On This Water

Florida · Middle Keys / Marathon

Permit should be the day — bayside basins until Vaca water turns.

Vaca Key gauge. Oceanside wrecks and patch reefs, bayside basins, Seven Mile Bridge current. Permit and tarpon more than bones.

  • This brief is for 2026-04-09, not this morning. Wind is a forecast. Observed water versus the table is a today-only instrument.
  • FKNMS no-take water in this box: Sombrero Key, Coffins Patch. The red polygons are the legal source — do not fish them.
7.6OF 10

Forecast

medium confidence

Forecast brief for Thursday, April 9. Back to this morning

Morning line

Marathon 7.6 on Thursday, April 9. 12 mph ESE. Partly cloudy. YOLO day is Friday, August 28. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.7-0.30.10.50.8HLHLHLHLWed 8 PMThu 8 PMFri 8 PMSat 8 PMSun 8 PM
low slack · 0.10 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW12MPH

From ESE · gust 14

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clouds

Partly cloudy

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

Moon

53% lit

Last quarter

neap range · 53%

Water

No gauge

Water

48°92°

Today’s range 1.1 ft

low slack

0.10 ft MLLW

Clock

NOAA 8723970

  • HighThu 6:42 PM · 0.63
  • LowFri 1:15 AM · -0.38
  • HighFri 7:34 PM · 0.60
  • LowSat 2:12 AM · -0.26
  • HighSat 8:33 PM · 0.57

Monthly YOLO day

Friday, August 28 · 8.0

Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. full · spring · tide range ~0.7 ft · wind to 10 mph · Thunderstorms · 43%

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • FL - Long Key State Park (Keys)

    sand dropoff · saved map · mid

    7.2

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

    • sand dropoff on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Permit, Tarpon, Bonefish, Hogfish, Yellowtail snapper.
    structurespinwade
  • Seven Mile Bridge current

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    7.1

    Current seams. Permit and tarpon. Not a bonefish walk.

    • channel gut on a low slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
    skiffstructurespinfly
  • Vaca oceanside wrecks / patches

    wreck edge · field manual · deep

    6.8

    Crab on the wreck is a different permit game than the tailer on the flat.

    • wreck edge on a low slack tide is a workable match.
    • In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
    skiffspinfly
  • Marathon bayside basins

    grass flat · public structure · mid

    4.8

    Vaca Key gauge. Backcountry light. Summer showers, then wait for the color to come back.

    • grass flat on a low slack tide is a secondary match.
    • In-play: Tarpon.
    skiffkayakflyspin

When

  • Incoming water

    9.4

    Thu 9:00 AMThu 8:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Outgoing water

    8.0

    Thu 8:00 PMFri 3:00 AM

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

  • Incoming water

    9.4

    Fri 3:00 AMFri 9:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    8.0

    Fri 9:00 PMSat 4:00 AM

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

  • Incoming water

    9.4

    Sat 4:00 AMSat 10:00 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.

  • Bahia Honda State Park

    Florida State Parks

    Middle Keys bridge and oceanside. Adjacent FKNMS polygons are no-take — check the red rings.

    Official source

Legal water

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

  • Sombrero Key

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

    FKNMS GIS
  • Coffins Patch

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

    FKNMS GIS

Why — and who

  • Tide is low slack from NOAA.
  • Partly cloudy. Sky is workable.
  • Wind 12 mph ESE. Work the leeward shore. Fly gets harder.
  • Last quarter moon — neap tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.

Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

7.3

Thermal window

68°94°

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.

Bonefish

Albula vulpes

7.3

Thermal window

64°92°

In peak season for this water.

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

Permit

Trachinotus falcatus

7.3

Thermal window

66°92°

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

7.3

Thermal window

66°90°

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

7.3

Thermal window

66°90°

In peak season for this water.

Florida: typically 12 in total length, 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. In peak season for this water.

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

Jack crevalle

Caranx hippos

5.5

Thermal window

64°94°

Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak.

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.