On This Water

Doctrine · not a honey-hole list

Seasonal fundamentals

When a coast, a type of water, and a fish actually line up. If you elected Texas on the list, this page opens on Texas — Seychelles stays off the board until you ask for it. Filter by region, method or habitat, and species. The year bar is peak versus present. Limits cite TPWD and FWC — verify before you keep one.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico — urban tarpon, east-island flats

DNER water. Real NOAA gauges. Not a Keys copy and not FWC.

San Juan is Condado Lagoon and the bay — tarpon under the bridges, snook in the edges, a north-coast drop that is an offshore method. Vieques and Culebra are the Spanish Virgins: more sand, bones and permit, Mosquito Bay a reserve. La Parguera is the southwest mangrove desk, clocked to Magueyes 9759110. Blue marlin live in the story of this island; this brief will not invent a billfish on a lagoon. License is DNER. Do not paste a Jupiter snook closure onto Condado.

March. Tarpon turn on. Permit on the east banks. San Juan still a lagoon, not a flat.

Type

Jetty / rocks

Granite, pilings, passes. Midday is legal — sheep face the tide and pick. Fall jetty bulls are a Texas event, not a rumor. Flounder sit the sand drains on the outgoing. This is spinning-rod country with a short, ugly leader if you insist on a fly. Do not invent a wreck as a honey hole. Named structure only, and the fish still have to be in season.

March · peak

What is actually on

    BonefishPermit
Peak Present Off

Closures

No coast-wide harvest closure on the board. Still verify before you keep a fish.

Hogfish

Lachnolaimus maximus

Present MarchPuerto Rico

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

Thermal window

66°90°

70–86°F · best 74–82°F

Keys and Caribbean patch reefs. Not a Texas bay fish. Not a bonefish headline. He lives on the hard bottom, not the grass.

Fly. 8–9 wt. A small crab or shrimp on the patch. He is a picker. Do not trout-set a hog.

Spin. The honest tool. Shrimp or a small jig on the reef. Spear is a different license.

Leads the brief on Vieques, Parguera.

Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico: verify DNER. Reef, not Condado Lagoon.

Official source

Mangrove / gray snapper

Lutjanus griseus

Present MarchPuerto Rico

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

Thermal window

64°92°

68–88°F · best 74–84°F

The snapper that will live in a Texas jetty and a Keys creek. Schoolies on structure. Bigger fish on the wrecks. Not a yellowtail.

Fly. 7–8 wt. Small baitfish along the shade line. 16–20 lb near the roots.

Spin. Live shrimp or a small jig under the mangroves and on the rocks. Night on the lights is legal.

Leads the brief on San Juan, Parguera.

Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico: verify DNER.

Official source

Black grouper

Mycteroperca bonaci

Present MarchPuerto Rico

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

Thermal window

66°90°

70–86°F · best 74–82°F

Keys, Bahamas, Yucatan, Puerto Rico wrecks. The heavy grouper. Do not print him on Galveston.

Fly. 12 wt on a shallow wreck if you earned the shot. Usually a stand-up outfit.

Spin. Live bait on the wrecks and ledges. Keys and Caribbean. Not a Texas gag.

Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico: verify DNER.

Official source

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