On This Water

Florida · Islamorada / Matecumbe

Bonefish should be the day — oceanside permit and bones, or Channel 5 current — not a Texas marsh sentence.

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 2026-11-29, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
  • 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.
8.8OF 10

Forecast

low confidence

Forecast brief for Sunday, November 29. Back to this morning

Morning line

Islamorada 8.8 on Sunday, November 29. 8 mph E. Clear. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-1.4-0.70.00.71.4HLHLHLHLSun 7 AMMon 7 AMTue 7 AMWed 7 AM
incoming · 0.85 ftModeled M2 · not a gauge

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW8MPH

From E · gust 8

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clear

Clear

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

Moon

76% lit

Waning gibbous

mid range · 76%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.8 ft

incoming

0.85 ft modeled

Clock

NOAA 8723970

  • HighSun 8:00 AM · 0.85
  • LowSun 2:00 PM · -0.87
  • HighSun 9:00 PM · 0.87
  • LowMon 3:00 AM · -0.91
  • HighMon 9:00 AM · 0.94

Bahamas tides are modeled from lunar M2. Use them for windows, not a bar crossing.

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

    8.3

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

    • sand dropoff on a incoming tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Bonefish, Hogfish, Yellowtail snapper.
    structurespinwade
  • Islamorada oceanside flats

    hard flat · field manual · skinny

    7.7

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

    • hard flat on a incoming tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Bonefish.
    skifffly
  • Tea Table / Indian Key fills

    hard flat · public structure · skinny

    7.7

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

    • hard flat on a incoming tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Bonefish.
    skiffflyspin
  • Robbie's / Islamorada bayside

    mangrove edge · field manual · mid

    6.3

    Tarpon roll under the breakfast dock. That is a tourist fact. The backcountry behind it is the fishery.

    • mangrove edge on a incoming tide is a workable match.
    skiffspinfly
  • Channel 2 / Channel 5

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    6.1

    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 incoming tide is a workable match.
    skiffflyspin
  • Channel Five

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    6.1

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

    USGS GNIS 280292

    • channel gut on a incoming tide is a workable match.
    skiffflyspin

When

  • Incoming water

    10.0

    Sun 8:00 AMSun 10:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    10.0

    Sun 9:00 AMSun 4:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.7

    Sun 3:00 PMSun 10:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    8.7

    Sun 10:00 PMMon 5:00 AM

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

  • Incoming water

    10.0

    Mon 4:00 AMMon 11:00 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.

  • 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 incoming (modeled — the NOAA gauge did not answer).
  • Clear. Sky is workable.
  • Wind 8 mph E. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • Waning gibbous moon — mid tide range. Sight water often prefers a moderate range and clean water over a huge spring.

Bonefish

Albula vulpes

8.4

Thermal window

64°92°

In peak season for this water. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

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

Hogfish

Lachnolaimus maximus

6.6

Thermal window

66°90°

Present, not peak. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

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

Yellowtail snapper

Ocyurus chrysurus

6.6

Thermal window

66°90°

Present, not peak. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

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

Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

4.8

Thermal window

68°94°

Off-season here. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

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

Permit

Trachinotus falcatus

4.8

Thermal window

66°92°

Off-season here. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

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

Mutton snapper

Lutjanus analis

4.8

Thermal window

66°90°

Off-season here. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

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

Great barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda

5.8

Thermal window

66°92°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Generally unregulated. Ciguatera risk rises with size. Do not keep a big one for the table.

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

4.8

Thermal window

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Off-season here. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.

Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.

Regs citedFWC saltwater recreational · current FWC regional rules · rolls in 8 days. Snook closures are regional. Boca Grande is not Jupiter. Verify FWC before you keep one.