The Islamorada, FL marine forecast covers live wind speed and gusts, tide predictions, wave conditions, and major and minor solunar feeding times, updated continuously from NOAA and Open-Meteo. The strongest fishing windows usually line up with the moving tide and the solunar periods shown below — check current conditions before you head out.
By Steve Wilson, lifelong angler & founder of My Marine Forecast
Last updated: Sep 15, 2026, 8:00 AM
On Tuesday, September 15, Islamorada, FL sees high tide at 1:18 AM (0.8 ft) and 2:19 PM (0.6 ft), low tide at 9:17 AM (0.1 ft) and 8:47 PM (0.3 ft). Winds 9–17 mph from the E gusting to 18 mph. Air temperatures 83–86°F. The strongest fishing windows line up with the moving water around each tide change, roughly an hour on either side.
Today's Tides · Islamorada, Upper Matecumbe Key, Florida Bay (Station 8723808)
| High tide | 1:18 AM | 0.8 ft |
| Low tide | 9:17 AM | 0.1 ft |
| High tide | 2:19 PM | 0.6 ft |
| Low tide | 8:47 PM | 0.3 ft |
Wind
9–17 mph E
Gusts
18 mph
Air Temp
83–86°F
Tides from NOAA Station 8723808 · wind & temperature from Open-Meteo. Open the live forecast for hourly charts and the 7-day outlook.
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Islamorada sits in the upper Florida Keys and draws serious anglers who have done their homework. Bonefish, permit, and tarpon are the main event, and the flats around the backcountry can hold all three on the same tide. The fishery is technical, demanding, and rewarding in a way that few places in the world can match.
Tarpon season is the big draw. From late March through June, rolling fish are everywhere — in the channels, the oceanside flats, and pushing through the cuts between the bay and the Atlantic. Permit are here year-round on the oceanside flats. Bonefish love the shallow backcountry grass on a rising tide, particularly in the early morning before the wind builds.
The nearby Content Keys and the flats east of Duck Key hold fish most of the year with minimal boat traffic. Fall and Winter bring calmer conditions and some of the best permit fishing of the year. Offshore from the inlet, mahi and wahoo are consistent Spring and Summer targets over the blue water.
Tides here matter more than almost anywhere else. The oceanside and Gulf side behave differently — the Gulf has a smaller range while the oceanside cuts run stronger. Check the tide chart above before heading out, especially if you're wading or poling shallow water.
Spring: Tarpon season builds from March, with migratory fish flooding the bridge channels and oceanside flats through May. Permit crowd the flats and wrecks ahead of spawning. Offshore, sailfish remain steady early, then mahi start running the color changes. Bonefish tail in warming water and snook wake up along the backcountry banks of Florida Bay.
Summer: Early mornings bring laid-up tarpon and tailing bonefish before heat pushes flats fish deep. Mahi is the offshore staple, with schoolies and gaffers along weed lines, plus blackfin tuna at the Islamorada Hump. Bottom fishing produces yellowtail and mutton snapper at the reef, and mangrove snapper spawn stacks fish on patches in July.
Fall: October and November are underrated: crowds thin, bonefish and permit feed hard in cooling water, and redfish and snook fire in the Florida Bay backcountry. Baitfish flushes bring Spanish mackerel, jacks and ladyfish to the gulf side. Offshore, sailfish begin showing on the reef edge as the first fronts arrive.
Winter: Sailfish peak from December through February, tailing down sea ridges off the reef. Cold fronts fire the backcountry: snook, redfish, black drum and trout gather in Florida Bay basins and channels. Spanish mackerel blanket the gulf-side banks, and on the reef, yellowtail snapper and grouper feed in the cool, clean water.
Alligator Reef and its lighthouse mark the ocean-side reef line, holding yellowtail, grouper and passing pelagics. The Islamorada Hump, an underwater seamount a few miles offshore, is the local landmark for blackfin tuna and amberjack. Florida Bay behind the island is a vast backcountry of flats, banks and basins for bonefish, redfish, snook and tarpon. The Channel 2 and Channel 5 bridges between Lower Matecumbe and Long Key are famous tarpon channels, and Anne's Beach on Lower Matecumbe gives wade anglers access to oceanside flats.