A 120-mile arc of islands between the Atlantic and Florida Bay, the Keys are the light-tackle and fly capital of the planet. Tarpon pour up the oceanside in spring, bonefish and permit haunt the flats, and winter brings the whole food chain to the backcountry.
Region: Florida Atlantic · FL. Coordinates 24.8000, -81.1000.
This zone reads from NOAA CO-OPS tide station 8724580 — Key West, FL — for tide predictions and observed water level, with wind, gusts, air temperature and marine warnings from Open-Meteo and the National Weather Service. Water temperature comes from the same station's thermometer.
Every reading is fetched when you open the page, so nothing here is a published forecast: the tide timeline covers the next 48 hours with highs, lows and moon phase, and the bite outlook scores the current tide stage, water temperature, wind and pressure for the species you pick. Open the console to watch this water on one screen, or see it in context on the coastal map.
For recreation only — not for navigation. In an emergency call 911 or hail the Coast Guard on VHF 16.
Catalog species that hold in this zone: Speckled Trout, Redfish (Red Drum), Sheepshead, Snook, Tarpon, Spanish Mackerel, Cobia.
| Season | Species present |
|---|---|
| spring | Tarpon, Snook, Redfish (Red Drum), Speckled Trout |
| summer | Tarpon, Snook |
| fall | Snook, Tarpon, Redfish (Red Drum), Speckled Trout |
| winter | Spanish Mackerel, Speckled Trout, Redfish (Red Drum), Sheepshead, Cobia |
Regional targets beyond the catalog: Bonefish · Permit · Barracuda · Mangrove snapper · Yellowtail snapper.
What to tie on: 30 lures and baits in the lure & bait database are proven for the species that hold in The Florida Keys, and the smart lure tool narrows them to today's conditions on this water.
Winter turns the Gulf-side backcountry on: Spanish mackerel blitzes, trout over the mud, cobia riding stingrays and sharks thick behind them. Spring is the migration — tarpon strings running the oceanside from Islamorada to Key West. Summer means early tarpon, bonefish on the flood and snapper for dinner. Fall is quiet-season magic: bones and permit with nobody around, and the first fronts firing the backcountry.
Base camps and launch areas inside this zone:
Running these waters? Pull the official NOAA chart before you go — it opens centered on this zone. Check the regulations for The Florida Keys for current size and bag limits, and run the launch-prep checklist before you leave the ramp.
No listed charter calls The Florida Keys home port yet — the charters & guides directory covers nearby waters, and captains who run this zone can list their business.
The what's-biting report and the angler reports on this page are sample content, clearly labeled as a demo in the app — posting and replies activate with the community account system. Live tide, water temperature, wind and warning data are real and pull from NOAA and Open-Meteo on every visit.