When to catch swordfish in the Florida Keys
Year-round. Best windows: Spring & Fall.
The short version
Daytime broadbill are on Floyd's Wall year-round. The best combination of weather, current, and fish activity runs March through May and again from September through November. October is the sweet spot: lighter current, cool weather, and the biggest single fish of the year tend to show up.
Why swordfish are different from other Keys fish
Swordfish do not follow migration patterns the way mahi or sailfish do. They hold on the deep drop-off year-round: Floyd's Wall, the Marathon Hump, and the deep water off the Islamorada humps. What changes with the seasons is not whether the fish are there, but whether the weather lets you get to them and whether the current is friendly enough to hold a bait in the strike zone.
So the season question is really a weather-and-current question. Peak windows are when the wind is manageable (under 15 knots), the current is under 2 knots, and the water column is clean. Those windows show up most consistently in spring and fall.
The Trip at a Glance
- Depart Robbie's Marina at 5:30 to 6 AM
- 90-minute run to Floyd's Wall (about 25 miles)
- Deep-drop to 1,600 to 1,900 feet
- Fight time: 45 minutes to 3 hours per fish
- Back at dock by mid to late afternoon
- 10 hours total, $2,700 plus $500 fuel
Month-by-month breakdown
March through May: Spring peak
Water clears up after winter, current tends to slow, and weather windows open. Wind is light more days than not. Fish activity picks up as the deep water warms slightly. This is one of the two main windows we push customers toward if the date is flexible.
June through August: Summer, workable but variable
Fish are there, weather is generally calm, but current tends to be strong (2 to 4 knots) which makes holding a bait harder. Afternoon thunderstorms can force an earlier return. Peak tourist season means Floyd's Wall gets more boats. Still catches fish, just less consistent than spring or fall.
September through November: Fall peak (best month is October)
The best window of the year in our experience. Post-summer current slows down, weather cools, and the wall holds big single fish. October specifically has produced our biggest broadbill in multiple recent years. Book fall trips early: the good weather windows fill up.
December through February: Winter, weather-dependent
Fish are on the wall but cold fronts blow through and shut down the weather 3 or 4 days at a stretch. If your dates are flexible and you can move a trip 24 to 48 hours, winter swords are absolutely on the table and less crowded. Book with the understanding that we may need to reschedule.
Book the sword hunt
10-hour daytime deep-drop out of Robbie's Marina.
That day's either booked solid or off our regular schedule. Call us: we keep a waitlist for last-minute openings, and we work with a fleet of sister boats that can run if we can't.
📞 Call (305) 209-5594 See Sister-Boat Fleet →