Bonefish
Albula vulpes
Thermal window
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In peak season for this water. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only.
Florida · Miami / Biscayne Bay
Bonefish should be the day — the ocean banks as they empty; these fish are educated and the window is short.
North end of the grand-slam stage. Bones and permit on the oceanside flats and ocean banks, baby tarpon and snook in the west-side mangroves. Educated fish, short windows, boat traffic.
- ⚠ This brief is for 2026-12-19, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
- ⚠ Snook are typically closed to harvest on the SE/Atlantic coast in this window. Verify FWC.
Forecast
medium confidence
Forecast brief for Saturday, December 19. Back to this morning
Morning line
Biscayne 8.3 on Saturday, December 19. 7 mph SE. Clear. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
outgoing · 0.86 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW
Wind
OPEN-METEO
From SE · gust 7
Sky
OPEN-METEO
Clear
Clear
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
77% lit
Waxing gibbous
mid range · 77%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 2.0 ft
outgoing
0.86 ft MLLW
Clock
NOAA 8723214
- LowSat 10:18 AM · 0.43
- HighSat 4:27 PM · 1.98
- LowSat 10:43 PM · -0.00
- HighSun 5:23 AM · 2.12
- LowSun 11:15 AM · 0.36
Monthly YOLO day
Tuesday, August 25 · 9.2
Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · mid · tide range ~2.0 ft · wind to 19 mph · Clouds · 25%
Next two weeks
Pulling the 14-day strip…
Where
- 7.7
Cape Florida Channel
channel gut · public structure · deep
USGS GNIS 279999. The Key Biscayne throat. Current seams, not a wade.
USGS GNIS 279999
- — channel gut on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
- — In-play: Bonefish.
skiffspinfly - 7.4
Stiltsville / Cape Florida edge
sand dropoff · public structure · mid
Public geography. Tide seams off Key Biscayne. Virginia Key gauge is the clock.
- — sand dropoff on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
- — In-play: Bonefish.
skiffflyspin - 7.0
Featherbed Bank
hard flat · public structure · skinny
USGS GNIS 282399. South Biscayne classic. Incoming on the bank. Educated bones. Boat traffic is part of the problem.
USGS GNIS 282399
- — hard flat on a outgoing tide is a workable match.
- — In-play: Bonefish.
skiffflyspin - 7.0
Safety Valve
hard flat · public structure · skinny
USGS GNIS 293633. Oceanside flood. Permit and bones on a clean incoming. Wind from the east dirties it fast.
USGS GNIS 293633
- — hard flat on a outgoing tide is a workable match.
- — In-play: Bonefish.
skifffly - 7.0
West-side mangroves
mangrove edge · field manual · mid
Baby tarpon and snook. Not the oceanside slam. Outgoing along the roots.
- — mangrove edge on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
skiffkayakflyspin
When
Outgoing water
9.1Sat 8:00 AM → Sat 12:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
10.0Sat 11:00 AM → Sat 6:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
8.1Sat 6:00 PM → Sun 1:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
8.1Sun 12:00 AM → Sun 7:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Outgoing water
10.0Sun 6:00 AM → Sun 1:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Launch and beach access
County and state ramps near this water. FKNMS no-take is Keys-only, on the legal list.
Matheson Hammock Park
Miami-Dade Parks
West-side mangrove and basin launch. Baby tarpon and snook water, not the oceanside slam.
Official sourceCrandon Marina
Miami-Dade Parks
Key Biscayne. Oceanside banks and Stiltsville from here. Park fee.
Official sourceBlack Point Marina
Miami-Dade Parks
South Biscayne. Featherbed and the Safety Valve are the run.
Official source
Legal water
NOAA FKNMS management zones — Sanctuary Preservation Areas, Ecological Reserves, Research-Only.
No FKNMS polygon in this box. Mainland Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, and the Bahamas are not Keys sanctuary closures.
Why — and who
- — Tide is outgoing from NOAA.
- — Clear. Sky is workable.
- — Wind 7 mph SE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
- — Waxing gibbous moon — mid tide range. Sight water often prefers a moderate range and clean water over a huge spring.
8.4
Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
Thermal window
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Off-season here. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
Florida: catch-and-release. Fish over 40 in must stay in the water. One harvest tag/year only for a potential IGFA record.
Permit
Trachinotus falcatus
Thermal window
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Off-season here. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
Florida: hook-and-line. Special Permit Zone (Keys) is tighter than the rest of the state — typically C&R. Verify FWC.
Mangrove / gray snapper
Lutjanus griseus
Thermal window
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Off-season here. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
Florida: typically 10 in, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.
Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
Thermal window
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Closed to harvest — still swims, do not keep. Off-season here. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
Region matters. SE/Atlantic (Jupiter, Biscayne): typically 28–32 in, 1/day, closed Dec 15–Jan 31 and June 1–Aug 31. Charlotte Harbor / Southwest (Boca Grande): typically 28–33 in, closed Dec 1–end of Feb and May 1–Sep 30. Snook permit required. Verify FWC.
Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Thermal window
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Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
Generally unregulated. Ciguatera risk rises with size. Do not keep a big one for the table.
Jack crevalle
Caranx hippos
Thermal window
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Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Off-season here. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.
Regs citedFWC saltwater recreational · current FWC regional rules · rolls in 7 days. Snook closures are regional. Boca Grande is not Jupiter. Verify FWC before you keep one.