On This Water

Florida · Islamorada / Matecumbe

Permit should be the day — wait for the flood; Islamorada does not forgive a low-slack cast.

The mecca. Oceanside bones and permit, bayside backcountry, Channel 2 / Channel 5 current, wrecks for permit. Most pressured fish in the hemisphere.

  • This brief is for 2026-03-23. No wind forecast that far out — score is tide, moon, and season. Not a copper day.
  • FKNMS no-take water in this box: Cheeca Rocks, Alligator Reef, Hen and Chickens + 3 more on the map. The red polygons are the legal source — do not fish them.
8.0OF 10

Tide + moon

low confidence

Forecast brief for Monday, March 23. Back to this morning

Morning line

Islamorada 8.0 on Monday, March 23 — 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
-0.8-0.30.10.61.0HLHLHLHLSun 8 PMMon 8 PMTue 8 PMWed 8 PMThu 8 PM
low slack · 0.25 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

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

24% lit

Waxing crescent

mid range · 24%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.4 ft

low slack

0.25 ft MLLW

Clock

NOAA 8723970

  • HighMon 4:52 PM · 0.79
  • LowMon 11:19 PM · -0.56
  • HighTue 5:34 PM · 0.81
  • LowWed 12:17 AM · -0.54
  • HighWed 6:21 PM · 0.78

Monthly YOLO day

Tuesday, August 25 · 9.1

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · mid · tide range ~1.4 ft · wind to 10 mph · Thunderstorms · 50%

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • FL - Long Key State Park (Keys)

    sand dropoff · saved map · mid

    7.5

    Oceanfront camping with bonefish flats at the tent. Reserve far ahead. · camp-surf · GULF ATLAS! - FISH

    • sand dropoff on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon, Hogfish, Yellowtail snapper, Mutton snapper.
    structurespinwade
  • Channel 2 / Channel 5

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    7.3

    Moving water. Permit and tarpon on the fall and the first of the flood. Channel Five is USGS GNIS 280292 just south.

    • channel gut on a low slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
    skiffflyspin
  • Channel Five

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    7.3

    USGS GNIS 280292. The named cut. Current is the whole fishery. Adjacent FKNMS polygons are no-take.

    USGS GNIS 280292

    • channel gut on a low slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
    skiffflyspin
  • Indian Key Channel

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    7.3

    USGS GNIS 284511. The fill-and-cut current between Tea Table and Indian Key.

    USGS GNIS 284511

    • channel gut on a low slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
    skiffspinfly
  • Islamorada oceanside flats

    hard flat · field manual · skinny

    6.3

    The mecca. Big, few, educated. Clean incoming, sun at your back. Lorelei is intel, not a mark.

    • hard flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Bonefish, Permit.
    skifffly
  • Tea Table / Indian Key fills

    hard flat · public structure · skinny

    6.3

    Named fills and banks. Incoming is the shot. Pressure is the tax. Indian Key Channel is USGS GNIS 284511.

    • hard flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Bonefish, Permit.
    skiffflyspin

When

  • Outgoing water

    9.4

    Mon 9:00 AMMon 11:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.1

    Mon 11:00 AMMon 6:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.1

    Mon 6:00 PMTue 1:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.4

    Tue 1:00 AMTue 7:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.1

    Tue 7:00 PMWed 2:00 AM

    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.

  • Harry Harris Park / Tavernier

    Monroe County Parks

    County park on the oceanside at the south end of Key Largo. Tavernier Creek is the cut.

    Official source
  • Founders Park / Islamorada

    Village of Islamorada

    Public ramp, bayside. The oceanside flats are a run from here.

    Official source

Legal water

NOAA FKNMS management zones — Sanctuary Preservation Areas, Ecological Reserves, Research-Only.

  • Cheeca Rocks

    Sanctuary Preservation Area — no fishing / no take (typical SPA)

    FKNMS GIS
  • Alligator Reef

    Sanctuary Preservation Area — no fishing / no take (typical SPA)

    FKNMS GIS
  • Hen and Chickens

    Sanctuary Preservation Area — no fishing / no take (typical SPA)

    FKNMS GIS
  • Davis Reef

    Sanctuary Preservation Area — no fishing / no take (typical SPA)

    FKNMS GIS
  • Conch Reef

    Sanctuary Preservation Area — no fishing / no take (typical SPA)

    FKNMS GIS
  • Conch Reef (Research Only)

    Research Only — closed except permitted science

    FKNMS GIS

+ 3 more zones on the map.

Why — and who

  • Tide is low slack from NOAA.
  • Waxing crescent moon — mid tide range. Sight water often prefers a moderate range and clean water over a huge spring.

Bonefish

Albula vulpes

7.3

Thermal window

64°92°

In peak season for this water.

Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only.

Permit

Trachinotus falcatus

7.3

Thermal window

66°92°

In peak season for this water.

Florida: hook-and-line. Special Permit Zone (Keys) is tighter than the rest of the state — typically C&R. Verify FWC.

Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

5.5

Thermal window

68°94°

Present, not peak.

Florida: catch-and-release. Fish over 40 in must stay in the water. One harvest tag/year only for a potential IGFA record.

Hogfish

Lachnolaimus maximus

5.5

Thermal window

66°90°

Present, not peak.

Florida: Atlantic and Gulf bags differ. Monroe County is tighter. Fork-length minimum. Verify FWC.

Yellowtail snapper

Ocyurus chrysurus

5.5

Thermal window

66°90°

Present, not peak.

Florida: typically 12 in total length, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.

Mutton snapper

Lutjanus analis

5.5

Thermal window

66°90°

Present, not peak.

Florida: typically 18 in, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.

Great barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda

5.5

Thermal window

66°92°

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

3.7

Thermal window

64°94°

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.