August & September 2025 Fishing Report

August and September are hot, hot and full of potential hurricanes here in the south. When it comes to fishing, yes, we run trips but try to keep them to half days in the morning. During this time of the season, we continue through a period of good action overall but now have the highest water temperatures and humidity of the entire year to contend with. The late afternoon hours will be noticeably slower than the morning’s more productive timeframe, especially in the shallows. We suggest early departures fishing until early afternoon for the best success.

Deep Sea/Light Tackle Offshore:

Our offshore fishing continues with Mahi-Mahi action as our bread and butter. The Mahi bite remains good, but with so much warm water for them to enjoy, they are spread all over the place. Mahi (Dolphin fish-Dorado) are plentiful, schooling fish that provide excellent action at a blistering pace most days. High leapers when hooked up, beautiful colored fish that also are a favorite for many on the dinner plate. Mahi are fast growing fish that can reach up to twenty pounds in their first year therefore we are entering a time frame of catching some of the largest Mahi of the season over the next few weeks. Wahoo are prized and very sought after, elusive sport fish that peak in the summer in our waters and the Wahoo bite has been quite good so far with several trips offshore taking multiple nice fish. This time of the year provides some good Spanish and Cero Mackerel action but here again these species will be slowing down.

The predators remain aggressive, with the summer being a great time for large Barracuda. We have moved into an exciting period for offshore angling however like we previously said, a 4 hour or possible a 5 hour trip should for pelagic species should be the limit.

Reef & Wreck:

When the offshore action slows this time of year the reef and wrecks typically come to life for us in Key West. With our seasonally super calm waters on the reef now this becomes a perfect time for the angler with concerns about rough sea conditions to head out. Comfortable and calm seas make for enjoyable conditions for those worried about motion discomfort. Plus, with the fast-paced action there is no time to give anything a second thought other than fighting fish. The Snapper and Grouper bite is predictable now and most days we fill the fish box with those wonderful “table fare” species. Yellowtail Snapper, our local favorite for the dinner plate are plentiful and active. Limiting out on Yellow Tail “Flags” is routine. The Mutton bite on the deeper wrecks continues to be fast paced on quality size fish. Mangrove Snapper are post spawn now but numbers are good and the larger fish are aggressive. Grouper continue to range to about 20 pounds as well.

For the angler looking for more of a challenge Permit are on the isolated wrecks most days. Permit are elusive and certainly one of the more prized sport fish in our waters and we are entering a very productive time to pursue them as we draw nearer to mid-September and especially October. Cobia as well will be found on the reef and about most wreck sites. Typically the Cobia are traveling near the surface in smaller “wolf packs” of about 3 to 5 fish but ranging from 15 to 50 pounds plus. We enjoy decent Cobia action until December. Big Jacks are still in schools and patrolling the deeper wrecks in numbers. Of late Jacks to about 20 pounds have been common and provide the light tackle angler with a hand full of fight! Many locations on the reef will hold a population of Mackerel and for those anglers looking for a workout the Amberjack are still here for a while yet. Predators are plentiful on the reef and around the isolated shipwreck sites. Large Barracuda are common, and several species of sharks are patrolling these areas as well. The Bull sharks and occasional Hammerheads will make your pulse rise when they swim along-side the boat before helping themselves to your hooked fish still in the water. This is the best deep-water trip in our recommendation and can be enjoyed on a ½ day or better on a ¾ day charter thus allowing for great action early then beating the heat of the late afternoon on the water.

Back Country:

Always a fun and productive trip the Backcountry this time of year also offers an abundance of visible marine life, sea and tropical birds on the Mangrove Island shorelines and mirror calm, crystal clear waters. The overall population of fish in the back country remains impressive with several sport fish species, edible fish, and predators to target a perfect trip for the family or groups numbering up to 4 anglers. The back country is also a fly fishers dream come true with protection from the wind for long casts and plentiful fish which will readily pursue a fly.

The current Tarpon population is down to our resident year-round fish levels. The migration of visiting spawning Tarpon has taken place and things in the Tarpon world have settled down considerably. We refer to these fish as our juvenile Tarpon and they will range from 10 pounds to maybe 30 pounds yet still awesome fighters on light tackle and/or fly but not many of the behemoth fish of the early summer months remain. Frankly, we tend to downplay the Tarpon action as they become one of many excellent species holding in the back country. Anglers should look towards the elusive Permit or the recent flurry of action from Snook for example. Jacks provide fast paced action and while try to knock the fishing rod from your grasp most days in the shallows. Soon to arrive in the back country are the Mackerel found typically in the bays and grassy bottomed basins. Do not overlook the shark fishing now in the back country. Black Tip, Lemon, Bull even the occasional Hammerhead are all coming shallow to feed. Shark fishing on light tackle in the shallows is unbelievably exciting and brings you head-to-head with our apex predators.

We “highly recommend” a back country charter this time of year and especially for those guests looking for a shorter than full day trip.

Notable:

We recommend morning fishing trips in the summer as the air temps and in turn water temps slow the afternoon bite. Fish early and understand 90% of the fish will be taken before 2:00 o’clock. Reef trips in the afternoon fishing slightly deeper waters along with the patch reefs can be good trips for later in the day departure times as the depths are not as drastically affected but still not our recommendation. Sharks are plentiful and active. Pursuing these heavy weight monsters on light tackle is challenging to say the least and talk about something you cannot do at home!

Let’s go Fishing!

Call Key West Pro Guides today to book your charter 305-747-4650 daily 8 AM to 9 PM. The summer can be busy, Our legendary guide team is always in high demand. We look forward to your call!