On This Water

Florida · Florida Bay / Flamingo

Redfish should be the day — wind and color decide; slack here is a look, not a grind.

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 2026-05-04. No wind forecast that far out — score is tide, moon, and season. Not a copper day.
8.0OF 10

Tide + moon

low confidence

Forecast brief for Monday, May 4. Back to this morning

Morning line

Flamingo 8.0 on Monday, May 4 — tide, moon, and season only. No wind forecast that far out. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-1.1-0.60.00.61.1HLHLHLHLMon 8 AMTue 8 AMWed 8 AMThu 8 AM
high slack · 0.50 ft · drag or hover for the clockModeled M2 clock — no NOAA gauge on this water. Not a buoy.

Wind

NWS

NESWMPH

No wind reading

Sky

NWS

Sky not in

Sky not in

A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.

Moon

93% lit

Waning gibbous

mid range · 93%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.2 ft

high slack

0.50 ft modeled

Clock

NOAA 8723970

  • HighMon 7:00 AM · 0.52
  • LowMon 2:00 PM · -0.55
  • HighMon 8:00 PM · 0.58
  • LowTue 2:00 AM · -0.61
  • HighTue 8:00 AM · 0.63

Bahamas tides are modeled from lunar M2. Use them for windows, not a bar crossing.

Monthly YOLO day

Tuesday, August 25 · 8.3

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · mid · tide range ~1.3 ft · wind to 12 mph · Thunderstorms · 51%

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

This pip is that mark on this tide — not the day on the ring.

  • Snake Bight

    grass flat · field manual · skinny

    7.5

    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 high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Snook.
    skiffflyspin
  • Flamingo basins / Buttonwood

    mangrove edge · public structure · mid

    7.2

    Creeks and basins. Outgoing along the roots. Summer heat: early.

    • mangrove edge on a high slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Snook, Redfish, Tarpon.
    skiffkayakspinfly
  • FL - Florida Bay (Flamingo)

    mangrove edge · saved map · mid

    7.2

    Snake Bight & the backcountry; campground on site. · flats · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • mangrove edge on a high slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Redfish, Snook, Tarpon.
    skiffkayakwadeflyspin
  • First National Bank

    hard flat · public structure · skinny

    6.4

    A named bank, not a secret. Sight if the water holds.

    • hard flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Redfish.
    skifffly

When

When is moving water in a good hour — not the day. 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.

  • Outgoing water

    9.4

    Mon 9:00 AMMon 3:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.1

    Mon 3:00 PMMon 10:00 PM

    Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.

  • Outgoing water

    8.0

    Mon 9:00 PMTue 4:00 AM

    Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.

  • Incoming water

    9.4

    Tue 3:00 AMTue 10:00 AM

    Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.

  • Outgoing water

    9.4

    Tue 9:00 AMTue 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.

  • 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 high slack (modeled — NOAA 8723970 Vaca Key, Florida Bay did not answer).
  • Waning 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.

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

5.8

Thermal window

64°94°

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

Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.

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.

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.