Redfish
Sciaenops ocellatus
Thermal window
—
Present, not peak.
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 are the hunt — 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 2027-01-20, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
- ⚠ Snook are typically closed to harvest on the SE/Atlantic coast in this window. Verify FWC.
Forecast
medium confidence
Forecast brief for Wednesday, January 20. Back to this morning
Morning line
Flamingo 6.7 on Wednesday, January 20. 6 mph SE. Overcast. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
high slack · -0.37 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
95% lit
Waxing gibbous
mid range · 95%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 1.4 ft
high slack
-0.37 ft MLLW
Clock
NOAA 8723970
- HighWed 9:41 PM · 0.93
- LowThu 5:29 AM · -0.38
- HighThu 11:02 PM · 0.93
- LowFri 6:14 AM · -0.31
- HighSat 12:31 AM · 0.91
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.
- 5.9
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 high slack tide is a workable match.
- — In-play: Redfish.
skiffflyspin - 5.7
Flamingo basins / Buttonwood
mangrove edge · public structure · mid
Creeks and basins. Outgoing along the roots. Summer heat: early.
- — mangrove edge on a high slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Redfish.
skiffkayakspinfly - 5.7
FL - Florida Bay (Flamingo)
mangrove edge · saved map · mid
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.
skiffkayakwadeflyspin - 5.5
First National Bank
hard flat · public structure · skinny
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.
Incoming water
9.9Wed 10:00 AM → Wed 10:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Outgoing water
8.0Wed 11:00 PM → Thu 7:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
9.9Thu 7:00 AM → Thu 11:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Outgoing water
8.0Fri 1:00 AM → Fri 8:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
8.0Fri 8:00 AM → Fri 10:00 AM
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 8723970 Vaca Key, Florida Bay.
- — Overcast. Sky is workable.
- — Wind 6 mph SE. 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.
5.5
Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
Thermal window
—
Off-season here.
Florida: catch-and-release. Fish over 40 in must stay in the water. One harvest tag/year only for a potential IGFA record.
Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
Thermal window
—
Closed to harvest — still swims, do not keep. Off-season here.
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.
Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Thermal window
—
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak.
Generally unregulated. Ciguatera risk rises with size. Do not keep a big one for the table.
Jack crevalle
Caranx hippos
Thermal window
—
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Off-season here.
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.