Water temp
88.9°F
NOAA CO-OPS 8724580 updated 8:48 AM
Waters · Coast · FL · Tue, Sep 15
Key West tide chart today next high 1:40 PM
Bite index 5/10 — Picky — save your energy for the evening.
Work for it.
5/10
Picky
Today's bite windows
12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
10Peak 9 8Strong 7 6Good 5 4Slow 3 2 1Dead
Major
3:27 AM–5:27 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
10:53 AM–11:53 AM
Moonrise
Major
3:51 PM–5:51 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
9:45 PM–10:45 PM
Moonset
Sunrise 7:13 AM · sunset 7:30 PM · tomorrow's first major 4:16 AM–6:16 AM · windows on every water
Solunar · computed updated 8:58 AM
Conditions right now
Tide level
1.146ft
+0.02 ft in 24h
NOAA CO-OPS 8724580 updated 8:48 AM
Pressure
30.04inHg
rising · +1.02 hPa/12h
NOAA KEYW updated 8:40 AM
Wind
7mph S
NOAA KEYW updated 8:40 AM
Moon
21% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 8:58 AM
What this means
Redfish
89°F is above the comfortable band. Fish deep water and the first hour of light.
Work deep.
Key West tide times
| Day | Tide | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Sep 15 | High | 12:39 AM | 2.2 ft |
| Low | 7:10 AM | 0.4 ft | |
| High | 1:40 PM | 1.6 ft | |
| Low | 6:40 PM | 0.9 ft | |
| Wed, Sep 16 | High | 1:14 AM | 2.1 ft |
| Low | 8:03 AM | 0.4 ft | |
| High | 2:25 PM | 1.4 ft | |
| Low | 7:09 PM | 0.9 ft | |
| Thu, Sep 17 | High | 1:54 AM | 2.1 ft |
| Low | 9:04 AM | 0.5 ft | |
| High | 3:23 PM | 1.2 ft | |
| Low | 7:37 PM | 1.0 ft |
Predicted heights above MLLW. The bite windows above already fold these swings in.
NOAA CO-OPS 8724580 updated 8:58 AM
Key West water level today
1.146 ft above MLLW up 0.02 ft in 24 hours
That sits 31% of the way up the band it has held over the last 9 days, between 0.41 and 2.81 ft. Over the week it is down1.47ft.
09-06 0.41–2.81 ft 09-15
NOAA CO-OPS 8724580 updated 8:48 AM
The week ahead
| Wed | 4 | Picky | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu | 6 | Biting | |
| Fri | 6 | Biting | |
| Sat | 6 | Biting | |
| Sun | 5 | Picky | |
| Mon | 5 | Picky | |
| Tue | 5 | Picky |
Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.
Key West boat ramps and public fishing access
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists 5 public access points on the Key West waters within 16 mi of our gauge.
- Simonton Street Beach Public Boat Ramp 0.4 miLaunch lanes: 1Fee: NoRamp surface: Sand,SandDock: Launch Dock
- Key West City Marina at Garrison Bight 1.5 miLaunch lanes: 2Fee: YesFee amount: $11Ramp surface: ConcreteDock: Both Launch and Staging Dock
- City of Key West 11th Street Public Boat Ramp 2.5 miLaunch lanes: 1Fee: NoRamp surface: ConcreteDock: Fixed Dock
- Stock Island Wayside Park Public Boat Ramp (Mile Marker 5) 4.9 miLaunch lanes: 1Fee: NoRamp surface: Concrete
- Oceanside Marina of Stock Island (No Trailer Parking) 5.0 miLaunch lanes: 1Fee: YesFee amount: $15Ramp surface: ConcreteDock: Both Launch and Staging Dock
This inventory carries the agency's own vintage of 2009. Lanes, docks and fees can have changed since — call ahead if a detail decides your trip.
Access data from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Distances are straight-line from our gauge, not driving distance.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission · public access inventory
Before you go
A Florida fishing license covers this water — $17 a year for residents. FWC sets the rules and is the one that counts.
What it costs, and who is exempt →Nearby waters today
- 6 Biting Lake Okeechobee FL · 284 km
- 4 Picky Tampa Bay FL · 366 km
- 5 Picky St. Marks River FL · 676 km
- 7 Biting Lake Erie OH · 1891 km
- 5 Picky Lake Havasu AZ · 3297 km
Questions people ask about Key West
Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Key West.
- Is it worth fishing Key West today?
- 5 out of 10 — picky. Work for it. The strongest stretch is 3:27 AM–5:27 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level and the water temperature.
- What time should you fish Key West?
- Today's major windows run 3:27 AM–5:27 AM and 3:51 PM–5:51 PM, with minor windows at 10:53 AM–11:53 AM and 9:45 PM–10:45 PM. Sunrise is 7:13 AM and sunset 7:30 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
- What is the water temperature at Key West?
- 88.9°F, read at 8:48 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8724580. That is 0.2 degrees warmer than 24 hours ago.
- What is the water level at Key West right now?
- 1.146 ft above MLLW, read at 8:48 AM from NOAA CO-OPS station 8724580. Over 24 hours it is up 0.02 ft.
- Are water levels rising or falling at Key West?
- Falling. The lake is up 0.02 ft in 24 hours and down 1.47 ft over the week. Over the last 9 days it has held between 0.41 and 2.81 ft. Every figure here is a difference between two gauge readings, not a forecast — what the level does next depends on rain and on what the dam releases.
- Can you eat the fish you catch in Key West?
- That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Florida Department of Health publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where most Florida freshwater fish are fine to eat, and a mercury threshold triggers the advisories you can look up by water. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.
- Do you need a licence to fish Key West?
- Yes. A Florida fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. FWC sets the rules and is the one that counts.
- What size fish can you keep in Florida?
- It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: red drum (redfish), spotted seatrout (speckled trout), king mackerel, greater amberjack. Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.
Red drum (redfish) limits · Spotted seatrout (speckled trout) limits · King mackerel limits · Greater amberjack limits · Check a length against the rules
Where these numbers come from
- Solunar computed 8:58 AM
- NOAA KEYW Key West International Airport 8:40 AM
- NOAA KEY gridded forecast 8:15 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 8724580 Key West 8:48 AM
No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.