Bonefish
Albula vulpes
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water.
Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only.
Florida · Middle Keys / Marathon
Bonefish 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 2026-12-13, 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.
Forecast
low confidence
Forecast brief for Sunday, December 13. Back to this morning
Morning line
Marathon 7.6 on Sunday, December 13. 11 mph ESE. Mostly clear. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
low slack · 0.72 ft · drag or hover for the clockModeled M2 clock — no NOAA gauge on this water. Not a buoy.
Wind
OPEN-METEO
From ESE · gust 12
Sky
OPEN-METEO
Clouds
Mostly clear
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
18% lit
Waxing crescent
mid range · 18%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 1.6 ft
low slack
0.72 ft modeled
Clock
NOAA 8723970
- HighSun 8:00 AM · 0.72
- LowSun 2:00 PM · -0.76
- HighSun 8:00 PM · 0.78
- LowMon 2:00 AM · -0.81
- HighMon 8:00 AM · 0.82
Bahamas tides are modeled from lunar M2. Use them for windows, not a bar crossing.
Monthly YOLO day
Tuesday, August 25 · 8.3
Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. waxing gibbous · mid · tide range ~1.4 ft · wind to 10 mph · Thunderstorms · 49%
Next two weeks
Pulling the 14-day strip…
Where
This pip is that mark on this tide — not the day on the ring.
- 6.7
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 low slack tide is a secondary match.
- — In-play: Bonefish, Yellowtail snapper.
structurespinwade - 5.7
Seven Mile Bridge current
channel gut · public structure · deep
Current seams. Permit and tarpon. Not a bonefish walk.
- — channel gut on a low slack tide is a workable match.
skiffstructurespinfly - 5.4
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 low slack tide is a workable match.
skiffspinfly - 4.2
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 low slack tide is a secondary match.
skiffkayakflyspin
When
When is moving water in a good hour — not the day. Today’s ring mixes the best mark, the lead fish, and the best window, then taxes the sky. A strong incoming can sit under a weak day if the wind or the fish is off. Calendar cells are a third recipe: range, moon, and the day’s forecast.
Outgoing water
9.9Sun 9:00 AM → Sun 4:00 PM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
9.9Sun 3:00 PM → Sun 10:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Outgoing water
8.0Sun 9:00 PM → Mon 4:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Incoming water
8.0Mon 3:00 AM → Mon 10:00 AM
Water is moving, but the clock is against you — heat or dark.
Outgoing water
9.9Mon 9:00 AM → Mon 4:00 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
Why — and who
- — Tide is low slack (modeled — NOAA 8723970 Vaca Key, Florida Bay did not answer).
- — Mostly clear. Sky is workable.
- — Wind 11 mph ESE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
- — Waxing crescent moon — mid tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
7.3
Yellowtail snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Thermal window
—
Present, not peak.
Florida: typically 12 in total length, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.
Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
Thermal window
—
Off-season here.
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.
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.
Florida: Atlantic and Gulf bags differ. Monroe County is tighter. Fork-length minimum. Verify FWC.
Great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
Thermal window
—
Bycatch and beach noise — not the reason you came. Present, not peak.
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.
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.