Early September in the Keys is quiet on the docks and busy on the water. The summer crowds have thinned, the heat is still on, and the fishing is as consistent as it gets — reef snapper are steady, the wrecks are holding permit, and the flats have fish for anglers willing to be on the water at first light.
What’s Hitting
What’s hot this week is the permit bite on the Gulf-side wrecks off Marathon and the Lower Keys, where schools are stacked up on the structure in 20 to 40 feet. Yellowtail snapper are feeding hard in the chum slicks on the reef from Islamorada down to Key West, with mangrove and mutton snapper mixed in on the deeper patches. On the flats, bonefish are tailing on the ocean-side banks early, and a few resident tarpon are still hanging around the Bahia Honda and Seven Mile bridges at night. Offshore, dolphin are scattered but there are a few nice fish on the weedlines, and blackfin tuna are around the humps.
Where to Find Them
For permit, run the Gulf-side wrecks and find the fish on the sounder before anchoring up-current. Yellowtail are best in 50 to 90 feet along the reef edge — Alligator Reef, Tennessee Reef, and the Sombrero area are all producing. Bonefish are on the ocean-side flats from Islamorada through Marathon on the incoming tide early. Mutton snapper are on the deeper wrecks and reef ledges in 100-plus feet.
Tides & Conditions
Water temps are in the upper 80s on the flats and mid-80s on the reef, which pushes the flats bite into the first two hours of light. Light winds most mornings have made the reef and the wrecks easy to fish. Afternoon thunderstorms are still building over the islands. Early September is peak hurricane season, so check the tropical outlook before any multi-day plan.
Tackle & Tactics
Permit want a live crab on a 2/0 circle hook with 30-pound fluorocarbon, free-lined into the school. Yellowtail respond to a steady chum slick, small hooks, and light 15-pound fluorocarbon with a cut bait or silverside drifted back weightless. Muttons take a live pinfish or a fresh ballyhoo plug on the bottom. On the flats, a small shrimp pattern fly or a live shrimp pinned lightly on a jig head is the bonefish play.
Local Intel This Week
Public boat ramps that will get you on these fish include the Founders Park ramp in Islamorada, the Marathon Boat Ramp on 33rd Street, and the Bahia Honda State Park ramp. Fish are concentrating on the Gulf wrecks for permit and along the reef edge for snapper. Spiny lobster regular season is open, and the reef is busy with divers, so give dive flags plenty of room. Check current FWC regulations and seasons before keeping fish — snapper, grouper, and permit each carry their own rules in the Keys.
This Week’s Tip
On a yellowtail anchor, the fish rise higher in the water column as the slick develops. If you are catching them on the bottom after 20 minutes, you are fishing too deep — shorten up and drift baits back in the chum where the bigger flags are feeding.
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