Shark Key Fishing Reports (May 2026)

Hunter Ledbetter
Key West, Florida
Reported: 7 hours ago

My team won the the Reef defender division in the recent Reef Lionfish derby What we are really excited about is this year's expanded red snapper season we have 39 days of red snapper season starting May 22. This season will go from May 22 to June 30 and then...

Hunter Ledbetter Key West, Florida Reported: 7 hours ago

My team won the the Reef defender division in the recent Reef Lionfish derby
What we are really excited about is this year's expanded red snapper season we have 39 days of red snapper season starting May 22.
This season will go from May 22 to June 30 and then we'll have 4 three day weekends in October

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Sean Okeefe
Key West, Florida
Reported: 1 week ago

Fishing's great!

Sean Okeefe Key West, Florida Reported: 1 week ago

Fishing's great!

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Alex Harmon
Summerland Key, Florida
Reported: 1 week ago

The tarpon bite is still very good! As well as some shallow water snapper!

Alex Harmon Summerland Key, Florida Reported: 1 week ago

The tarpon bite is still very good! As well as some shallow water snapper!

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Justin Ferrell with Good Times Key West
Key West, Florida
Reported: 1 week ago

Let's go! The fishing has been pretty good, and the weather is looking great for this week. Offshore we have had large sargassum weed lines and the mahi have arrived! Early morning, and sunset have also produced some quality blackfin tuna. The inshore bite has been on fire. Some really...

Justin Ferrell with Good Times Key West Key West, Florida Reported: 1 week ago

Let's go! The fishing has been pretty good, and the weather is looking great for this week.
Offshore we have had large sargassum weed lines and the mahi have arrived! Early morning, and sunset have also produced some quality blackfin tuna.
The inshore bite has been on fire. Some really nice mutton snappers, mangrove, and yellowtails on the patch reefs and inside the islands. The AM and sunset tarpon bite has been pretty active. Lane snapper population is slowly fading as the water warms up.
On our Dry Tortugas trips we have been catching a ton of species. Last weeks day trip had a laundry list;
Mahi, tuna, mackerels, bonitos offshore. Then we got to the reef for muttons, yellowtails, and mangroves snappers. Once at the park, our guests walked the beach of Garden Key and caught and released some bonefish and tarpon. Also, hand feeding a 300lb Goliath grouper at the dock was a memorable experience.

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Ben Covan
Key West, Florida
Reported: 1 week ago

Big fish still running through key west! Looking forward to grouper and hogfish season opener this week!

Ben Covan Key West, Florida Reported: 1 week ago

Big fish still running through key west! Looking forward to grouper and hogfish season opener this week!

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Ryan Carter
Key West, Florida
Reported: 1 week ago

The past few days have delivered picture-perfect conditions—calm seas, warm temps, and crystal-clear water—and the tarpon fishing has been nothing short of phenomenal. Key West is loaded with migratory tarpon right now, with hundreds of fish staged throughout the backcountry in their annual spring pattern. Over the last three days,...

Ryan Carter Key West, Florida Reported: 1 week ago

The past few days have delivered picture-perfect conditions—calm seas, warm temps, and crystal-clear water—and the tarpon fishing has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Key West is loaded with migratory tarpon right now, with hundreds of fish staged throughout the backcountry in their annual spring pattern. Over the last three days, we’ve experienced our best bite of the season, hooking a dozen or more fish per day.
These fish range from 15 to 150 pounds, with a solid average around 60 lbs—plenty of shots at true trophies mixed in with steady action.
Even better, the bite has been aggressive across the board. Whether you’re fishing with live bait or artificials, the tarpon are feeding hard and giving anglers incredible opportunities.
If you’ve been waiting for the right time—this is it.