Tarpon season in the Keys is at full peak this week, with thousands of fish staging from Channel 5 down through the Bahia Honda Bridge. The flats are alive with permit and bonefish, and the offshore mahi run is going strong from Islamorada south.
Tarpon — Peak Week
If you’ve been waiting for the absolute peak of Keys tarpon season, this is it. Bahia Honda, Channel 5, the Seven Mile Bridge, and the Marquesas are all loaded with fish. Live crabs on a 7/0 circle hook drifted on the outgoing tide is the standard, and night fishing the bridges with live mullet is producing the biggest fish — multiple 150-plus pounders this week.
Backcountry guides out of Islamorada and Marathon are reporting tailing fish on the basin edges at first light. Fly anglers throwing tarpon toads to laid-up fish are getting their shots, especially on the slick mornings.
Flats — Permit and Bonefish
Permit have moved into pre-spawn mode and are showing up on the Marquesas and Content Keys flats in big numbers. Live crabs and merkin flies in size 2 are the ticket. The best tide has been the first 90 minutes of the incoming.
Bonefish remain consistent on the Lower Keys oceanside flats. Look for tailing fish on the morning low tide — Gotcha flies and small shrimp patterns are working.
Offshore — Mahi, Tuna, Sailfish
Mahi-mahi action is excellent from the Islamorada Hump south. The 1,000-foot line has been holding good schools, with shots at gaffer-sized fish to 40 pounds. Live pilchards and ballyhoo are both producing.
Blackfin tuna are stacked on the Marathon Hump in 600 feet. Vertical jigging and chunking are both effective, with the best bite at first light and last light.
Late-season sailfish are still being caught on the kite spread out of Islamorada, but action has slowed compared to peak winter months.
Reef and Wreck
Mutton snapper bite on the Islamorada and Marathon reefs is excellent right now during the late-May full moon spawn. Live pinfish on a knocker rig in 50 to 80 feet is producing solid mutton catches in the 8 to 15 pound class.
Yellowtail action remains steady on the patch reefs with chum and small live bait.
Conditions
Water temp 80–82°F, very calm conditions forecast through the weekend. Visibility on the flats is excellent.
Spots & Access This Week
Launch from Founders Park in Islamorada or Harry Harris Park in Tavernier to reach the oceanside flats and the patch reefs, and the Marathon ramps put you on the Seven Mile Bridge and the humps. Bridge anglers fish Channel 5, Long Key, and the Seven Mile for tarpon on the moving tide, while the patch reefs off Islamorada and Marathon in 15 to 30 feet are the mangrove snapper and yellowtail move. Bahia Honda and the oceanside flats hold permit and bonefish for the skinny-water crowd.
Tactics & Tips This Week
On the bridges, drift live crabs and mullet on the strong tide for tarpon, and watch for a worm hatch around the moon. On the patch reefs, start a chum slick before you fish and drift small baits on long fluorocarbon leaders for the snapper — the lighter you fish, the more you catch. This Week’s Tip: fish the bridge channels on the biggest tides of the week; the tarpon stack on the down-current side to ambush bait flushing through, and the strongest flow brings the best bite.
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