October 27, 2026
Islamorada fishing report, October 27, 2026, gale warning, stay in
Current Conditions
DirtyBoat Charters provides daily fishing reports for Islamorada, Florida. Captain Kit Carson posted this report on . Islamorada fishing report for Tuesday, October 27: gale warning in effect with extremely rough nearshore waters and high seas outside.
Conditions data: FishIntel, the daily Islamorada fishing intelligence report.
Prepared at 6:00 AM EDT on October 27, 2026. This is the scheduled morning conditions report.
A Gale Warning is in effect for Hawk Channel and the Straits of Florida today. A Small Craft Advisory remains active for Florida Bay. Frequent near gale gusts are expected through this morning, especially across the Straits of Florida and extreme eastern Hawk Channel. Seas subside through Wednesday and are down to about 1 to 2 feet by Thursday. No verified catches or on-the-water observations were available. These are forecast-based planning notes.
Wind and seas today
NOAA’s Key West coastal waters forecast was issued at 4:26 AM EDT on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
Today in Hawk Channel (zone GMZ042), north to northeast winds are 25 to 30 knots with frequent gusts to near 35 knots in the morning. Winds decrease to 20 to 25 knots in the afternoon. Seas are 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Nearshore waters are extremely rough, becoming very rough. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected.
Today in Florida Bay (zone GMZ031), north to northeast winds are 20 to 25 knots, decreasing to near 20 knots. Wave Detail: North to northeast 1 foot at 2 seconds. Bay waters are very rough, becoming rough. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected.
Today outside the reef in the Straits (zones GMZ052 through GMZ054 and GMZ072 through GMZ074), north to northeast winds are 25 to 30 knots with frequent gusts to near 35 knots in the morning. Winds decrease to 20 to 25 knots in the afternoon. Seas are 8 to 11 feet, occasionally to 14 feet, subsiding to 6 to 8 feet, occasionally to 10 feet. Wave detail shows northeast 10 feet at 8 seconds, becoming northeast 8 feet at 8 seconds. Showers are likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms.
NOAA’s sea heights are significant wave heights. This is the average height of the highest third of the waves. Individual waves may be more than twice the significant wave height.
From Molasses to Tennessee
Use the Hawk Channel forecast for inside water and the Straits forecast for exposed water beyond the reef. No verified reef-specific visibility or current readings were available for these six areas.
| Reef area | Planning note |
|---|---|
| Molasses | The NDBC station MLRF1 has no recent reports. Gulf Stream edge was 2 NM northwest of Molasses Reef Light as of October 19, 2026. |
| Conch | No reef readings available today. |
| Davis | No reef readings available today. |
| Crocker | No reef readings available today. |
| Alligator | Gulf Stream edge was 2 NM south-southeast of Alligator Reef Light as of October 19, 2026. Use the Straits forecast for exposed water. |
| Tennessee | No reef readings available today. |
Today’s tides
The reference is NOAA station 8723808, Upper Matecumbe Key, Florida Bay. Times are local (EDT) on October 27, 2026. Heights are feet relative to mean lower low water, or MLLW. These are predictions, not observed water levels.
| Event | Time, EDT | Height, feet MLLW |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 07:07 | -0.012 |
| High | 12:33 | 0.634 |
| Low | 18:34 | 0.312 |
| High | 23:43 | 0.937 |
This is a bayside reference. Check the actual flow where you intend to fish.
Water temperature
NOAA station 8723970, Vaca Key, Florida Bay, reported 77.2 F at 5:54 AM EDT on October 27. It is a regional bay reading, not a measured temperature at any of the six reef areas in this report.
Read the boat’s gauge at the fishing position rather than treating the Vaca Key number as an offshore observation.
Species outlook
No catch or bite data exists. The gale warning and rough seas make offshore and nearshore fishing impractical today. Conditions are forecast to improve by Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, which may open up better opportunities for species that prefer calmer water.
Tonight and tomorrow
Tonight in Hawk Channel, north to northeast winds are near 20 knots, becoming north and decreasing to 10 to 15 knots after midnight. Seas are 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet, subsiding to 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters are rough, becoming a light to moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected. In the Straits, north to northeast winds are 20 to 25 knots, decreasing to 15 to 20 knots after midnight. Seas are 5 to 8 feet, occasionally to 10 feet. Wave detail shows northeast 7 feet at 8 seconds. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected.
Tonight in Florida Bay, north to northeast winds are near 20 knots, becoming north and decreasing to 10 to 15 knots after midnight. Bay waters are rough, becoming a light to moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected.
Wednesday in Hawk Channel, north to northeast winds are near 10 knots, becoming east to southeast and decreasing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Seas are around 2 feet, subsiding to 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters are a light chop, becoming smooth to a light chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected. In the Straits, north to northeast winds are 10 to 15 knots, becoming northeast and decreasing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Seas are subsiding to 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Wave detail shows northeast 5 feet at 7 seconds and northwest to north 2 feet at 3 seconds. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected.
Wednesday in Florida Bay, north winds are near 10 knots, becoming east and decreasing to 5 to 10 knots in the afternoon. Bay waters are a light chop, becoming smooth to a light chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms is expected.
The synopsis notes that the interaction of sprawling high pressure over the eastern United States and a secondary high north of the Dakotas with a persistent low south of the Bahamas sustains frequent near gale gusts through this morning. The secondary high will slide into the central North Atlantic for the middle to latter part of the work week, supporting slackening northeast to east breezes.
I would not run today. The seas are too high and the winds are too strong for a safe charter.
Sources
Conditions data for this log is sourced from FishIntel, the daily Islamorada fishing intelligence report for the Florida Keys. The NOAA and NDBC products it builds on are linked below.
- NOAA Key West coastal waters forecast, issued October 27, 2026, at 4:26 AM EDT. Hawk Channel zone GMZ042, Straits zones GMZ052 through GMZ054 and GMZ072 through GMZ074, and Florida Bay zone GMZ031.
- NOAA Upper Matecumbe Key tide predictions, October 27, 2026, local daylight time, feet MLLW.
- NOAA Vaca Key water temperature, October 27 at 5:54 AM EDT.
- NDBC Molasses Reef station, no recent reports when checked.
Conditions data provided by FishIntel.ai, fishing intelligence for the Florida Keys and beyond.