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 — 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 2027-02-04, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
Forecast
medium confidence
Forecast brief for Thursday, February 4. Back to this morning
Morning line
Flamingo 7.0 on Thursday, February 4. 11 mph SE. Clear. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
low slack · -0.31 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 12
Sky
OPEN-METEO
Clear
Clear
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
4% lit
Waning crescent
spring range · 4%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 0.9 ft
low slack
-0.31 ft MLLW
Clock
NOAA 8723970
- HighThu 11:05 PM · 0.57
- LowFri 5:46 AM · -0.29
- HighFri 3:10 PM · 0.32
- LowFri 5:10 PM · 0.24
- HighSat 12:08 AM · 0.58
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.
- 5.8
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: Redfish.
skiffkayakspinfly - 5.8
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.
skiffkayakwadeflyspin - 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 - 5.5
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.
skiffflyspin
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
10.0Thu 10:00 AM → Thu 4:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
9.7Thu 4:00 PM → Thu 6:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Incoming water
9.7Thu 6:00 PM → Fri 1:00 AM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
10.0Fri 1:00 AM → Fri 8:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
10.0Fri 7:00 AM → Fri 5:00 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 8723970 Vaca Key, Florida Bay.
- — Clear. Sky is workable.
- — Wind 11 mph SE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
- — Waning crescent moon — spring tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
5.5
Snook
Centropomus undecimalis
Thermal window
—
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.
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.
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.