Hogfish
Lachnolaimus maximus
Thermal window
91.0°
In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish.
Florida: Atlantic and Gulf bags differ. Monroe County is tighter. Fork-length minimum. Verify FWC.
Florida · Middle Keys / Marathon
Hogfish are the hunt — wait for the next push under the bridges. Heat is the clock — first light or last light.
Vaca Key gauge. Oceanside wrecks and patch reefs, bayside basins, Seven Mile Bridge current. Permit and tarpon more than bones.
- ⚠ Extreme water temperature. Fish stress quickly — keep them wet, or don't boat them.
- ⚠ Thunderstorms in the forecast. Lightning is a stay-tied call. The score is not a safety brief.
- ⚠ Snook are typically closed to harvest on the SE/Atlantic coast in this window. Verify FWC.
- ⚠ FKNMS no-take water in this box: Sombrero Key, Coffins Patch. The red polygons are the legal source — do not fish them.
Today
high confidence
Morning line
Marathon 4.2 this morning. 4 mph SE. Thunderstorms · 14%. Wind versus the table: +0.3 ft. YOLO day is Friday, August 28. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
high slack · 0.79 ftNOAA hourly · ft MLLW
Wind
NOAA
From SE · gust 7
Sky
14% rain
Storms
Thunderstorms · 14%
Lightning is a stay-tied call.
Moon
92% lit
Waxing gibbous
mid range · 92%
Water
NOAA 8723970
Water
91.0°
Today’s range 0.9 ft
high slack
0.79 ft MLLW
Wind vs table
Observed − predicted
+0.31 ft
Observed minus predicted. Read the water, not just the printout.
Clock
NOAA 8723970
- HighTue 11:15 AM · 1.10
- LowTue 6:03 PM · 0.29
- HighWed 3:18 AM · 0.87
- LowWed 5:23 AM · 0.79
- HighWed 12:18 PM · 1.14
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
- 4.5
FL - Long Key State Park (Keys)
sand dropoff · saved map · mid
Oceanfront camping with bonefish flats at the tent. Reserve far ahead. · camp-surf · GULF ATLAS! - FISH
- — sand dropoff on a high slack tide is a secondary match.
- — Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
- — In-play: Hogfish, Yellowtail snapper.
structurespinwade - 4.3
Seven Mile Bridge current
channel gut · public structure · deep
Current seams. Permit and tarpon. Not a bonefish walk.
- — channel gut on a high slack tide is a secondary match.
- — Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
- — Water is hot — deeper guts, passes, and shade hold oxygen and fish.
skiffstructurespinfly - 4.3
Vaca oceanside wrecks / patches
wreck edge · field manual · deep
Crab on the wreck is a different permit game than the tailer on the flat.
- — wreck edge on a high slack tide is a secondary match.
- — Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
- — Water is hot — deeper guts, passes, and shade hold oxygen and fish.
skiffspinfly - 4.1
Marathon bayside basins
grass flat · public structure · mid
Vaca Key gauge. Backcountry light. Summer showers, then wait for the color to come back.
- — grass flat on a high slack tide is a workable match.
- — Thunderstorms — this mark is a stay-tied call, not a window.
skiffkayakflyspin
When
Incoming water
8.6Tue 6:00 AM → Tue 1:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
8.6Tue 1:00 PM → Tue 8:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
8.6Tue 10:00 PM → Wed 5:00 AM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
8.6Wed 5:00 AM → Wed 7:00 AM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Incoming water
8.6Wed 7:00 AM → Wed 2:00 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.
Bahia Honda State Park
Florida State Parks
Middle Keys bridge and oceanside. Adjacent FKNMS polygons are no-take — check the red rings.
Official source
Why — and who
- — Tide is high slack from NOAA.
- — Observed water is close to the astronomical prediction — the table is telling the truth today.
- — Water 91.0°F. Heat is the locator: early, late, deeper.
- — Thunderstorms · 14%. Lightning is a stay-tied call.
- — Wind 4 mph SE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
- — Waxing gibbous moon — mid tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
5.9
Yellowtail snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Thermal window
91.0°
In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish.
Florida: typically 12 in total length, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.
Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
Thermal window
91.0°
Present, not peak. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish.
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
91.0°
Present, not peak. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish.
Florida: hook-and-line. Special Permit Zone (Keys) is tighter than the rest of the state — typically C&R. Verify FWC.
Bonefish
Albula vulpes
Thermal window
91.0°
Off-season here. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish.
Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only.
Jack crevalle
Caranx hippos
Thermal window
91.0°
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish.
Generally unregulated. Still, do not leave a pile.
Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Thermal window
91.0°
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. In peak season for this water. Water 91°F is the hot edge for this fish.
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 8 days. Snook closures are regional. Boca Grande is not Jupiter. Verify FWC before you keep one.