Islamorada fishing report, November 2, 2026, small craft caution, showers likely

Conditions data: FishIntel, the daily Islamorada fishing intelligence report.

Prepared at 6:00 AM EST on November 2, 2026. This is the scheduled morning conditions report.

Small Craft Should Exercise Caution is in effect for eastern portions of the Florida Straits until winds decrease. Elevated northerly swell persists through Tuesday for waters southeast of the Upper Keys. Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms across the marine zones. No verified catches or on-the-water observations were available for this report.

Wind and seas today

NOAA’s Key West coastal waters forecast was issued at 4:36 AM EST on Monday, November 2, 2026.

Hawk Channel winds are east near 15 knots. Seas are 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters are a moderate chop. Showers are likely with a chance of thunderstorms.

Florida Bay winds are east 10 to 15 knots. Bay waters are a light to moderate chop. Showers are likely with a chance of thunderstorms.

Straits of Florida winds are east 15 to 20 knots early, decreasing to near 15 knots. Seas are 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail: Northeast to east 4 feet at 6 seconds. Showers are likely with a 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

No verified reef-specific visibility or current readings were available for these six areas.

Reef area	Morning planning note
Molasses	The NDBC station MLRF1 has no recent reports. Gulf Stream edge was 10 NM southeast of Molasses Reef Light as of October 27, 2026.
Conch	No reef readings available today.
Davis	No reef readings available today.
Crocker	No reef readings available today.
Alligator	Gulf Stream edge was 17 NM south-southeast of Alligator Reef Light as of October 27, 2026.
Tennessee	No reef readings available today.

Today’s tides

The reference is NOAA station 8723808, Upper Matecumbe Key, Florida Bay. Times are local (EDT/EST) on November 2, 2026. Heights are feet relative to mean lower low water, or MLLW. These are predictions, not observed water levels.

Event	Time, local (EDT/EST)	Height, feet MLLW
High	03:52	0.782
Low	12:15	0.214
High	17:42	0.565
Low	23:54	0.367

This is a bayside reference. Check the actual flow where you intend to fish.

Water temperature

NOAA station 8723970, Vaca Key, Florida Bay, reported 80.2 F at 5:54 AM local on November 2. It is a regional bay reading, not a measured temperature at any of the six reef areas in this report.

Species outlook

There is no basis for a species call today. No verified catch or bite data was available.

Tonight and tomorrow

Tonight, Hawk Channel east winds are near 15 knots, decreasing to 10 to 15 knots late. Seas are 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters are a moderate chop, becoming a light to moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Straits east winds are near 15 knots, decreasing to 10 to 15 knots late. Seas are 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail: Northeast to east 4 feet at 6 seconds. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.

Tuesday, Hawk Channel east winds decrease to near 10 knots. Seas are 2 to 3 feet, subsiding to 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters become a light chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Straits east winds are near 10 knots, decreasing to 5 to 10 knots. Seas are 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail: East 3 feet at 5 seconds. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.

Florida Bay sees east winds near 10 knots on Tuesday. Bay waters are a light chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.

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 November 2, 2026, at 4:36 AM EST.
• NOAA Upper Matecumbe Key tide predictions, November 2, 2026, local time (EDT/EST), feet MLLW.
• NOAA Vaca Key water temperature, November 2 at 5:54 AM local.
• NDBC Molasses Reef station, no recent reports when checked.

Midday update, 11:30 AM EST

Prepared at 11:30 AM EST on November 2, 2026. This uses the NOAA Key West coastal waters bulletin issued at 1030 AM EST Monday, November 2, 2026. The 1030 AM bulletin replaced the 436 AM version used in the morning report. Several periods changed. The morning bulletin called the current period Today. The new bulletin calls it This Afternoon.

This afternoon, Hawk Channel east winds are 10 to 15 knots, increasing to near 15 knots. Seas are 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters are a light to moderate chop, becoming a moderate chop. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms. Straits of Florida east winds are 10 to 15 knots. Seas are 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail: Northeast to east 4 feet at 6 seconds. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had east winds 15 to 20 knots early, decreasing to near 15 knots. Florida Bay east winds are 10 to 15 knots. Bay waters are a light to moderate chop. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms.

Tonight, Hawk Channel east winds are 15 to 20 knots, decreasing to near 15 knots. Seas are 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Nearshore waters are choppy, becoming a moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had east winds near 15 knots, decreasing to 10 to 15 knots late. Seas were 2 to 3 feet. Straits of Florida east winds are 10 to 15 knots early, increasing to 15 to 20 knots. Seas are 4 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Wave detail: Northeast to east 4 feet at 6 seconds. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had east winds near 15 knots, decreasing to 10 to 15 knots late. Seas were 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Florida Bay east winds are near 15 knots. Bay waters are a moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had east winds 10 to 15 knots and light to moderate chop.

Tuesday, Hawk Channel east winds are 10 to 15 knots early, decreasing to near 10 knots. Seas are 2 to 3 feet, subsiding to 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters are a light to moderate chop, becoming a light chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had east winds decreasing to near 10 knots and nearshore waters becoming a light chop. Straits of Florida east winds are near 15 knots, decreasing to near 10 knots. Seas are 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail: East 3 feet at 5 seconds. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had east winds near 10 knots, decreasing to 5 to 10 knots. Florida Bay east winds are 10 to 15 knots, decreasing to near 10 knots. Bay waters are a light to moderate chop, becoming a light chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning report had east winds near 10 knots and light chop.

