Redfish
Sciaenops ocellatus
Thermal window
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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.
Florida · Florida Bay / Flamingo
Redfish should be the day — sit the remaining guts until the bay breathes.
Backcountry. Reds and snook live here, not on the oceanside. Snake Bight, First National, the banks west of Flamingo. Wind and water color decide the day.
- ⚠ This brief is for 2026-04-18. No wind forecast that far out — score is tide, moon, and season. Not a copper day.
Tide + moon
low confidence
Forecast brief for Saturday, April 18. Back to this morning
Morning line
Flamingo 7.8 on Saturday, April 18 — tide, moon, and season only. No wind forecast that far out. YOLO day is Friday, August 28. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
low slack · 0.49 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW
Wind
NWS
No wind reading
Sky
NWS
Sky not in
Sky not in
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
2% lit
Waxing crescent
spring range · 2%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 1.2 ft
low slack
0.49 ft MLLW
Clock
NOAA 8723970
- LowSat 7:24 AM · 0.46
- HighSat 2:04 PM · 0.83
- LowSat 8:23 PM · -0.38
- HighSun 5:53 AM · 0.55
- LowSun 7:58 AM · 0.45
Monthly YOLO day
Friday, August 28 · 8.1
Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. full · spring · tide range ~0.7 ft · wind to 10 mph · Thunderstorms · 51%
Next two weeks
Pulling the 14-day strip…
Where
- 7.0
Flamingo basins / Buttonwood
mangrove edge · public structure · mid
Creeks and basins. Outgoing along the roots. Summer heat: early.
- — mangrove edge on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Snook, Redfish, Tarpon.
skiffkayakspinfly - 7.0
FL - Florida Bay (Flamingo)
mangrove edge · saved map · mid
Snake Bight & the backcountry; campground on site. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH
- — mangrove edge on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Redfish, Snook, Tarpon.
skiffkayakwadeflyspin - 6.2
Snake Bight
grass flat · field manual · skinny
USGS GNIS 291282 (Snake Bight Channel). Flamingo backcountry. Reds live here, not on the oceanside. Wind and color decide it.
USGS GNIS 291282
- — grass flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Redfish, Snook.
skiffflyspin - 5.6
First National Bank
hard flat · public structure · skinny
A named bank, not a secret. Sight if the water holds.
- — hard flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Redfish.
skifffly
When
Incoming water
9.4Sat 9:00 AM → Sat 1:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
9.1Sat 3:00 PM → Sat 10:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
9.4Sat 10:00 PM → Sun 8:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Outgoing water
9.4Sun 7:00 AM → Sun 10:00 AM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Incoming water
9.4Sun 9:00 AM → Sun 2:00 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.
Flamingo Marina
NPS Everglades National Park
The Florida Bay launch. Park fee. Backcountry permit if you camp.
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 low slack from NOAA.
- — Waxing crescent moon — spring tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
7.3
Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
Thermal window
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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
Thermal window
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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.
Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Thermal window
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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
Thermal window
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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.