Bonefish
Albula vulpes
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.
Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only.
Florida · Lower Keys / Key West
Bonefish should be the day — Marquesas and Harbor Key on a clean incoming — permit country.
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 2026-12-08, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
- ⚠ 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 Tuesday, December 8. Back to this morning
Morning line
Key West 6.9 on Tuesday, December 8. 12 mph SSE. Mostly clear. YOLO day is Monday, August 31. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
incoming · 0.85 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
1% lit
Waning crescent
spring range · 1%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 2.1 ft
incoming
0.85 ft MLLW
Clock
NOAA 8724580
- HighTue 10:08 AM · 1.13
- LowTue 2:24 PM · 0.60
- HighTue 9:00 PM · 1.97
- LowWed 3:50 AM · -0.17
- HighWed 10:42 AM · 1.10
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
- 6.7
Marquesas
hard flat · field manual · skinny
Long run, fewer boats. Permit country. Weather window or you don't go.
- — hard flat on a incoming tide is a classic match.
- — In-play: Bonefish.
skifffly - 6.7
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 incoming tide is a classic match.
- — In-play: Bonefish.
skiffflyspin - 6.7
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 incoming tide is a classic match.
- — In-play: Bonefish.
skiffflyspin - 4.0
Key West oceanside wrecks
wreck edge · public structure · deep
The deep-edge permit game. Falling tide, first of the flood.
- — wreck edge on a incoming tide is a classic match.
- — Offshore wreck or hump — secondary to the flat on this brief.
skiffspinfly
When
Incoming water
8.8Tue 8:00 AM → Tue 12:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Outgoing water
9.7Tue 11:00 AM → Tue 4:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Incoming water
9.7Tue 4:00 PM → Tue 11:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
7.7Tue 10:00 PM → Wed 6:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
8.8Wed 5:00 AM → Wed 12:00 PM
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.
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 incoming 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 — spring tide range. Sight water often prefers a moderate range and clean water over a huge spring.
8.4
Yellowtail snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Thermal window
—
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
Thermal window
—
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
Thermal window
—
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.
Hogfish
Lachnolaimus maximus
Thermal window
—
Off-season here. This tide stage (incoming) matches how they hunt.
Florida: Atlantic and Gulf bags differ. Monroe County is tighter. Fork-length minimum. Verify FWC.
Mutton snapper
Lutjanus analis
Thermal window
—
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
Thermal window
—
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
Thermal window
—
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 7 days. Snook closures are regional. Boca Grande is not Jupiter. Verify FWC before you keep one.