For planning from Molasses to Tennessee, the main change is tonight’s Hawk Channel seas. They are now 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. The morning bulletin had 2 to 3 feet. Straits seas tonight are 4 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. The morning bulletin had 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. These higher numbers apply only to tonight. Tuesday seas in both zones are the same as before.

There are no new verified catches or on-the-water readings. The tide table and water temperature above keep their original labels.

Source: NOAA Key West coastal waters forecast, issued 1030 AM EST Mon Nov 2 2026, checked 11:30 AM EST.

Conditions data for this update comes from FishIntel, the daily Islamorada fishing intelligence report, using the NOAA bulletin named above.

Evening update, November 2, 2026

Prepared at 5:00 PM EST on November 2, 2026. This update uses the NOAA Key West coastal waters bulletin issued at 423 PM EST Mon Nov 2 2026. The morning and midday reports above remain as written.

Afternoon recap

The 423 PM EST bulletin replaced the morning version. Several periods changed. The morning bulletin’s Today period is now past and not comparable. Here is what shifted for the remaining periods.

In the Hawk Channel, tonight’s east winds are now 15 to 20 knots, increasing from near 15. The morning bulletin had them decreasing to 10 to 15 knots late. Seas are now 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. The morning bulletin had 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters are a moderate chop. The morning bulletin had a moderate chop becoming a light to moderate chop. Rain is showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning bulletin had a chance of showers.

For Tuesday in the Hawk Channel, east winds are near 15 knots, decreasing to 10 to 15 knots. The morning bulletin had winds decreasing to near 10 knots. Seas are 2 to 3 feet. The morning bulletin had 2 to 3 feet, subsiding to 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters are a moderate chop, becoming a light to moderate chop. The morning bulletin had nearshore waters becoming a light chop.

Tuesday night in the Hawk Channel sees northeast to east winds 10 to 15 knots. The morning bulletin had 5 to 10 knots. Seas are 2 to 3 feet. The morning bulletin had 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters are a light to moderate chop. The morning bulletin had smooth to a light chop.

In the Straits, tonight’s east winds are near 15 knots early, increasing to 15 to 20 knots. The morning bulletin had them decreasing to 10 to 15 knots late. Seas are 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. The morning bulletin had 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail is Northeast to east 5 feet at 6 seconds. The morning bulletin had Northeast to east 4 feet at 6 seconds. Rain is showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning bulletin had a chance of showers.

For Tuesday in the Straits, east winds are near 15 knots early, decreasing to 10 to 15 knots. The morning bulletin had near 10 knots, decreasing to 5 to 10 knots. Seas are 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. The morning bulletin had 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail is Northeast to east 4 feet at 6 seconds. The morning bulletin had East 3 feet at 5 seconds.

Tuesday night in the Straits has northeast to east winds 10 to 15 knots. The morning bulletin had 5 to 10 knots, becoming northeast to east. Seas are 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. The morning bulletin had 2 to 3 feet, subsiding to 1 to 2 feet. Wave detail is Northeast to east 3 feet at 5 seconds. The morning bulletin had no wave detail listed for this period.

In Florida Bay, tonight’s east winds are 10 to 15 knots, briefly increasing to near 15 knots. The morning bulletin had 10 to 15 knots. Bay waters are a light to moderate chop, becoming a moderate chop. The morning bulletin had a light to moderate chop. Rain is showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning bulletin had a chance of showers.

For Tuesday in Florida Bay, east winds are 10 to 15 knots. The morning bulletin had near 10 knots. Bay waters are a light to moderate chop. The morning bulletin had a light chop.

Tuesday night in Florida Bay sees northeast to east winds 10 to 15 knots. The morning bulletin had near 10 knots, decreasing to 5 to 10 knots. Bay waters are a light to moderate chop. The morning bulletin had a light chop, becoming smooth to a light chop. Rain is a chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms. The morning bulletin had a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms.

Tonight’s ride

Hawk Channel east winds are near 15 knots, increasing to 15 to 20 knots. Seas are 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Nearshore waters are a moderate chop. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Small craft should exercise caution for increasing winds.

Straits of Florida east winds are near 15 knots early, increasing to 15 to 20 knots. Seas are 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Wave detail: Northeast to east 5 feet at 6 seconds. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms. Small craft should exercise caution for increasing winds.

Florida Bay east winds are 10 to 15 knots, briefly increasing to near 15 knots. Bay waters are a light to moderate chop, becoming a moderate chop. Showers likely with a slight chance of thunderstorms.

Tuesday, November 3

Hawk Channel east winds are near 15 knots, decreasing to 10 to 15 knots. Seas are 2 to 3 feet. Nearshore waters are a moderate chop, becoming a light to moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.

Straits of Florida east winds are near 15 knots early, decreasing to 10 to 15 knots. Seas are 3 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. Wave detail: Northeast to east 4 feet at 6 seconds. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.

Florida Bay east winds are 10 to 15 knots. Bay waters are a light to moderate chop. A chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms.

For planning from Molasses to Tennessee, no verified reef readings are available. The Gulf Stream edge was 10 NM southeast of Molasses Reef Light as of October 27, 2026. It was 17 NM south-southeast of Alligator Reef Light as of October 27, 2026. No other reef-specific visibility or current data exists for these areas.

There is no basis for a species call. No verified catch or bite data is available.

Evening forecast source

NOAA Key West coastal waters forecast, issued 423 PM EST Mon Nov 2 2026.

Conditions data for this update comes from FishIntel, the daily Islamorada fishing intelligence report, using the NOAA bulletin named above.