Islamorada fishing report, November 6, 2026, light chop inside, short seas outside

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

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

A weak ridge sits across Florida today. It will shift southward into South Florida. This keeps light to gentle breezes through the weekend. Rain chances are slight at best. 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 4:18 AM EST on Friday, November 6, 2026.

Hawk Channel winds are northeast 5 to 10 knots. Seas are around 1 foot. Nearshore waters are smooth to a light chop.

Florida Bay winds are northeast 5 to 10 knots. Bay waters are smooth to a light chop.

Straits of Florida winds are northeast near 10 knots. Seas are around 2 feet. Wave detail: Northeast to east 2 feet at 5 seconds.

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 26 NM southeast of Molasses Reef Light as of November 03, 2026.
Conch	No reef readings available today.
Davis	No reef readings available today.
Crocker	No reef readings available today.
Alligator	Gulf Stream edge was 28 NM south-southeast of Alligator Reef Light as of November 03, 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 6, 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
Low	03:21	0.176
High	08:42	0.69
Low	15:17	0.316
High	20:22	0.81

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

Water temperature

NOAA station 8723970, Vaca Key, Florida Bay, reported 82.0 F at 5:54 AM local on November 6. 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 north to northeast winds are 5 to 10 knots. Seas are around 1 foot. Nearshore waters are smooth to a light chop. Straits northeast winds are near 10 knots. Seas are 1 to 2 feet. Wave detail: Northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds.

Florida Bay sees northeast winds 5 to 10 knots tonight. Bay waters are smooth to a light chop.

Saturday, Hawk Channel north to northeast winds are 5 to 10 knots. Seas are around 1 foot. Nearshore waters are smooth to a light chop. Straits north to northeast winds are 5 to 10 knots. Seas are 1 to 2 feet. Wave detail: Northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds.

Florida Bay sees north to northeast winds 5 to 10 knots on Saturday, decreasing to near 5 knots. Bay waters are smooth to a light chop, becoming smooth.

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 6, 2026, at 4:18 AM EST.
• NOAA Upper Matecumbe Key tide predictions, November 6, 2026, local time (EDT/EST), feet MLLW.
• NOAA Vaca Key water temperature, November 6 at 5:54 AM local.
• NDBC Molasses Reef station, no recent reports when checked.

Midday update, 11:30 AM EST

This update was prepared at 11:30 AM EST using the NOAA Key West coastal waters bulletin issued at 10:20 AM EST today. Nothing material changed. The numbers for the rest of today, tonight, and tomorrow match the forecast used in the morning report.

For the rest of today, northeast winds of 5 to 10 knots keep Florida Bay waters smooth to a light chop. The Hawk Channel sees the same northeast winds with seas around 1 foot and nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. Out in the Straits of Florida, northeast winds blow near 10 knots. Seas are around 2 feet. Wave detail: Northeast to east 2 feet at 5 seconds.

The reef areas from Molasses to Tennessee see no change in the regional planning numbers. The Gulf Stream edge positions in the bulletin are dated November 03, 2026, and are not a current reading. No new reef-specific visibility or current readings are available.

Tonight brings north to northeast winds of 5 to 10 knots in the Hawk Channel with seas around 1 foot. Straits winds stay near 10 knots from the northeast with seas 1 to 2 feet. Wave detail: Northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds. Florida Bay remains smooth to a light chop with northeast winds of 5 to 10 knots.

Tomorrow, Saturday, north to northeast winds of 5 to 10 knots continue in the Hawk Channel with seas around 1 foot. Straits winds stay 5 to 10 knots from the north to northeast with seas 1 to 2 feet. Wave detail: Northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds. In Florida Bay, north to northeast winds are 5 to 10 knots, decreasing to near 5 knots, with bay waters smooth to a light chop, becoming smooth.

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

Source: NOAA Key West coastal waters forecast, issued 1020 AM EST Fri Nov 6 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 6, 2026

This update was prepared at 5:00 PM EST on November 6, 2026. It uses the NOAA Key West coastal waters bulletin issued at 4:31 PM EST today. The morning report above remains intact and is not replaced by this text.

Afternoon recap

The afternoon bulletin differs from the morning report in specific ways. In the Straits of Florida, tonight’s winds are now north to northeast near 10 knots. The morning bulletin had northeast winds near 10 knots. Saturday’s Straits winds are now north to northeast near 10 knots. The morning bulletin listed north to northeast winds of 5 to 10 knots. Saturday night in the Straits now lists north to northeast winds near 10 knots, with wave detail Northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds. The morning bulletin had northeast winds 5 to 10 knots, increasing to near 10 knots, without wave detail.

In Florida Bay, Saturday’s winds are now northeast near 5 knots. The morning bulletin had north to northeast winds 5 to 10 knots, decreasing to near 5 knots. Bay waters are smooth. The morning bulletin had bay waters smooth to a light chop, becoming smooth. Saturday night in Florida Bay now has north to northeast winds 5 to 10 knots and bay waters smooth to a light chop. The morning bulletin had north to northeast winds near 5 knots and bay waters smooth. The chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning bulletin has been reduced to a slight chance of showers in the new bulletin.

In the Hawk Channel, Saturday night now lists a slight chance of showers. The morning bulletin listed a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. No verified afternoon catches or on-the-water observations were available to report.

Tonight’s ride

Tonight, the Hawk Channel sees north to northeast winds of 5 to 10 knots. Seas are around 1 foot. Nearshore waters are smooth to a light chop. In the Straits of Florida, north to northeast winds blow near 10 knots. Seas are 1 to 2 feet. Wave detail: Northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds. Florida Bay has northeast winds of 5 to 10 knots. Bay waters are smooth to a light chop.

Saturday, November 7

Tomorrow, the Hawk Channel has north to northeast winds of 5 to 10 knots. Seas are around 1 foot. Nearshore waters are smooth to a light chop. In the Straits of Florida, north to northeast winds are near 10 knots. Seas are 1 to 2 feet. Wave detail: Northeast 2 feet at 4 seconds. Florida Bay sees northeast winds near 5 knots. Bay waters are smooth.

For planning from Molasses to Tennessee, the regional forecast supports light to gentle breezes. The Gulf Stream edge positions provided in the synopsis are dated November 03, 2026. They are not current readings. There are no verified reef-specific visibility or current readings available for these areas.

There is no basis for a species call for Saturday. No verified catch or bite data was available to support a prediction.

Evening forecast source

NOAA Key West coastal waters forecast, issued 431 PM EST Fri Nov 6 2026.

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