Islamorada Sailfish TournamentMarine Weather — Islamorada, Florida Keys
The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament 2026 runs Dec 4–6, 2026 out of Islamorada, Florida Keys. Here is the conditions outlook on the grounds in the lead-up to tournament week.
Tournament Location
The sailfish are caught on the reef edge a few miles off, but the water that decides the day is the Gulf Stream just beyond it, so this page reads the Stream at the Hump. The live day-by-day GO / CAUTION / NO-GO cards are up top; here is the map, the tide, and the latest outlook.
Gulf Stream — Islamorada Hump
The water off Islamorada from the reef line out to the Hump. Pan and zoom the chart, and switch layers to read the water temperature and the edge of the Gulf Stream.
Islamorada Hump
24.803, -80.445
An underwater seamount about twelve nautical miles southeast of Whale Harbor Channel, right on the tournament's outer boundary, the 100-fathom curve, and in the path of the Gulf Stream. It is not where most sailfish are released, but it is the honest read on the Stream itself. A north or northeast wind running against the north-east-flowing current stands the sea up here first, and that sea is what reaches the reef.
Best on Monday; Sunday depends on timing
Monday, October 5 is the pick: any 12-hour stretch works, with calm 4-12 knots ESE winds and 1.1-2.3 foot seas at short 3-second periods, easing further after 10:00 AM.
Islamorada Hump — Saturday, Oct 3 · NO-GO
Saturday is a NO-GO for a 12-hour trip. ESE winds of 11-18 knots, gusting to 23, build 2.8-4.3 foot seas at choppy 4-second periods from the ESE. Waves are worst from 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM, with no settled stretch long enough for the trip, so skip it.
Islamorada Hump — Sunday, Oct 4 · CAUTION
Sunday is CAUTION and depends on timing. ESE winds of 8-15 knots, gusting to 21, are manageable, but 2.2-3.4 foot ESE seas at choppy 4-second periods stay bumpy through about noon. Seas settle from 12:00 PM onward, so a 12-hour trip should be timed for the afternoon and evening.
Islamorada Hump — Monday, Oct 5 · GO
Monday is a GO, with any time of day working. ESE winds of 4-12 knots, gusting to 16, and 1.1-2.3 foot seas at 3-second periods from the ESE make for easy, mostly gentle conditions. Visibility is 10+ nm and rain is light.
Whale Harbor tides
The tide range here is small, but it still decides the run. The Whale Harbor sandbar sits just outside the channel and dries to a few feet on the low, and Snake Creek is tight for boats drawing four feet or more near low water. Read the tide before you plan your 8:30 lines-in.
The AI fishing report for the Islamorada reef line
Weather tells you whether you can go. DeepCast reads the SST breaks, chlorophyll edges, and bottom structure for the exact water the fleet fishes — and turns them into a plain-English fishing report, the same AI reports built into the SeaLegs AI app.
Get the AI-powered fishing reportAbout the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament
- DatesDec 4–6, 2026
- Host portIslamorada, Florida Keys — Three Waters Resort & Marina, mile marker 84 beside Whale Harbor Channel (registration, banquets and awards)
- The runOut Whale Harbor or Snake Creek, across Hawk Channel to the reef line three to five miles off, where the sailfish are; the Gulf Stream and the Hump lie beyond it
- Target speciesAtlantic sailfish, fished release-only on circle hooks
The Islamorada Sailfish Tournament opens the Florida Keys winter sailfish season. The 63rd edition is fished on December 5 and 6, 2026 out of Three Waters Resort & Marina at mile marker 84, and it is the first leg of the Florida Keys Gold Cup sailfish series. It is release-only: every sailfish is worth 100 points, caught on non-offset circle hooks and 20-pound line or lighter. The tournament is the primary fundraiser for the Islamorada Charter Boat Association.
