KEY WEST FISHING REPORTDecember 2025
Kingfish thick on the reef edge with grunts and lanes filling the cooler on the bottom.
Conditions: Mild winter so far — water temp 70–74°F. Mostly E winds 8–15 kts. A few cold fronts late in the month.
What Was Biting in December 2025
🔥 Hot
- White Grunt
- King Mackerel
- Lane Snapper
- Cero Mackerel
📈 Building
- Cobia
- Mutton Snapper
💤 Slow
- Yellowtail Snapper
- Grouper (closed Jan 1)
The Month in Review
December was a mixed bag. Holiday-week stretches gave us beautiful flat days with kingfish stacked on the reef edge — dead baits sent back in the chum slick produced 5–10 keepers on the better trips, and lanes held strong on the bottom.
Then there were the tough days. December 14 was one of them — wind was up, current was wrong, and the bite never really turned on through the first few stops. We saved it on the last drop of the day with a stack of solid white grunts coming up two-at-a-time on small bait. Everybody went home with fillets and that's what counts.
Captain's Tip
On a tough winter day, don't be afraid to scale way down. A #4 hook with a tiny piece of squid on the bottom will save your trip when nothing else will eat — grunts and porgies fill a cooler fast.
Get on This Year's Bite
Fishing changes month to month — book today and see what's coming over the rail right now.