Islamorada Fishing Report & Forecast

When to fish Islamorada

Each row is shaded against that species' own best month here, so a dark cell means a good month for that fish rather than a comparison between them.

Tarpon: January none, February poor, March good, April peak, May peak, June peak, July good, August fair, September fair, October fair, November poor, December none. Bonefish: January poor, February poor, March good, April excellent, May excellent, June good, July fair, August fair, September excellent, October excellent, November fair, December poor. Permit: January poor, February poor, March excellent, April peak, May excellent, June good, July good, August good, September good, October good, November fair, December poor. Dorado: January none, February poor, March fair, April peak, May peak, June peak, July peak, August good, September fair, October poor, November none, December none. Mutton Snapper: January poor, February fair, March good, April peak, May peak, June peak, July good, August fair, September fair, October fair, November fair, December poor. Yellowtail Snapper: January fair, February fair, March fair, April good, May excellent, June peak, July excellent, August good, September fair, October fair, November fair, December fair. Great Barracuda: January peak, February excellent, March good, April fair, May fair, June fair, July poor, August poor, September fair, October fair, November good, December excellent. Black Grouper: January excellent, February excellent, March fair, April fair, May fair, June fair, July poor, August fair, September fair, October good, November good, December excellent.

• Tarpon. Resident tarpon hold in Florida Bay basins, backcountry channels and bridge shadows year-round, so winter numbers stay low but never zero. Abundance builds sharply as water passes about 75°F in March, and the migratory spring run peaks from mid-April through early June, when huge schools travel the oceanside flats and bridges and stage around the May–June palolo worm hatches. Numbers taper through the summer heat, then a modest fall bump occurs from September into October with mullet-run feeding before cold fronts push fish south or deep.
• Bonefish. Bonefish are resident year-round on Islamorada flats, so the curve never drops to zero. Abundance rises in spring (April–May) as flats warm and pre-spawn fish school up. It peaks again in fall (September–October), when fish stage for offshore spawning aggregations and cooling water draws them shallow. Winter cold fronts push fish into deeper channels, and peak summer heat drives them off the shallowest flats, creating modest dips.
• Permit. Permit are resident on Islamorada's flats and wrecks year-round. Abundance peaks from late March through May, when warming water pushes big schools onto the flats and fish aggregate on offshore wrecks and reefs ahead of the spring–summer spawn. Numbers stay solid through summer and fall, then dip in winter when cold fronts drive fish off the shallows to deeper water.
• Dorado. Dorado off Islamorada build in spring as Gulf Stream waters warm and sargassum weedlines form. Abundance peaks from late April through June with the northbound migration, when big schools and bull fish move through. Numbers taper over summer into fall, leaving a thin but persistent winter presence of scattered fish in offshore Gulf Stream waters.
• Mutton Snapper. Mutton snapper are resident on Islamorada reefs and patches year-round, so the baseline never drops near zero. Abundance builds through spring as fish move offshore and aggregate on reef edges and wrecks. It peaks from late April through June around the full moons, tied to the spawning aggregations near the Keys such as Western Dry Rocks, then eases through summer and fall to a modest winter low.
• Yellowtail Snapper. Yellowtail are resident on Islamorada's reefs year-round, so the curve never drops to zero and stays fairly broad. Abundance builds through spring and peaks from late May to early July as fish aggregate on the outer reef for spawning in warm water. It tapers through late summer and fall, with a mild winter dip when cold fronts push fish deeper and scatter them.
• Great Barracuda. Barracuda are resident in Islamorada waters year-round, so they never drop to zero. Numbers peak from December through February, when cold fronts push large fish onto the shallow flats and patch reefs from Florida Bay and offshore, with a small secondary bump in May around bait and spawning aggregations near the reef. Summer and early fall are lower: the biggest fish disperse to deeper, cooler reef edges, so presence dips modestly before building again with the first fall fronts in November.
• Black Grouper. Black grouper are resident on Islamorada's reefs and patch reefs year-round, so the curve stays broad. Abundance on the reef tract rises from late fall through winter (peaking Jan–Feb) as cooling water pushes fish shallower and adults aggregate for spawning. It eases through spring and dips slightly in late summer, when fish spread out and move deeper as water temperatures peak.

Before you go

Fishing Islamorada

Common questions about Islamorada

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