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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.

All coastsTexasLouisianaFloridaBahamasMexicoPuerto RicoSeychelles
Any typeFlySpinSightWadeSkiffRocksMarshSkinnyOffshore
Any fishRedfishSpeckled troutSouthern flounderBlack drumSheepsheadSnookTarponBonefishPermitJack crevalleMahi-mahiSailfishTuna (blackfin / yellowfin)HogfishYellowtail snapperMangrove / gray snapperMutton snapperRed snapperLane snapperGag grouperRed grouperBlack grouperCobiaFlorida pompanoTripletailKing mackerelSpanish mackerelGreater amberjackWahooBlue marlinWhite marlinStriped marlinSwordfishGreat barracudaRoosterfishGiant trevally
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

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.

July. Midsummer. Night and first-light tarpon. Mahi if the weed is in. Do not invent a bonefish morning in Condado.

Type

Marsh & drains

Marsh wants moving water. Flood the grass, drain the creek. On the Texas coast the wind often moves more water than the printed tide — observed minus predicted is the real story. Sabine and Galveston dump after a blow. Flamingo is the Florida version: reds and snook in the backcountry, not on the oceanside. If the table says incoming and the marsh is emptying, believe the marsh.

Parguera

July · peak

What is actually on

    TarponPermitHogfishYellowtail snapperMangrove / gray snapperMutton snapperLane snapperBlack grouper
Peak Present Off

Closures

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

Snook

Centropomus undecimalis

Present JulyPuerto Rico

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

Thermal window

—

56°92°

60–88°F · best 70–84°F

Florida backcountry and passes. Rare in deep-south Texas. Cold-sensitive — a hard norther empties the shoreline.

Fly. 8–9 wt. Wide-gap baitfish or shrimp. Strip-set and keep him out of the roots.

Spin. Walk-the-dog or soft plastic along mangrove points on a moving tide.

Leads the brief on San Juan, Parguera.

Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico: verify DNER bag and season. Do not apply an FWC closure map to this island.

Official source

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