Florida Keys • Upper and Middle Florida Keys
When do sailfish bite in the Florida Keys?
Sailfish peak December through April on the color 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.
How does FishIntel forecast the best days to catch sailfish?
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 sailfish forecast. See a sample report at fishintel.ai/sample-report.
70-86°F
Best between 72-79°F.
Peaks December to April; late summer is the thin part of the year. 63 in lower jaw fork length and 1 billfish per person per day (FWC, read 2026-09-30); the federal table sets the same 63 in and no bag of its own (NOAA HMS Recreational Compliance Guide 2026, read 2026-09-30). A federal HMS Angling permit is required in federal waters, and a sailfish you intend to release may not be taken from the water in federal waters, or in state waters if you hold that permit (FWC). 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 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 zone every morning, and says which of those edges is worth running to.
FishIntel was co-founded by Captain Kit Carson and Alan Lanham.