This week in the Keys is textbook summer: flat mornings, blue water pushing in close, and enough options that the hardest part is picking a direction before the sea breeze kicks up.
What’s Hitting
Permit are the marquee target, stacked on the Gulf and Atlantic wrecks in solid numbers. Offshore, mahi remain steady along the weedlines and current edges in 400 to 800 feet, with a better grade showing up on the deeper color changes. Mangrove snapper are ganging up on the patch reefs ahead of the summer spawn, and tarpon are still around the bridges, though the spring crowds of fish have thinned.
Where to Find Them
The wrecks in 60 to 120 feet on both sides are holding permit — drift them quietly and watch for fish flashing mid-column. Mahi hunting means running until you find a defined weedline or a working frigate bird; do not waste hours trolling dead water. Snapper are on the patches in 20 to 40 feet from Key Largo to Key West.
Tides & Conditions
Light southeast wind early in the week should keep the ocean side comfortable through mid-morning. Bridge tarpon want the last of the outgoing at dawn and dusk. Afternoon storms are a daily event — plan your run home accordingly.
Tackle & Tactics
Permit on the wrecks are a live-crab game: a small blue crab or pass crab drifted on a 4/0 circle hook with just enough lead to get down. For mahi, have a pitch rod rigged with a chunk of ballyhoo ready before you leave the dock. Snapper on the patches respond to a steady chum line and small baits on 20-pound fluorocarbon.
Local Intel This Week
Founders Park in Islamorada and Harry Harris Park in Tavernier are the reliable public ramps in the Upper Keys, with the Key West City Marina ramp serving the far end of the chain. Fish are concentrating on the mid-depth wrecks and the offshore weedlines more than the flats this week. Mangrove snapper and mutton snapper rules differ between state and federal waters down here — check current FWC and federal regulations before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
On the wrecks, the first drift is the money drift. Set up well up-current, kill the motor early, and make that first presentation count before the permit know you are there. Three quiet drifts beat ten noisy ones.