Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water.
Florida: catch-and-release. Fish over 40 in must stay in the water. One harvest tag/year only for a potential IGFA record.
Florida · Lower Keys / Key West
Permit should be the day — wait for the next flood after the shower clears.
Marquesas, Harbor Key, oceanside wrecks, the contentment of long runs. Permit and tarpon country. Summer showers can switch a flat on once it clears.
- ⚠ This brief is for 2026-06-12, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
- ⚠ Snook are typically closed to harvest on the SE/Atlantic coast in this window. Verify FWC.
- ⚠ FKNMS no-take water in this box: Western Sambo Ecological Reserve, Eastern Dry Rocks, Eastern Sambo (Research Only). The red polygons are the legal source — do not fish them.
Forecast
medium confidence
Forecast brief for Friday, June 12. Back to this morning
Morning line
Key West 6.6 on Friday, June 12. 12 mph SSE. Mostly clear. YOLO day is Monday, August 31. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
low slack · 1.88 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW
Wind
OPEN-METEO
From SSE · gust 13
Sky
OPEN-METEO
Clouds
Mostly clear
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
8% lit
Waning crescent
mid range · 8%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 2.3 ft
low slack
1.88 ft MLLW
Clock
NOAA 8724580
- HighFri 7:34 AM · 1.89
- LowFri 2:33 PM · -0.42
- HighFri 9:31 PM · 0.96
- LowSat 1:36 AM · 0.44
- HighSat 8:24 AM · 2.03
Monthly YOLO day
Monday, August 31 · 9.1
Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waning gibbous · mid · tide range ~1.7 ft · wind to 10 mph · Thunderstorms · 59%
Next two weeks
Pulling the 14-day strip…
Where
- 6.0
Marquesas
hard flat · field manual · skinny
Long run, fewer boats. Permit country. Weather window or you don't go.
- — hard flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon.
skifffly - 6.0
Harbor Keys / Content Keys
hard flat · public structure · skinny
North of the island. Named banks. Incoming is the shot. Harbor Key Bank is USGS GNIS 299988 just north.
- — hard flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon.
skiffflyspin - 6.0
Harbor Key Bank
hard flat · public structure · skinny
USGS GNIS 299988. The named bank north of the Content Keys. Incoming is the shot.
USGS GNIS 299988
- — hard flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Permit, Bonefish, Tarpon.
skiffflyspin - 4.5
Key West oceanside wrecks
wreck edge · public structure · deep
The deep-edge permit game. Falling tide, first of the flood.
- — wreck edge on a low slack tide is a workable match.
- — In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
- — Offshore wreck or hump — secondary to the flat on this brief.
skiffspinfly
When
Outgoing water
9.7Fri 9:00 AM → Fri 4:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Incoming water
9.4Fri 4:00 PM → Fri 11:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
8.3Fri 11:00 PM → Sat 3:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
9.7Sat 3:00 AM → Sat 10:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Outgoing water
9.7Sat 10:00 AM → Sat 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.
Garrison Bight / Key West public ramps
City of Key West
The Lower Keys door. Marquesas is a weather-window run from here.
Official source
Legal water
NOAA FKNMS management zones — Sanctuary Preservation Areas, Ecological Reserves, Research-Only.
Western Sambo Ecological Reserve
Ecological Reserve — no take
FKNMS GISEastern Dry Rocks
Sanctuary Preservation Area — no fishing / no take (typical SPA)
FKNMS GISEastern Sambo (Research Only)
Research Only — closed except permitted science
FKNMS GISRock Key
Sanctuary Preservation Area — no fishing / no take (typical SPA)
FKNMS GISSand Key
Sanctuary Preservation Area — no fishing / no take (typical SPA)
FKNMS GIS
Why — and who
- — Tide is low slack from NOAA.
- — Mostly clear. Clouds steal the window on bones and permit.
- — Wind 12 mph SSE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
- — Waning crescent moon — mid tide range. Sight water often prefers a moderate range and clean water over a huge spring.
7.3
Bonefish
Albula vulpes
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water.
Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only.
Permit
Trachinotus falcatus
Thermal window
—
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.
Hogfish
Lachnolaimus maximus
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water.
Florida: Atlantic and Gulf bags differ. Monroe County is tighter. Fork-length minimum. Verify FWC.
Yellowtail snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water.
Florida: typically 12 in total length, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.
Mutton snapper
Lutjanus analis
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water.
Florida: typically 18 in, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.
Jack crevalle
Caranx hippos
Thermal window
—
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. In peak season for this water.
Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.
Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Thermal window
—
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. In peak season for this water.
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.