Florida Keys • Western Atlantic
When do sailfish bite in the Florida Keys?
Sailfish peak December through April on the colour edges and current rips outside the reef line, in 70-86 F water with the best bite between 72 and 79 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.
70–86°F
Best between 72–79°F.
Peaks December–April; late summer is the thin part of the year.
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 sailfish 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 pinned coordinates every morning, and says which of those edges is worth running to.
FishIntel is built by Captain Kit Carson, a licensed charter captain running offshore out of Islamorada.