On This Water

Florida · Key Largo / Pennekamp

Bonefish should be the day — the falling ocean bank and Tavernier Creek; Pennekamp SPAs stay no-take.

The first Key. Card Sound and Jewfish Creek to the north, Tavernier Creek to the south. Oceanside banks for bones and permit; Blackwater and Buttonwood for baby tarpon and snook. NOAA 8723689 is Point Charles (predictions). Water temp is Virginia Key 8723214 — there is no live well at Point Charles. Pennekamp is the launch. Adjacent FKNMS SPAs are no-take.

  • This brief is for 2026-04-03, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
  • FKNMS no-take water in this box: French Reef, Molasses Reef, Grecian Rocks + 3 more on the map. The red polygons are the legal source — do not fish them.
7.6OF 10

Forecast

low confidence

Forecast brief for Friday, April 3. Back to this morning

Morning line

Key Largo 7.6 on Friday, April 3. 9 mph SE. Mostly clear. YOLO day is Saturday, August 29. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-1.3-0.60.00.71.3HLHLHLHLFri 8 AMSat 8 AMSun 8 AMMon 8 AM
outgoing · 0.21 ft · drag or hover for the clockModeled M2 clock — no NOAA gauge on this water. Not a buoy.

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW9MPH

From SE · gust 10

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clouds

Mostly clear

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

Moon

99% lit

Waning gibbous

spring range · 99%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.2 ft

outgoing

0.21 ft modeled

Clock

NOAA 8723689

  • HighFri 6:00 AM · 0.55
  • LowFri 12:00 PM · -0.57
  • HighFri 6:00 PM · 0.58
  • LowSat 1:00 AM · -0.60
  • HighSat 7:00 AM · 0.64

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

Monthly YOLO day

Saturday, August 29 · 8.7

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waning gibbous · spring · tide range ~2.3 ft · wind to 10 mph · Thunderstorms · 47%

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

This pip is that mark on this tide — not the day on the ring.

  • Card Sound / Jewfish Creek

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    8.1

    The north throat. Public bridge and cut current. Not a Biscayne bank and not Islamorada. Baby tarpon and snook on the moving water.

    • channel gut on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Snook, Tarpon.
    skiffspinfly
  • Blackwater Sound

    mangrove edge · public structure · mid

    8.1

    Bayside. Baby tarpon and snook along the roots. Not the oceanside slam. Outgoing along the mangrove.

    • mangrove edge on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Tarpon, Snook.
    skiffkayakspinfly
  • Tavernier Creek

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    8.1

    The south cut toward Plantation Key. Current is the fishery. Channel 5 is the next desk south — do not steal it.

    • channel gut on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
    • In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
    skiffspinfly
  • Garden Cove / Pennekamp oceanside

    hard flat · public structure · skinny

    6.7

    The park is the launch, not a honey hole. Clean incoming on the named banks. Adjacent FKNMS SPAs are no-take — the red polygons are the legal source.

    • hard flat on a outgoing tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Bonefish, Permit.
    skiffflyspin
  • Rodriguez Key / Mosquito Bank

    hard flat · public structure · skinny

    6.7

    Named oceanside key and bank. Incoming is the shot. Educated fish, short window, boat traffic from the park.

    • hard flat on a outgoing tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Bonefish, Permit.
    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.

  • Outgoing water

    9.7

    Fri 8:00 AMFri 2:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.4

    Fri 1:00 PMFri 8:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.4

    Fri 7:00 PMSat 2:00 AM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.7

    Sat 2:00 AMSat 9:00 AM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.7

    Sat 8:00 AMSat 3:00 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.

  • John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

    Florida State Parks

    Key Largo launch. Adjacent SPAs are no-take — check the red polygons.

    Official source
  • 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

Legal water

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

  • French Reef

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

    FKNMS GIS
  • Molasses Reef

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

    FKNMS GIS
  • Grecian Rocks

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

    FKNMS GIS
  • Key Largo Dry Rocks

    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 outgoing (modeled — NOAA 8723689 Point Charles, Key Largo did not answer).
  • Mostly clear. Clouds steal the window on bones and permit.
  • Wind 9 mph SE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • Waning gibbous moon — spring tide range. Sight water often prefers a moderate range and clean water over a huge spring.

Snook

Centropomus undecimalis

8.4

Thermal window

56°92°

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

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

8.4

Thermal window

68°94°

In peak season for this water. This tide stage (outgoing) 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.

Bonefish

Albula vulpes

8.4

Thermal window

64°92°

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

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

Permit

Trachinotus falcatus

8.4

Thermal window

66°92°

In peak season for this water. This tide stage (outgoing) 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.

Hogfish

Lachnolaimus maximus

8.4

Thermal window

66°90°

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

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

Yellowtail snapper

Ocyurus chrysurus

8.4

Thermal window

66°90°

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

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

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

5.8

Thermal window

64°94°

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

Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.

Great barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda

5.8

Thermal window

66°92°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. In peak season for this water. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.

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.