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Florida · Middle Keys / Marathon

Bonefish should be the day — wait for the next push under the bridges.

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

  • ⚠ This brief is for 2026-12-22, 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: Sombrero Key, Coffins Patch. The red polygons are the legal source — do not fish them.
7.4OF 10

Forecast

low confidence

Forecast brief for Tuesday, December 22. Back to this morning

Morning line

Marathon 7.4 on Tuesday, December 22. 9 mph ESE. Overcast. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.

Mail it
-0.8-0.40.00.40.8LHLHLHLHTue 7 AMWed 7 AMThu 7 AMFri 7 AM
high slack · -0.56 ftModeled M2 · not a gauge

Wind

OPEN-METEO

NESW9MPH

From ESE · gust 9

Sky

OPEN-METEO

Clouds

Overcast

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

Moon

97% lit

Waxing gibbous

spring range · 97%

Water

No gauge

Water

—

48°92°

Today’s range 1.1 ft

high slack

-0.56 ft modeled

Clock

NOAA 8723970

  • LowTue 8:00 AM · -0.56
  • HighTue 2:00 PM · 0.55
  • LowTue 8:00 PM · -0.53
  • HighWed 2:00 AM · 0.50
  • LowWed 9:00 AM · -0.47

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%

Stay or drive · Marathon vs Key WestOpen the calendarMorning dispatch

Next two weeks

Pulling the 14-day strip…

Where

  • FL - Long Key State Park (Keys)

    sand dropoff · saved map · mid

    6.4

    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.
    • — In-play: Bonefish, Yellowtail snapper.
    structurespinwade

  • Marathon bayside basins

    grass flat · public structure · mid

    5.3

    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.
    skiffkayakflyspin

  • Seven Mile Bridge current

    channel gut · public structure · deep

    5.0

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

    • — channel gut on a high slack tide is a secondary match.
    skiffstructurespinfly

  • Vaca oceanside wrecks / patches

    wreck edge · field manual · deep

    5.0

    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.
    skiffspinfly

When

  • Incoming water

    9.9

    Tue 9:00 AM → Tue 4:00 PM

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

  • Outgoing water

    9.9

    Tue 3:00 PM → Tue 10:00 PM

    Moving water in the right part of the day.

  • Incoming water

    8.0

    Tue 9:00 PM → Wed 4:00 AM

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

  • Outgoing water

    8.0

    Wed 4:00 AM → Wed 10:00 AM

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

  • Incoming water

    9.9

    Wed 10:00 AM → Wed 5:00 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 high slack (modeled — the NOAA gauge did not answer).
  • — Overcast. Sky is workable.
  • — Wind 9 mph ESE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
  • — Waxing gibbous moon — spring tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.

Bonefish

Albula vulpes

7.3

Thermal window

—

64°92°

In peak season for this water.

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

Yellowtail snapper

Ocyurus chrysurus

5.5

Thermal window

—

66°90°

Present, not peak.

Florida: typically 12 in total length, inside the snapper aggregate. Verify FWC.

Tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

3.7

Thermal window

—

68°94°

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

3.7

Thermal window

—

66°92°

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

3.7

Thermal window

—

66°90°

Off-season here.

Florida: Atlantic and Gulf bags differ. Monroe County is tighter. Fork-length minimum. Verify FWC.

Great barracuda

Sphyraena barracuda

5.5

Thermal window

—

66°92°

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

3.7

Thermal window

—

64°94°

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.