Right now with the late summer bite, heading into October there is plenty of action Fishing for offshore, trolling live bait and jigging for mahis and tuna with the occasional summertime wahoo. With the reef Fishing, we are still getting mutton, snappers, yellow tails, red, groupers, and black grouper.
Right now with the late summer bite, heading into October there is plenty of action Fishing for offshore, trolling live bait and jigging for mahis and tuna with the occasional summertime wahoo. With the reef Fishing, we are still getting mutton, snappers, yellow tails, red, groupers, and black grouper.
Key West Fishing Report – Capt. Ryan Carter
Date: September 13, 2026
Greetings from paradise!
The fishing around Key West has been keeping us busy, and the transition toward fall is starting to show on the water. The heat is still here, but the fish are chewing, and there are plenty of opportunities to bend a rod whether you’re looking for dinner or a hard-fighting trophy.
The mangrove snapper bite has been excellent, with plenty of quality fish holding around structure, mangroves, and backcountry spots. Live pilchards and cut bait have been producing consistently, making snapper a great option for...
Key West Fishing Report – Capt. Ryan Carter
Date: September 13, 2026
Greetings from paradise!
The fishing around Key West has been keeping us busy, and the transition toward fall is starting to show on the water. The heat is still here, but the fish are chewing, and there are plenty of opportunities to bend a rod whether you’re looking for dinner or a hard-fighting trophy.
The mangrove snapper bite has been excellent, with plenty of quality fish holding around structure, mangroves, and backcountry spots. Live pilchards and cut bait have been producing consistently, making snapper a great option for anglers looking to bring some fresh fish home for dinner.
Jack Crevalle have also been putting on a show. When these fish push bait around the flats and channels, things can get wild in a hurry. They’re aggressive, powerful, and absolutely love to test light tackle.
If you’re looking for a serious fight, shark fishing has been producing some great action. Lemon sharks and other hard-fighting sharks have been active around the flats and channels, giving anglers plenty of opportunities for a memorable battle. Recent reports have also seen some impressive lemon sharks and big grouper action around Key West.
The tarpon bite is beginning to transition as we move toward fall. The big spring and summer migration is winding down, but there are still tarpon being found, particularly during the early morning and late afternoon windows. This past season was an exceptional one for tarpon, and there are still some quality fish around for anglers willing to put in the time.
One of the best things about living in the Florida Keys is that the fishing never really turns off—it just transitions. As we head toward the change of seasons, the fishing around Big Pine Key, the Lower Keys, and Marathon is still producing some great action.
We’ve been seeing a fair amount of yellowtail snapper on the reef, with some mackerel mixed in. If you’re targeting these toothy fish, make sure you have some wire ready to go. You don’t want to be caught without it when a mackerel shows up!
The wrecks are also producing some nice amberjack, and...
One of the best things about living in the Florida Keys is that the fishing never really turns off—it just transitions. As we head toward the change of seasons, the fishing around Big Pine Key, the Lower Keys, and Marathon is still producing some great action.
We’ve been seeing a fair amount of yellowtail snapper on the reef, with some mackerel mixed in. If you’re targeting these toothy fish, make sure you have some wire ready to go. You don’t want to be caught without it when a mackerel shows up!
The wrecks are also producing some nice amberjack, and these fish are ready to put you to the test. Be prepared for a serious fight—and with September heat still hanging around, bring plenty of water and stay hydrated.
From the backcountry around Big Pine Key and Bahia Honda to the reef, wrecks, and offshore waters toward Marathon, there are plenty of opportunities
The hot weather has not stopped the fish from chewing! Both inshore and offshore fishing have been productive, and most of our guests have returned to the dock and immediately enjoyed their fresh catch at our dockside restaurant, Mac’s Place.
Inshore, we have been catching plenty of healthy mangrove snapper, many upwards of 20 inches. A few late-season tarpon have also been caught. There has been no shortage of big sharks and barracudas cruising the flats for anyone who wants to go home with sore arms!
The offshore bite was a little slow at the beginning...
The hot weather has not stopped the fish from chewing! Both inshore and offshore fishing have been productive, and most of our guests have returned to the dock and immediately enjoyed their fresh catch at our dockside restaurant, Mac’s Place.
Inshore, we have been catching plenty of healthy mangrove snapper, many upwards of 20 inches. A few late-season tarpon have also been caught. There has been no shortage of big sharks and barracudas cruising the flats for anyone who wants to go home with sore arms!
The offshore bite was a little slow at the beginning of the month but has improved tremendously. Mahi, wahoo, blackfin tuna, and even a few sailfish have been caught anywhere from 100 to 2,000 feet of water.
The fishing is good, the crowds are thinning out, and it is a great time to get out on the water in Key West!
Sean was a guide who puts anglers safety at the forefront of everything which all anglers should appreciate. Unfortunately one of our two days was blown out due to weather. He persevered trying to put us on fish until the weather became too unstable. He has 30+ years of guiding experience in the area. Enjoyed our time with Sean.
Our trip with Aaron was enjoyable even with the choppy waters. Aaron’s boat was extremely clean and we felt safe aboard. He had radar/fish finder there to help pick a spot and dropped in some bait to entice the fish. He helped bait hooks for us which was very appreciated even by our more experienced angler. We caught mostly yellowtail and they were fun to reel in. Lines were snapped by some bigger fish so we’ll always tell the stories of the ones that got away! Thanks for helping make the trip happen.
We had an absolute blast on this charter! Captain Paulie is a great captain. He put a lot of effort into making sure we were catching fish and enjoying ourselves. I highly recommend him and would go again.
Fished with Capt Zac B for the second year in a row, he puts us on fish every year. Fished with my wife and daughter this year and had a blast pulling on sharks, grouper, snapper, etc. my daughter caught 7 different species.
We had an amazing lobstering trip with Captain Paulie! He made the whole experience really fun and was also very informative throughout the trip. We checked a couple different spots and ended up getting plenty of lobster, which made it even better. He even cleaned everything for us afterward. Such a great experience from start to finish, and we would definitely recommend him!
We had such a great fishing trip with Captain Forrest! We tried a couple different spots, and the fish were biting a lot, so there was plenty of action. We even got to see a barracuda, which was really cool. Captain Forrest made the whole trip fun and enjoyable, and we had a great time out on the water. Definitely a good trip and would recommend!
Great trip with Capt. Allen. He was all in on getting us up to speed. It could have been a day of shirts, but Allen was dedicated on getting us on some keepers. Great day, great trip, great Captain!
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