May 2025 Miami Fishing Report

May is always a great time of year off Miami as we begin to transition into more of a summer weather pattern. We are typically greeted with warmer weather and lighter winds this time of year which can make for calmer seas than we see during the winter. 

Spring Fishing = Meat

During winter we predominantly target sailfish while kite fishing and don't see quite as much bycatch that our guests can take home for dinner. This typically changes during May and June.

This is without a doubt primetime for "meat fish," especially blackfin tuna and kingfish. We also see a few mahi mahi starting to show up this time of year along with the occasional wahoo. We often keep wire leaders handy because the toothy pelagics will randomly chew this time of year, especially in the early morning and late evening. The picture below is a kingfish we caught along with a few others during a recent trip. This time of year it is not uncommon to catch a few kingfish each trip and there are definitely bigger fish around in the 30+ pound range if you get lucky. Kingfish are a lot of fun on light tackle and a crowd favorite for their explosive bites and hard runs.

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Blackfin Tuna Fishing During May

It is still early and the blackfin haven't showed up in full force but we have been catching a few here and there. The bite typically improves during May and holds steady through the end of June. These blackfin tuna aren't as big as some of their cousins but they fight as hard pound per pound as any species of tuna and make for excellent sashimi. We typically target blackfin like most of our pelagics while kite fishing this time of year. They are a great fight on 20lb test and sometimes come through in packs which make for double or triple headers. The best technique for targeting blackfin tuna is to live chum but if the bait isn't available they still have a hard time passing up fresh kite baits. This tuna below is from a trip last week.

 

Don't Forget About Sailfish

May is late in the season for sailfish but it can sometimes be one of the better months. Many of the "meat fish" tournaments (kingfish/dolphin/wahoo/tuna) are held this time of year and it is not uncommon for boats to be harassed by sailfish, sometimes releasing over 10 in a trip inadvertently. As a charter boat sailfish are always a welcome guest and great to mix in with some of the other target species this time of year. A few weeks ago we had our first double digit sailfish day of the year during mid April and we have had quite a few double digit days during May in the past so it is definitely not too late to get in on the sailfish bite.

Bottom Fishing is Heating Up

If pelagics aren't your cup of tea, the bottom fishing typically heats up this time of year. Grouper season opened on May 1st and there are still some amberjack as well on the shipwrecks. The mutton snapper bite is usually decent during May but it only gets better through June. July and August is a great time for mangrove and yellowtail snapper so it will soon be a great time to hit the reef. Below is an American Red Snapper we caught on a recent trip. Although common in the Gulf of Mexico, these species of snapper are rarely caught off Miami.