On This Water
Join

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 2026-11-12. No wind forecast that far out — score is tide, moon, and season. Not a copper day.
  • ⚠ 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.
8.4OF 10

Tide + moon

low confidence

Forecast brief for Thursday, November 12. Back to this morning

Morning line

Key Largo 8.4 on Thursday, November 12 — 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
-1.5-0.70.00.81.5HLHLHLHLThu 7 AMFri 7 AMSat 7 AMSun 7 AM
outgoing · 0.48 ftModeled M2 · not a gauge

Wind

NWS

NESW—MPH

No wind reading

Sky

NWS

Sky not in

Sky not in

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

Moon

8% lit

Waxing crescent

mid range · 8%

Water

No gauge

Water

—

48°92°

Today’s range 1.6 ft

outgoing

0.48 ft modeled

Clock

NOAA 8723689

  • HighThu 6:00 AM · 0.69
  • LowThu 1:00 PM · -0.72
  • HighThu 7:00 PM · 0.77
  • LowFri 1:00 AM · -0.81
  • HighFri 7:00 AM · 0.83

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

Monthly YOLO day

Tuesday, August 25 · 8.7

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · mid · tide range ~1.7 ft · wind to 15 mph · Thunderstorms · 52%

Stay or drive · Key Largo vs IslamoradaOpen the calendarMorning dispatch

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • Card Sound / Jewfish Creek

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    7.7

    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.
    skiffspinfly

  • Blackwater Sound

    mangrove edge · public structure · mid

    7.7

    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: Snook.
    skiffkayakspinfly

  • Garden Cove / Pennekamp oceanside

    hard flat · public structure · skinny

    7.0

    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.
    skiffflyspin

  • Rodriguez Key / Mosquito Bank

    hard flat · public structure · skinny

    7.0

    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.
    skifffly

  • Tavernier Creek

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    7.0

    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.
    skiffspinfly

When

  • Outgoing water

    9.4

    Thu 8:00 AM → Thu 2:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    9.1

    Thu 2:00 PM → Thu 9:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    8.0

    Thu 8:00 PM → Fri 3:00 AM

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

  • Incoming water

    9.4

    Fri 2:00 AM → Fri 9:00 AM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.4

    Fri 8:00 AM → Fri 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 — the NOAA gauge did not answer).
  • — Waxing crescent 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 (outgoing) matches how they hunt.

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

Snook

Centropomus undecimalis

6.6

Thermal window

—

56°92°

Present, not peak. 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.

Hogfish

Lachnolaimus maximus

6.6

Thermal window

—

66°90°

Present, not peak. 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

6.6

Thermal window

—

66°90°

Present, not peak. This tide stage (outgoing) 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 (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.

Permit

Trachinotus falcatus

4.8

Thermal window

—

66°92°

Off-season here. 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.

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 (outgoing) 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 (outgoing) matches how they hunt.

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.