Bonefish
Albula vulpes
Thermal window
—
In peak season for this water.
Florida: catch-and-release only, hook-and-line only.
Florida · Middle Keys / Marathon
Permit 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 2027-03-23. No wind forecast that far out — score is tide, moon, and season. Not a copper day.
- ⚠ 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
Tide + moon
low confidence
Forecast brief for Tuesday, March 23. Back to this morning
Morning line
Marathon 7.9 on Tuesday, March 23 — tide, moon, and season only. No wind forecast that far out. YOLO day is Friday, August 28. Scores are 1–10, not a bite.
high slack · 0.22 ft · drag or hover for the clockNOAA tide gauge 8723970 · Vaca Key, Florida Bay · ft MLLW · not a weather buoy
Wind
NWS
No wind reading
Buoy
NDBC SMKF1
Quiet
Sombrero Key did not report. Witness only — not the tide clock.
Sky
NWS
Sky not in
Sky not in
A 20% shower chance is not a cancel. A soaker is.
Moon
99% lit
Full
spring range · 99%
Water
No gauge
Water
—
Today’s range 0.8 ft
high slack
0.22 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 7:30 AM · 0.20
- HighTue 3:00 PM · 0.60
- LowTue 8:11 PM · -0.22
- HighWed 4:59 AM · 0.51
- LowWed 8:08 AM · 0.20
Monthly YOLO day
Friday, August 28
Best remaining dry day this month with a real wind forecast. full · spring · tide range ~0.7 ft · wind to 10 mph · Thunderstorms · 40%
Next two weeks
Pulling the 14-day strip…
Where
This pip is that mark on this tide — not the day on the ring.
- 7.2
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.
- — In-play: Permit, Tarpon, Bonefish, Hogfish, Yellowtail snapper.
structurespinwade - 6.8
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.
- — In-play: Tarpon.
skiffkayakflyspin - 6.6
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.
- — In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
skiffstructurespinfly - 6.6
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.
- — In-play: Permit, Tarpon.
skiffspinfly
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.
Incoming water
9.4Tue 9:00 AM → Tue 4:00 PM
Moving water in the right part of the day.
Last light · outgoing
9.1Tue 5:00 PM → Tue 10:00 PM
Last light on outgoing water.
Last light · incoming
8.0Tue 9:00 PM → Wed 7:00 AM
Last light on incoming water.
First light · outgoing
9.4Wed 6:00 AM → Wed 10:00 AM
First light on outgoing water.
Incoming water
9.4Wed 9:00 AM → Wed 5:00 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 8723970 Vaca Key, Florida Bay.
- — Full moon — spring tide range. Marsh and passes usually want the extra current of a spring.
7.3
Permit
Trachinotus falcatus
Thermal window
—
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.
Tarpon
Megalops atlanticus
Thermal window
—
Present, not peak.
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
—
Present, not peak.
Florida: Atlantic and Gulf bags differ. Monroe County is tighter. Fork-length minimum. Verify FWC.
Yellowtail snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Thermal window
—
Present, not peak.
Florida: typically 12 in total length, inside the snapper aggregate. 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.