Updated: Thursday, October 22, 2026 · Next update: Thursday, October 29, 2026
This Florida Keys fishing report covers late October, when the first real cool mornings touch the islands and the full moon arrives early next week. Permit are the lead target on the offshore wrecks and deeper channel edges, yellowtail and mutton snapper fill the reef, and bonefish work the flats on the rising tide. The main condition to plan around is wind: strengthening tides help the flats and bridges, but fall fronts can switch the wind quickly.
What’s Hitting
Permit hold on the offshore wrecks and deeper channel edges, and yellowtail and mutton snapper sit on the reef. Mahi and blackfin tuna run the weed lines offshore. Bonefish work the flats on the rising tide, and tarpon stay around the bridges at night.
Expect the first strong fronts to push kingfish and Spanish mackerel toward the reef and leave the flats clearer and cooler, with the permit action on the wrecks staying strong into November.
Where to Find Them
On the oceanside, fish the reef line in 60 to 100 feet for yellowtail and mutton snapper, anchoring up current and chumming steadily. Work the flats of the Middle and Lower Keys on the incoming tide for bonefish, along with the Gulf-side flats. Bridge pilings and channel edges hold tarpon after dark. Offshore, look for weed lines and floating debris for mahi.
Tides & Conditions
Tides build toward the full moon, so bridge currents run strong and the flats flood deeper at high water. The early morning rising tide is the best flats window before the wind builds. Check a current tide chart and the marine forecast, because fall fronts can switch the wind quickly.
Tackle & Tactics
- Flats and reef outfit: light spinning gear with 10 to 15 pound braid and a fluorocarbon leader.
- Bonefish and permit: live shrimp and small crabs.
- Reef fish: flair-hackle jigs and fresh cut ballyhoo on a long leader.
- Offshore: pitched baits or trolled ballyhoo.
With stronger tides, adjust your anchor weight at the bridges and keep baits tight to the pilings where fish ambush in the current. On the flats, lead cruising bonefish by several feet so the shrimp lands quietly in their path.
Local Intel This Week
Launch at Harry Harris Park on Key Largo for the upper reef, use Sombrero Beach in Marathon as a Middle Keys base, and run from the Garrison Bight launch in Key West to the Lower Keys flats and wrecks. Founders Park and Simonton Street Beach are other access points. Permit, snapper and bonefish rules deserve particular attention. Check current FWC and federal regulations and seasons before keeping fish.
This Week’s Tip
Plan around the wind. Fall fronts can blow out a Keys trip fast, so always have a protected-water backup near the bridges, where the channels stay fishable when the reef and open flats are too rough.
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