On This Water

Florida · Boca Grande / Charlotte Harbor

Tarpon should be the day — wait — slack in Boca Grande Pass is a boat parade, not a hunt.

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 2027-04-18, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
  • Tide · modeled — NOAA 8725577 quiet
  • NDBC 42013 quiet
  • Red-tide check failed — not all-clear
  • Sargassum check failed — not all-clear
  • Water temp quiet
8.4OF 10

Forecast

low confidence

Forecast brief for Sunday, April 18. Back to this morning

Morning line

Boca Grande 8.4 on Sunday, April 18. 5 mph WNW. Clear. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.9-0.40.00.40.9LHLHLHLHSun 8 AMMon 8 AMTue 8 AMWed 8 AM
high slack · -0.65 ft · drag or hover for the clockModeled M2 clock — no NOAA gauge on this water. Not a buoy.

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW5MPH

From WNW · gust 5

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

91% lit

Waxing gibbous

mid range · 91%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.3 ft

high slack

-0.65 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

  • LowSun 8:00 AM · -0.65
  • HighSun 2:00 PM · 0.63
  • LowSun 8:00 PM · -0.61
  • HighMon 2:00 AM · 0.58
  • LowMon 8:00 AM · -0.55

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.

  • Gasparilla Sound

    grass flat · public structure · mid

    8.1

    Harbor grass inside the pass. Reds and snook. Do not invent a hole — this is the sound.

    • grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Snook, Tarpon.
    skiffkayakflyspin
  • Boca Grande Pass

    pass jetty · public structure · deep

    7.2

    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 high slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Tarpon, Snook, Redfish.
    skiffstructurespinfly
  • Cayo Costa / Boca Grande side

    sand dropoff · public structure · mid

    7.2

    State park shoreline south of the pass. Beach and bar. Park rules, not a private cut.

    • sand dropoff on a high slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Snook, Redfish, Tarpon.
    skiffwadespinfly
  • FL - Pine Island Sound via Matlacha

    grass flat · saved map · skinny

    6.8

    Iconic sound flats: reds, snook, tarpon lanes. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Tarpon.
    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

    10.0

    Sun 9:00 AMSun 4:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Last light · outgoing

    9.7

    Sun 3:00 PMSun 10:00 PM

    Last light on outgoing water.

  • Last light · incoming

    8.7

    Sun 9:00 PMMon 4:00 AM

    Last light on incoming water.

  • First light · outgoing

    10.0

    Mon 3:00 AMMon 10:00 AM

    First light on outgoing water.

  • Incoming water

    10.0

    Mon 10:00 AMMon 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 source
  • Cayo 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 high slack (modeled — NOAA 8725577 Port Boca Grande, Charlotte Harbor did not answer).
  • Clear. Sky is workable.
  • Wind 5 mph WNW. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • Waxing gibbous moon — mid tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.

Redfish

Sciaenops ocellatus

7.3

Thermal window

48°92°

In peak season for this water.

Florida SE: typically 18–27 in, 1/person, 2/vessel. Harvest banned in federal waters. Keys backcountry, not oceanside. Boca Harbor yes.

Snook

Centropomus undecimalis

7.3

Thermal window

56°92°

In peak season for this water.

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.

Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

7.3

Thermal window

68°94°

In peak season for this water.

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

5.5

Thermal window

64°92°

Present, not peak.

Florida: typically 10 in, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.

Great barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda

5.8

Thermal window

66°92°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. In peak season for this water.

Generally unregulated. Ciguatera risk rises with size. Do not keep a big one for the table.

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

5.5

Thermal window

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak.

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.