Redfish
Sciaenops ocellatus
Thermal window
—
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 2026-05-20, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
Forecast
medium confidence
Forecast brief for Wednesday, May 20. Back to this morning
Morning line
Flamingo 7.6 on Wednesday, May 20. 7 mph SE. Overcast. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
low slack · 0.46 ft · drag or hover for the clockNOAA tide gauge 8723970 · Vaca Key, Florida Bay · ft MLLW · not a weather buoy
Wind
OPEN-METEO
From SE · gust 7
Sky
OPEN-METEO
Clouds
Overcast
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
15% lit
Waxing crescent
mid range · 15%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 1.5 ft
low slack
0.46 ft MLLW
Clock
NOAA 8723970
- HighWed 4:07 PM · 1.09
- LowWed 10:39 PM · -0.27
- HighThu 5:01 PM · 1.01
- LowThu 11:31 PM · -0.16
- HighFri 5:56 PM · 0.89
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.
- 6.8
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 - 6.8
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 - 5.4
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 - 4.9
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
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.
Incoming water
9.9Wed 10:00 AM → Wed 6:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
9.6Wed 5:00 PM → Thu 12:00 AM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Incoming water
9.9Thu 12:00 AM → Thu 7:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Outgoing water
9.6Thu 6:00 PM → Fri 1:00 AM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Incoming water
9.9Fri 1:00 AM → Fri 8:00 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 low slack from NOAA 8723970 Vaca Key, Florida Bay.
- — Overcast. Sky is workable.
- — Wind 7 mph SE. 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.
7.3
Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
Thermal window
—
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
—
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
Thermal window
—
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
Thermal window
—
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.