June & July 2025 Fishing Report

KEY WEST Fishing is on Fire!

June & July fishing in Key West is full of fun and action. Imagine Tarpon, Snapper, Grouper, Sailfish and Dolphin to name a few great summer fish here in Key West.

Here are some helpful insights to anglers interested in targeting these iconic sport fish.

The Sailfish spawn is over, but we consistently find them just past the reef offshore. These are elusive nomadic sport fish that remain in constant motion. Now add some Dolphin fishing as well, and your chances of finding some awesome offshore fish are much improved and a blast. Time is the number one tool for success for the angler and guide as they work in concert to pursue these “bucket list” impressive fish.

In the shallows, the Tarpon are pursued in our calm, protected Backcountry. Night Tarpon charters can be awesome when the tides are favorable…the biggest Tarpon come shallow to feed at sunset. Tarpon feed nocturnally therefore early morning and sunset are the most productive time frames…Let’s go fishing!

When June and July arrive, our fishing continues to improve with outstanding action both shallow and offshore. Over the next few months some of the best fishing of the entire year comes to us and in every location from the light tackle anglers in the Backcountry, Reef & Wrecks and blue waters well Offshore. The awesome schools of migrating Tarpon have flooded into the shallows of the Backcountry and their spawning rituals are well underway. Key West is now one of the most prolific Tarpon fisheries on the planet. Both June and July are the last couple months of good Sailfish action. However, most anglers favorite pelagic, the Dolphin, will dominate the blue water.

Deep Sea/Offshore:

Summertime is excellent for the anglers looking to fish deep. The iconic Sailfish is still good. Our Sailfish action so far this year overshadows recent past years easily, and we look forward to an exceptional summer. This time of the year continues the aggressiveness of Black Fin Tuna which remains consistently plentiful and of quality size. Dolphin action moves into full-swing in the summer and becomes the angler’s bread & butter species. Dolphin are plentiful, schooling fish that provide excellent action at a blistering pace while keeping things non-technical for the angler. High leapers when hooked up, beautiful colored fish that are also a favorite for many on the dinner plate. When the Dolphin are biting, businesses close on the island…it gets that good!

The predators remain aggressive with the summer months awesome for large Barracuda. We have moved into an exciting period for offshore angling however, we always believe a 1/2-day charter still has some challenges with ever changing travel times between marina and fishing grounds. Best bet book at least the 3/4 day (six-hour trip) especially if you are a party of three or four or more.

Light Tackle/Reef & Wreck:

Our summer brings calm winds and small seas conditions on the reef verses further offshore will remain far more comfortable for the angler concerned about motion discomfort. Good Cobia action continues throughout the summer. Grouper season opened on May 1, for Monroe Country (all of the keys) in a frenzy. Look forward to nice catches of Reds, Gags and Black Grouper. Amberjack action is good on many of the deep wrecks just south of Key West. The Snapper family continues to produce and in the summer months you can count on exceptional action when targeting the Mangrove, Mutton and Yellow Tail. Summertime is when we are known for some monster Mangrove snapper fishing. They spawn around the full moon of July and into August. The big ones are on the reefs by the thousands and are super eager to bite! Our elusive Permit is always challenging; the Permit is a sought-after sport fish and prized by anglers from around the planet. Our summer continues with some great Permit action over the next few months. The predator action with Barracuda and Sharks continues to be crazy good.

Backcountry:

Always a fun and productive trip, the Backcountry this time of year remains an excellent choice for fast-paced action while targeting a very wide variety of species. Anglers will appreciate our calm, crystal clear waters now filled with awesome fighting Tarpon. The overall population of Tarpon in the back country continues to stay steady throughout the summer months, joining with several additional sport fish species, edible fish, and predators to target.

The Tarpon spawning ritual has been well underway so the action is exploding. Tarpon fishing in Key West in the early summer is great. These behemoth sport fish should be on every saltwater angler’s “bucket list” and rightfully so. Key West now offers the angler a high level of success to landing possibly the largest fish of a life time. We continue witnessing the sunset Tarpon feeding activity. Our Sunset Tarpon trips are spectacular when conditions (primarily the tides) are optimal. Tarpon “Split Day” charters are offered for the hard-core Tarpon aficionados where we fish from 6 AM to 10 AM return to the dock and depart the same day at 4 PM returning at 8 PM on the same day fishing the absolute peak Tarpon feeding/activities windows.

The 1/2 day to 3/4-day trips continue to produce well as the afternoon water temperatures are still far from high so the later part of the day with good tides can be awesome. Remember, moving water is absolutely key to a good Tarpon trip. We have semi-diurnal tides (two high and two low) here in Key West, the water is always moving. Good Cobia fishing continues and can produce some quality fish and action in the Backcountry. The Mangrove and Yellow Tail Snapper fishing continues to be very good in the Backcountry in May. For a serious “table fare” harvest, we certainly recommend the reef & wreck trips now, but to include a few “keeper” fish for lunch or dinner will not be a problem in our shallows. The predator fishing continues. Giant Barracuda and several species of Sharks in the shallows are on the hit list. Our Monster Shark charters are awesome and continually produce multiple larger sharks even on the 1/2-day trips. Remember where you find large Tarpon schools you find feeding sharks. Summer becomes peak predator time especially in the Marquesas so anglers can count on these aggressive species to be ready to go “head-to-head”. We “highly recommend” a back country charter this time of year and especially for those guests looking for a shorter than full day trip in calmer waters.

Our summer is a spectacular time frame to make the 28-mile run to the west to fish the fabled Marquesas Atoll. The schools of Tarpon are being targeted by the apex predator sharks. Giant Barracuda can be counted on for memorable days in the atoll during the summer months. You may refer to our very concise “Marquesas” page for more information.

Notable:

This is a time of more stable, warmer water temperatures, so fishing conditions in general have settled in and improved, friends. We still recommend fishing morning trips if going shallow as they remain the most productive over the later afternoon hours for the serious angler but again the afternoon trips are good. The PM half-day trips have improved and can be quite enjoyable especially for those people just looking to stay in calm waters and enjoy a fun few hours catching fish. Reef trips in the afternoon fishing in slightly deeper waters along with the patch reefs can be very good trips for later in the day departure times. 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 from 8 AM to 9 PM. June and July are some of the busiest months of our entire fishing calendar! Our legendary guide team is always in high demand. We look forward to your call!