August in the Keys is a heat-and-patience month. Flats water is running near 90 in the afternoon and the bonefish have largely gone nocturnal or moved to the edges, so the real production has shifted offshore and to the deeper structure. The new moon at the end of the week means big tidal swings and dark nights — good news for snapper anglers, harder work for anyone poling a flat at midday.
What’s Hitting
Permit are the standout right now, holding thick on the wrecks in 60 to 120 feet from Islamorada down through the Marathon humps. Mutton snapper are feeding well on the deeper patch reefs and the edges, and yellowtail chumming is producing steadily on the reef line in 60 to 90 feet. Mangrove snapper are ganged up around the bridges on the strong night tides. Offshore, mahi are scattered and small on average, but a good weedline in 400 to 800 feet is still worth the run.
Where to Find Them
The Islamorada and Marathon wrecks are the permit play; look for fish stacked on the up-current side and stay off them with the trolling motor. Alligator Reef, Sombrero and Looe Key are producing yellowtail on a good chum slick. The Seven Mile Bridge and Channel Five hold mangrove snapper and tarpon after dark. On the flats, fish the deeper edges and channel dropoffs at dawn rather than the interior.
Tides & Conditions
Water temperature is 87 to 90 degrees on the flats and 84 to 86 on the reef. The new moon brings the biggest tidal exchange of the month, which turns the bridge channels into a firehose — time your snapper trips for the first and last hours of the run rather than the peak. Afternoon squalls are the norm. Seas have been running 2 feet or less most mornings, building past noon.
Tackle & Tactics
For wreck permit, a live crab on a 4/0 circle hook and 30-pound fluorocarbon under a 7-foot medium-heavy spinner is the whole program. Mutton snapper want a fresh ballyhoo or pinfish on a long 40-pound leader fished on the bottom with a sliding egg sinker. Yellowtail come to a steady chum slick and a small hook on 15- to 20-pound fluorocarbon, fished with as little weight as the current allows. Night snapper on the bridges: live shrimp, 20-pound leader, no light on the water.
Local Intel This Week
Founders Park in Islamorada, the Marathon boat ramp at 33rd Street, and Sunset Park in Key West are the practical public launches this week. Fish are concentrating on structure with current over it — wrecks, bridge channels and reef edges — while the open flats have gone quiet in the heat. Several reef and snapper species are under seasonal or size restriction; check current FWC and NOAA federal regulations before keeping fish, and note that permit rules differ inside the special permit zone.
This Week’s Tip
On the wrecks, resist the urge to anchor right on top. Set up well up-current and let the crab drift back naturally. Permit that see a boat sitting over their structure shut off, and once they do, the spot is done for the tide.
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