CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Key West, FL Daily Water Report — October 5, 2026

Key West gets a clear green light for boating and a solid nod for kayaking today, with a few early-morning rough edges worth respecting. Boating leads the board at 8.3/10 and kayaking follows at 7.8/10, supported by light NNE winds around 4 knots, no meaningful rain expected, and waves generally holding in the modest 0.3–0.7 m range. The catch: gusts reached 18.7 knots around 7:00 AM, so dawn departures may feel sharper than the representative wind suggests. Give the morning a little room to settle rather than treating the first launch window as a free pass. The water is warm at 29.8 C, with a 0.58 m swell from 111 degrees and short-period wind waves adding a bit of chop. That is manageable water for capable boaters and paddlers, but the 3.9-second overall wave period means it may not feel glassy even when the wind is light. The calmest wave height, about 0.3 m, is forecast near 11:00 PM. Atmospheric visibility is near 15.9 km, useful for travel planning but not a measure of underwater visibility. For anglers, the 6.5/10 fishing outlook is respectable rather than red-hot. The best timing is the 8:18–10:18 AM solunar major period, with a second major window from 8:18–10:18 PM. The tide falls from the 5:50 AM high of 0.68 m to the 12:45 PM low of 0.17 m, then rises toward a 7:38 PM high of 0.47 m; the late-afternoon minor period, 2:48–3:48 PM, arrives during that rebuilding tide. Pressure is falling from around 1014 hPa, a modest tradeoff against the otherwise light wind. Sailing is a middling 6.2/10: enough breeze to move, but not much steady pressure to make it a banner day. Wildlife scores 6.1/10, with low tide around 12:45 PM offering the most useful shoreline-timing cue. Diving has no current score, so it is not a call to make from this report. Compared with yesterday’s reconstructed CatchWindow scores, boating is only slightly lower, while fishing, sailing, and wildlife have softened more noticeably. The next three days look exceptionally calm on the marine forecast, with 0.1–0.3 m waves through Wednesday, though rain chances rise Tuesday and Wednesday; winds and waves build again late week. Best bet: launch after the early gusts ease, fish the 8:18–10:18 AM major period, and enjoy a warm-water day that rewards steady judgment over heroics.