Keys & Miami Fishing Report: Winter Bliss, Bait Bonanza, and Offshore Ambush

Hey y'all, Artificial Lure here, your go-to Keys and Miami fishing guru, hittin' you with the Saturday morning report from the turquoise waters down south. It's January 3rd, 2026, sun's risin' around 6:58 AM in Key West and settin' at 5:38 PM, with high solunar activity today per Tides4Fishing charts—prime feedin' windows 'round dawn and dusk, moon risin' southeast at 6:52 AM.

Tides are lookin' solid: Key West shows low at 4:37 AM (-0.5 ft), high 11:24 AM (1.1 ft), low 3:30 PM (0.5 ft), evenin' high 10:23 PM (2.5 ft). Miami Beach similar—low 2:31 AM (-0.4 ft), high 8:58 AM (3.4 ft), low 3:07 PM (0.2 ft), high 9:05 PM (3.1 ft). Fish gonna push bait on the incoming—hit that 8-11 AM window hard.

Weather's classic winter Keys: light winds 5-10 knots from the east per NDBC marine forecast, temps in the low 70s daytime, clear skies mostly. Water's 72-75 degrees, perfect for winter patterns.

Action's heatin' up—locals report snook and reds stackin' in the mangroves, Limits on mangrove snapper and hogfish offshore, with sails and mahi poppin' the troll. Recent catches from Fort Lauderdale guides like JP McKay note strong inshore bites on shad and live shrimp, while Pompano boys like Mark The Shark pullin' kings and cobia nearshore. Amounts? Dozens per trip on good days, tarpon showin' early ghosts in channels.

Best lures: Mirror Dipsy divers or Rapala X-Raps in chrome for sails, soft plastics like DOA shrimp for trout and reds. Bait kings: live pilchards or shrimp, threadfin herring if you can net 'em. Fish the outgoing for bottom dwellers.

Hot spots: Islamorada Humptree for blackfin tuna, and Government Cut in Miami for bull dolphins pushin' bait schools.

Rig up tight, stay safe out there—check currents!

Thanks for tunin' in, folks—subscribe for daily bites! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI