Fishing Key West In October

October holds many things that I love about fishing in Key West. The weather, the crowds and the fishing are all very good. Key West has an amazing charm in the fall. The beginning of the month hotel rates are very low as it is our offseason. Toward the end of the month Fantasy Fest shoots the rates back up, and its crowded. Be careful when you book. Going down town Key West you might see more than you wanted to.

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The Weather in October

Can be a transitional month but mostly fall like conditions for us here in Key West for October. Some late season tropical climate mixed with our first northerly winds drying things out and making the air more crisp. Still hurricane season.

October Inshore Fishing

October is a great month to explore the backcountry / Inshore waters of Key West. Most folks prefer the flats fishing as the shallows seem to be the hang out for all of our sport fishing species.

Flats Fishing

To me, few things are more enjoyable in fishing than standing on the bow of a boat and flats fishing in October. A fantastic SLAM month October holds nice beauty size bonefish in good numbers that can be reached with spin tackle or fly fishing tackle. Permit are also on the flats ready to eat a crab or crab pattern. I usually fish for baby tarpon first thing in the morning to start off my days.

For flats fishing this time of the year I can use my technical flats fishing skiff or my Yellowfin 24′ carbon fiber bay boat will offer my anglers to get in less than 10 inches of water with ease. 2 or more I prefer my bay boat. 1-2 I can use either.

Flats Fishing Charters – Flats fishing trips are 4, 6 and 8 hours in length. Live bait, artificial and fly fishing. Your choice. I will put you on the fish all you have to do is cast to them and catch them..

Backcountry Fishing

Backcountry fishing in October here in Key West one can expect just about anything. It is a great time of the year for my “All In Wonder” fishing charter to the Marquesas Keys. This is where we take advantage of good weather and head West of Key West in the hunt for anything that bites. My anglers have caught over 25 species of fish in one day on this trip. A great way to see what all Key West has to offer.

My backcountry fishing charters 4 and 6 hour days typically start off in the hunt for tarpon then off to the shallows to look for bonefish, permit or the mighty barracuda. Barracudas are a blast in the shallows. The jacks are starting to get behind the rays. Things are starting to shape up for our winter Key West fishing.

Backcountry Fishing Charters – I use bay boats that are capable of carrying up to 4 persons on the backcountry trips. 4, 6, and 8 hour fishing charters are available. Best thing to do is call or text us for this or any charter you see here..
Office – 305-292-7212
Text 786-847-3808

October Fishing Offshore

With the changes in the seasons October can certainly provide the surprises. On the reef and deep sea fishing its hard to put a solid finger on the fishing this month. But.. I will try..

Deep Sea Fishing

With potentially great weather October deep sea fishing can be amazing, especially if the fish are out there.. October can have a summer – like feel to it one day and winterish the next. Nothing is predictable about October deep sea fishing but we have caught or hooked ever species we fish for when on the troll in October.

Lets start off with the fact the full and new moon boats have amazing opportunities for wahoo, marlin and tuna. There can be some very nice mahi around, some years are better than others. Sailfish are starting to show up in the deep and on the reef as the bait starts to gather. I have had some great deep sea fishing charters in October and I think it is definitly worth a shot. As the old saying goes. Won’t know till you go.

Deep sea fishing charters in October are pretty easy to set up. It is not our busiest month by a long shot so availability can be made or taken very last minute. Do keep in mind, some of us go on vacation or pull our big boats during this time so that might be a consideration.. We offer 4 6 and 8 hour trips on all of our Key West deep sea fishing charters. I use two different boats for deep sea fishing. One is my 47Ft Viking C called the INXS the other is my 36Ft Yellowfin center console.

Reef Fishing

Who doesn’t like a nice filet of snapper? Who doesn’t like fewer boats on the water and nice days to get out and catch dinner?

With the weather in October and the fact the crowds are minimal this is a great month to go out and hammer some nice snappers and groupers. The Atlantic grouper season is still in full swing making it worth the runs to our bottom fishing grounds for some tasty ocean treats. The reefs are lit up with great grouper snapper fishing. We start getting a TON of bait fish on the reef and all the good eating predators are there to make use of it. Its a fantastic time to get after them. Truly one of my favorite months.

I will fish the reef at the drop of a hat in my 24′ Yellowfin bay boat. But my favorite reef fishing chariot is my 36ft Yellowfin center console which is a little less weather dependent.

Pro Tip – As I mentioned crowds are light and the Key West fishing guide schedule starts opening up. Last minute bookings are easy but you should still call ahead as soon as you know when you will be here.

October Fishing Charters

All the fishing in Key West is available in October. It is truly your choice. We are here to help. My wife Gennifer answers the phones every day helping people make the best decisions possible based on types of fishing, budget, availability and recommending the right fishing guide if I am not available. Call her – rely on her 22 years of putting fishing guides with clients. She knows her stuff.

Office 1-305-292-7212
Text 1-786-847-3808
Email steven@fishingkeywest.com