Florida Keys • Upper and Middle Florida Keys
When do mahi bite in the Florida Keys?
Mahi peak April through August on the weed lines and color edges outside the reef, in 72-88 F water with the best bite between 78 and 84 F. The bands come from 100 days of observed Keys sea surface temperature, and the daily FishIntel report says where that water sits this morning.
How does FishIntel forecast the best days to catch mahi?
FishIntel reads NOAA and satellite ocean data, including sea surface temperature breaks and chlorophyll edges, and turns changes near your zone into a plain-English mahi forecast. See a sample report at fishintel.ai/sample-report.
72-88°F
Best between 78-84°F.
Peaks April to August in the Keys. Atlantic state waters, which is how FWC treats the ocean side of Monroe County: 20 in fork length and 5 per person or 30 per vessel, whichever is less, and captain and crew on a for-hire trip keep none. FWC sets Gulf state waters at no minimum size and 10 per person or 60 per vessel and does not say which rule applies in Monroe County water on the Florida Bay side, so the stricter Atlantic rule is the safe reading there (FWC dolphinfish page, read 2026-09-30). Federal Atlantic waters past 3 miles: 20 in fork length, 10 per person and 54 per vessel (SAFMC, read 2026-09-30). Regulations change, so check the current rules for the species you are targeting before treating a rating as a plan.
Confirm current rules before you keep a fish. Official rules: FWC, NOAA Fisheries.
These bands are calibrated for the Florida Keys from 100 days of observed sea surface temperature in this fishery, recorded between 4 April and 27 July 2026, plus local seasonality, and not copied from a generic table. The record starts in April, so the cold ends rest on seasonality rather than measurement.
A band and a season tell you whether mahi is on the cards this month. They do not tell you where the water is doing something today. A FishIntel report reads the actual sea surface temperature, chlorophyll fronts and current convergence over your own zone every morning, and says which of those edges is worth running to.
FishIntel was co-founded by Captain Kit Carson and Alan Lanham.