The fish are close. Islamorada's sailfish are caught along the reef edge three to five miles offshore in 20 to 150 feet of water, mostly on live bait under kites. That puts the forecast question in a different place than at an offshore billfish tournament: the run is short, but the reef line sits right against the Gulf Stream, and the Stream decides what the sea does there. This page reads the Stream at the Islamorada Hump, with a plain GO, CAUTION or NO-GO call for each day, updated every morning from the latest marine model data. It is the same AI rating used in the SeaLegs AI app.
Reading conditions for the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament
Read the wind direction before the wind speed. The Gulf Stream runs north-east along the outside of the Keys reef, so the wind that matters most is the one blowing against it. A north or northeast wind after a cold front works against the current and stacks up a short, steep sea that is worse than the raw wave height suggests. The same wind is also what sailfish captains here wait for: Islamorada's winter bite traditionally turns on after the first front of the season. A tournament weekend just behind a front can therefore be both the best fishing and the roughest ride, and the cards above tell you which way it is leaning.
Then read it for the kites. Kite fishing needs steady wind to keep the baits up, and local reports describe an east wind of 10 to 15 knots as the kind that does it. A dead-calm day is comfortable but hard to fish; a strong front is easy to fly kites in but hard to sit in. The useful reading on these cards is somewhere in between.
Finally, read the run out. Whale Harbor Channel sits right beside the host marina, with a well-known sandbar just outside it that is only a few feet deep at low tide, and Snake Creek is tight for boats drawing four feet or more near the bottom of the tide. The tide chart is on this page for that reason. This page is a planning aid, not a substitute for the official NWS coastal waters forecast and marine warnings.
Islamorada Sailfish Tournament forecast FAQ
What are the marine conditions at the Florida Keys today?
As of Oct 3, 2026: Gulf Stream — Islamorada Hump — NO-GO. Every rating is rebuilt each morning from the latest marine model data.
When is the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament 2026?
The 63rd Annual Islamorada Sailfish Tournament runs December 4 to 6, 2026. Friday the 4th is registration, the kick-off banquet and the rules meeting. Fishing is Saturday December 5 (lines in 8:30am, lines out 4:00pm) and Sunday December 6 (lines in 8:30am, lines out 3:00pm), with the awards banquet on Sunday evening. Check the official tournament site for any schedule changes.
Where is the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament held?
At Three Waters Resort & Marina, mile marker 84 on the Overseas Highway in Islamorada, beside Whale Harbor Channel. Registration, the banquets and the awards are all held there.
What is the tournament format?
Release-only for sailfish, at 100 points per release, on non-offset circle hooks with live or dead bait and 20-pound line or lighter. Teams fish in Pro and Non-Pro divisions, with individual angler awards as well. The fishing boundary runs from the shoreline out to the 100-fathom curve. The official rules are the authority on current scoring and eligibility.
Is the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament part of the Gold Cup?
Yes. It is the opening leg of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sailfish Championship, a three-tournament winter series fished out of Islamorada.
Where are the sailfish caught off Islamorada?
Along the reef edge, typically three to five miles offshore in 20 to 150 feet of water, which is a short run compared with most billfish tournaments. Most boats fish live bait under kites, which is why a steady breeze matters as much as a calm sea.
Is December a good month for sailfish in Islamorada?
December is the start of the season. Local charter operators describe consistent sailfish catches from November through March, with the bite turning on after the first cold front of the winter.
Why does this page read the Hump instead of the reef?
Because the Gulf Stream is what decides the sea on the reef line, and the Hump sits in it, about twelve nautical miles southeast of Whale Harbor Channel on the tournament's outer boundary. A wind against the Stream shows up there first. Read the card as the Stream beyond the grounds, not as the reef edge itself.
How often is this forecast updated?
The board is rebuilt every morning from the latest marine model data, and the card refreshes live in your browser. The date stamp above the outlook shows exactly when it was last generated.
What do GO, CAUTION, and NO-GO mean?
GO means conditions are favorable for most recreational boats. CAUTION means marginal — manageable for experienced crews in capable vessels, but check the wind direction against the Gulf Stream closely. NO-GO means conditions are hazardous for small craft and the trip is best postponed. They are a planning aid, not a substitute for the official marine forecast and warnings.
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