Key West Pro Guides Offshore Report - August & September 2025
By: Capt. Paul Tryon

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. 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.

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!

www.keywestproguides.com
305-747-4650

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