional rare American red snapper[1].

In the Florida Keys, the inshore bite is heating up. Redfish have been active across the flats, especially in the early part of the day. Tarpon action is picking up with the big migration pushing through, so bridge channels and ocean-side passes are holding fish. Snook and juvenile tarpon are steady targets around mangroves and backcountry channels[2][3][5].

For lures and bait, here’s what’s working:
- Offshore: Live pilchards, threadfin herring, and bonito strips on drift rigs are top choices for kingfish and tuna. Trolling small feathers and squid skirts will get mahi. Run deep divers or planers for wahoo.
- Bottom: Live pinfish, ballyhoo, or large chunks of fresh bait are best for grouper and mutton snapper.
- Inshore: Topwater plugs and weedless soft plastics are drawing redfish and snook on the flats. For tarpon, live mullet or crabs near bridges and passes at dusk and dawn are producing.
Hot spots to hit today include the reef edge off Fowey Rocks for kingfish and blackfin, Islamorada’s Hump for scattered mahi, and the flats off Marathon for redfish and the early morning tarpon bite. The Seven Mile Bridge is a classic tarpon hotspot that’s seeing plenty of rolling fish.

Action is only going to heat up as the tides and moon align over the coming weeks. Tight lines and see you out on the water!