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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 2026-05-19, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
7.6OF 10

Forecast

medium confidence

Forecast brief for Tuesday, May 19. Back to this morning

Morning line

Flamingo 7.6 on Tuesday, May 19. 6 mph ESE. Overcast. YOLO day is Friday, August 28. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.7-0.20.40.91.4HLHLHLHLMon 8 PMTue 8 PMWed 8 PMThu 8 PMFri 8 PM
high slack · 0.50 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW6MPH

From ESE · gust 9

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clouds

Overcast

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

Moon

8% lit

Waxing crescent

mid range · 8%

Water

No gauge

Water

—

48°92°

Today’s range 1.5 ft

high slack

0.50 ft MLLW

Clock

NOAA 8723970

  • HighTue 3:09 PM · 1.12
  • LowTue 9:48 PM · -0.35
  • HighWed 4:07 PM · 1.09
  • LowWed 10:39 PM · -0.27
  • HighThu 5:01 PM · 1.01

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%

Stay or drive · Flamingo vs MarathonOpen the calendarMorning dispatch

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • Flamingo basins / Buttonwood

    mangrove edge · public structure · mid

    6.9

    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

    6.9

    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

  • Snake Bight

    grass flat · field manual · skinny

    6.6

    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

  • First National Bank

    hard flat · public structure · skinny

    5.5

    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

  • Incoming water

    9.9

    Tue 9:00 AM → Tue 2:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    9.6

    Tue 4:00 PM → Wed 12:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.9

    Tue 11:00 PM → Wed 6:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.6

    Wed 5:00 PM → Thu 12:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.9

    Thu 12:00 AM → Thu 7:00 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.

  • 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 from NOAA.
  • — Overcast. Sky is workable.
  • — Wind 6 mph ESE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • — Waxing crescent 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.