Winter Wonderland: Miami and Keys Fishing Report with Artificial Lure

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Florida Keys–Miami fishing report.

Around Miami and the Upper Keys we’ve got a classic winter pattern setting up: cooler mornings, light northeast breeze early, picking up mid‑day with a little chop on the outside reef. Local marine forecasts are calling mid‑70s air temps, water in the low‑ to mid‑70s, mostly clear skies with a few passing showers offshore. Sunrise clocks in right around 7:00 a.m., sunset near 5:30 p.m., giving you prime low‑light windows on both ends.

Tides are friendly today. Fishingreminder’s Miami Beach table shows a low just after daybreak and a solid afternoon high, with major feeding windows roughly dawn and late afternoon into dusk. Down the road in the Keys, sites like Tides4Fishing for Key Largo and Key West are showing similar two‑cycle tides, with good moving water late morning and again toward evening. Work those tide changes hard.

Fish activity’s been strong the last couple of weeks. Captain and charter reports out of the Keys and Miami are talking steady reef action on **yellowtail snapper**, **muttons**, **mangroves**, plus **cero mackerel**, **yellow jack**, and scattered **mahi** offshore. One recent Keys trip detailed coolers of lobster, snapper, cero macks, and yellow jack, along with big life on the reef like goliath grouper and hammerheads. Offshore Miami, boats working the edge have been finding schoolie mahi with a few nicer gaffers mixed in when the weedlines set up.

Best baits right now:
- On the reef: **live pilchards**, ballyhoo, and shrimp on light leaders; cut squid and silversides for the smaller tails.
- Inshore: live shrimp, finger mullet, small pilchards for snook, tarpon, and jacks around bridges and lights.
- Offshore: live or rigged ballyhoo and pilchards, plus strips behind skirts.

Best lures:
- For reef macks and jacks: 1–2 oz chrome spoons, white or chartreuse bucktails, and small diving plugs.
- For inshore around the lights: 3–4 inch paddletails in pearl or New Penny, MirrOlure MR17s, small twitch baits.
- For mahi: small chuggers and bullet heads in blue/white or pink/white, trolled or pitched to fish on the surface.

Couple hot spots to aim at:
- **Government Cut and North Miami jetties/bridges**: Great for early‑morning snook, jacks, tarpon, and mackerel on the outgoing. Work live shrimp or pilchards with the tide, keep a spoon ready for surface busts.
- **Islamorada and Key Largo reef line (Humpty Dumpty, Davis, Alligator)**: Anchor on the edge in 40–80 feet, chum heavy. Yellowtail and muttons underneath, with cero and kings sliding through the slick. Keep one flatline way back with a live pilchard for a sail or big king.

Plan your day around that first light low tide pushing to incoming, then the afternoon high as the sun drops. Light leaders, natural presentations, and staying flexible between live bait and small hardware will make the difference.

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