Bonefish
Albula vulpes
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only.
Florida · Middle Keys / Marathon
Permit should be the day — the bridge shadow and the falling wrecks.
Vaca Key gauge. Oceanside wrecks and patch reefs, bayside basins, Seven Mile Bridge current. Permit and tarpon more than bones.
- ⚠ This brief is for 2027-02-23, 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.
- Tide · NOAA 8723970
- NDBC SMKF1 quiet
- Red-tide check failed — not all-clear
- Sargassum check failed — not all-clear
- Water temp quiet
Forecast
medium confidence
Forecast brief for Tuesday, February 23. Back to this morning
Morning line
Marathon 8.0 on Tuesday, February 23. 12 mph ESE. Mostly clear. YOLO day is Tuesday, August 25. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
outgoing · 0.03 ft · drag or hover for the clockNOAA tide gauge 8723970 · Vaca Key, Florida Bay · ft MLLW · not a weather buoy
Wind
OPEN-METEO
From ESE · gust 14
Buoy
NDBC SMKF1
Quiet
Sombrero Key did not report. Witness only — not the tide clock.
Sky
OPEN-METEO
Clouds
Mostly clear
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
94% lit
Waning gibbous
mid range · 94%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 0.8 ft
outgoing
0.03 ft MLLW
Coast
No live coast layer
Red-tide check failed. That is not all-clear — open the agency page before you wade.
Sargassum check failed. Not a GPS pin. Not all-clear.
Clock
NOAA 8723970
- LowTue 7:45 AM · 0.03
- HighTue 3:22 PM · 0.51
- LowTue 8:17 PM · -0.21
- HighWed 4:23 AM · 0.43
- LowWed 8:24 AM · 0.03
Monthly YOLO day
Tuesday, August 25
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.
- 8.4
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 outgoing tide is a classic match.
- — In-play: Permit, Bonefish, Yellowtail snapper.
structurespinwade - 7.4
Seven Mile Bridge current
channel gut · public structure · deep
Current seams. Permit and tarpon. Not a bonefish walk.
- — channel gut on a outgoing tide is a classic match.
- — In-play: Permit.
skiffstructurespinfly - 7.3
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 outgoing tide is a classic match.
- — In-play: Permit.
skiffspinfly - 4.9
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 outgoing tide is a workable match.
skiffkayakflyspin
When
When is moving water in a good hour — not the day. First light and last light are named when the clock is the story. 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
9.9Tue 8:00 AM → Tue 10:00 AM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Incoming water
9.9Tue 9:00 AM → Tue 5:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Last light · outgoing
9.6Tue 5:00 PM → Tue 10:00 PM
Last light on outgoing water.
Last light · incoming
8.6Tue 10:00 PM → Wed 6:00 AM
Last light on incoming water.
First light · outgoing
9.9Wed 6:00 AM → Wed 10:00 AM
First light on outgoing water.
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 outgoing from NOAA 8723970 Vaca Key, Florida Bay.
- — Mostly clear. Sky is workable.
- — Wind 12 mph ESE. Castable. Sight-fishing is on if the sun is out.
- — Waning gibbous moon — mid tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
8.4
Permit
Trachinotus falcatus
Thermal window
—
Present, not peak. This tide stage (outgoing) 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.
Yellowtail snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Thermal window
—
Present, not peak. This tide stage (outgoing) 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 (outgoing) 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.
Hogfish
Lachnolaimus maximus
Thermal window
—
Off-season here. This tide stage (outgoing) matches how they hunt.
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. This tide stage (outgoing) 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 (outgoing) 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.