Redfish
Sciaenops ocellatus
Thermal window
—
Present, not peak.
Florida SE: typically 18–27 in, 1/person, 2/vessel. Harvest banned in federal waters. Keys backcountry, not oceanside. Boca Harbor yes.
Florida · Boca Grande / Charlotte Harbor
Redfish are the hunt — hold for the next push; the pass does not fish dead.
The pass. Migratory tarpon stack in Boca Grande Pass in spring. Charlotte Harbor and Gasparilla hold snook and reds. NOAA 8725577 is the pass clock (predictions). Water temp is Fort Myers 8725520 — there is no live well at the inlet.
- ⚠ This brief is for 2026-01-31, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
- ⚠ Charlotte Harbor / Southwest snook harvest is typically closed May 1–Sep 30 and Dec 1–end of Feb. Verify FWC.
- Tide · modeled — NOAA 8725577 quiet
- NDBC 42013 quiet
- Red-tide check failed — not all-clear
- Sargassum check failed — not all-clear
- Water temp quiet
Forecast
low confidence
Forecast brief for Saturday, January 31. Back to this morning
Morning line
Boca Grande 7.1 on Saturday, January 31. 7 mph W. Clear. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
low slack · -0.54 ft · drag or hover for the clockModeled M2 clock — no NOAA gauge on this water. Not a buoy.
Wind
OPEN-METEO
From W · gust 8
Buoy
NDBC 42013
Quiet
Venice, FL did not report. Witness only — not the tide clock.
Sky
OPEN-METEO
Clear
Clear
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
96% lit
Waxing gibbous
spring range · 96%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 1.1 ft
low slack
-0.54 ft modeled
Coast
No live coast layer
Red-tide check failed. That is not all-clear — open the agency page before you wade.
Sargassum check failed. Not a GPS pin. Not all-clear.
Clock
NOAA 8725577
- LowSat 7:00 AM · -0.55
- HighSat 2:00 PM · 0.53
- LowSat 8:00 PM · -0.51
- HighSun 2:00 AM · 0.49
- LowSun 8:00 AM · -0.46
Bahamas tides are modeled from lunar M2. Use them for windows, not a bar crossing.
Monthly YOLO day
Tuesday, August 25
Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · mid · tide range ~1.3 ft · wind to 8 mph · Thunderstorms · 16%
Next two weeks
Pulling the 14-day strip…
Where
This pip is that mark on this tide — not the day on the ring.
- 6.2
Cayo Costa / Boca Grande side
sand dropoff · public structure · mid
State park shoreline south of the pass. Beach and bar. Park rules, not a private cut.
- — sand dropoff on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Redfish.
skiffwadespinfly - 6.0
Boca Grande Pass
pass jetty · public structure · deep
The pass. NOAA 8725577 is the clock. Spring tarpon stack here. Current is the whole fishery — not a wade, not a skinny skiff.
- — pass jetty on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Redfish.
skiffstructurespinfly - 5.5
Gasparilla Sound
grass flat · public structure · mid
Harbor grass inside the pass. Reds and snook. Do not invent a hole — this is the sound.
- — grass flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Redfish.
skiffkayakflyspin - 4.8
FL - Pine Island Sound via Matlacha
grass flat · saved map · skinny
Iconic sound flats: reds, snook, tarpon lanes. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH
- — grass flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
skiffkayakwadeflyspin
When
When is moving water in a good hour — not the day. First light and last light are named when the clock is the story. Today’s ring mixes the best mark, the lead fish, and the best window, then taxes the sky. A strong incoming can sit under a weak day if the wind or the fish is off. Calendar cells are a third recipe: range, moon, and the day’s forecast.
Incoming water
10.0Sat 9:00 AM → Sat 3:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Last light · outgoing
10.0Sat 3:00 PM → Sat 10:00 PM
Last light on outgoing water.
Last light · incoming
8.7Sat 9:00 PM → Sun 4:00 AM
Last light on incoming water.
First light · outgoing
10.0Sun 3:00 AM → Sun 10:00 AM
First light on outgoing water.
Incoming water
10.0Sun 10:00 AM → Sun 4:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Launch and beach access
County and state ramps near this water. FKNMS no-take is Keys-only, on the legal list.
Placida / Gasparilla public ramps
Charlotte County
Harbor side of the Boca desk. The Pass is a run south from here.
Official sourceCayo Costa State Park
Florida State Parks
Barrier island south of Boca Grande Pass. Boat or ferry. Park rules.
Official source
Legal water
No-take and closed water cited to the agency that owns it. Only the Keys box is FKNMS.
No FKNMS polygon in this box. Mainland Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, and the Bahamas are not Keys sanctuary closures.
Why — and who
- — Tide is low slack (modeled — NOAA 8725577 Port Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor did not answer).
- — Clear. Sky is workable.
- — Wind 7 mph W. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
- — Waxing gibbous moon — spring tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
5.5
Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
Thermal window
—
Off-season here.
Florida: catch-and-release. Fish over 40 in must stay in the water. One harvest tag/year only for a potential IGFA record.
Mangrove / gray snapper
Lutjanus griseus
Thermal window
—
Off-season here.
Florida: typically 10 in, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.
Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
Thermal window
—
Closed to harvest — still swims, do not keep. Off-season here.
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
—
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak.
Generally unregulated. Ciguatera risk rises with size. Do not keep a big one for the table.
Jack crevalle
Caranx hippos
Thermal window
—
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Off-season here.
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.