Maya: Good evening, Boca Raton, and welcome to the very first Tides and Fishing: Boca Raton. I'm Maya.
Devon: And I'm Devon. This is our launch episode for Sunday, October fourth, twenty twenty-six, with everything an angler needs: the tides, the fishing report, marine weather, and the night sky for anyone heading out after dark.
Maya: Let's start with the water itself, because today the tides are doing something worth your attention. According to Noah's predictions for Lake Worth Pier, which is our closest station, every high tide today is above normal.
Devon: Walk us through it, Maya.
Maya: Our first high tide came in the early morning, two thirty-nine A M, at two point nine feet. Then the water dropped to a low of just under half a foot at eight fifty-eight A M — skinny water, barely ankle deep on the flats. Then it built back up to the big one: high tide at three thirty-five this afternoon, three point three five feet, the tallest of the day. And tonight's low tide is nine fifty-one P M, at about three quarters of a foot.
Devon: And anything over two and a half feet counts as above normal here, so today is officially in king-tide territory.
Maya: Exactly. That afternoon high pushed a lot of water into the intracoastal and the mangrove shorelines, which means bait and predators pushed in with it. And tomorrow looks like a repeat: high tides at three fifty-three A M and four forty P M, both above normal again, with the afternoon high at three point three eight feet the tallest of the day. Lows tomorrow around half a foot late morning and at night.
Devon: So big water two afternoons in a row. Fish those tide changes.
Maya: You said it. Now, the fishing. I want to be straight with you: this week's local reports are a little thin, so tonight we're leaning on the established fall pattern from two captains who know these waters, and it's a pattern that has earned its reputation.
Devon: Let's hear it.
Maya: The big story is the mullet run. According to Florida Sportsman's southeast forecast, schools of mullet are moving along the beaches and through the river systems, and everything with teeth is following them. Snook, tarpon, redfish, jacks, and flounder are all feeding on live mullet around points, structure, and anywhere there's moving water.
Devon: And locally, Captain Chris Agardy of Fish Envy Charters in Boca Raton reports snook feeding aggressively around bridges, dock lights, mangroves, and residential canals, especially early morning and evening. Live pilchards, mullet, shrimp, and artificial lures are all producing.
Maya: Plus resident tarpon cruising the intracoastal waterway, feeding around bridges, seawalls, and bait schools, best in the early mornings and evenings. Schools of jack crevalle are giving nonstop action on light tackle, and mangrove snapper and sheepshead are biting around docks, bridges, and structure — excellent table fare.
Devon: What about offshore?
Maya: The fall outlook is brightening. Improving kingfish action, more consistent blackfin tuna, increasing wahoo opportunities, larger bait schools moving along the coast, and the beginning of sailfish season. Sailfish are being found in ninety to one hundred sixty feet of water, and bottom fishing has been steady for mutton snapper and mangrove snapper.
Devon: One note on regulations: gag grouper is closed right now on the Atlantic side — catch and release only. But here's something to circle on your calendar: red snapper season in the Atlantic opens this Friday, October ninth, through the twelfth. One fish per person per day, no minimum size.
Maya: Alright, marine weather, because none of this matters if the water's not safe. From the National Weather Service in Miami, issued this afternoon: tonight, east winds five to ten knots, seas around two feet, with a light chop on the intracoastal waters and a slight chance of evening showers and thunderstorms.
Devon: And Monday?
Maya: Southeast winds five to ten knots, seas under two feet, light chop, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Tuesday looks even calmer: south winds around five knots, seas under two feet. No small craft advisories anywhere in the forecast — it's a green light for small boats tonight and Monday.
Devon: But keep an eye on Wednesday.
Maya: Right. Wednesday the seas build to four to six feet, occasionally eight, with southwest winds five to ten knots. That's our early heads-up: if you're planning a midweek offshore trip, watch the forecast. And remember, winds and seas run higher in and near thunderstorms, and October afternoons can pop storms quickly.
Devon: Let's talk about the night sky, because for night anglers, tonight is a gift.
Maya: It really is. The moon set back at three fifteen this afternoon, and it doesn't rise until two ten tomorrow morning — so the whole evening is moonless. Dark sky from about eight twenty P M on, after astronomical twilight fades.
Devon: What should people look for?
Maya: Saturn is the headline: the ringed planet is climbing in the eastern sky, sitting just below the Great Square of Pegasus, that big box of four stars tipped up on one corner. Look to the northeast for the broad W of Cassiopeia, riding high, and overhead you'll find the Summer Triangle — Vega, Deneb, and Altair. The Milky Way arches through Cygnus, Cassiopeia, and Perseus, and with no moon, it's genuinely visible if the clouds cooperate.
Devon: And do they?
Maya: Mostly. It's partly cloudy tonight, so the stars will come and go in the gaps — but the gaps will be dark ones. That moonless night is also good news for the bite: snook hunting around dock lights under a dark sky. One more for the calendar: the space station makes a low pass tomorrow evening at seven twenty-seven P M in the southwest — low, at about ten degrees, so catch it quick.
Devon: That's our first episode, Boca Raton. Tides above normal two afternoons running, the mullet run pulling predators into the inlets, calm seas through Monday, and a moonless sky over the water tonight.
Maya: Thanks for coming aboard. I'm Maya.
Devon: And I'm Devon. We'll see you tomorrow at two A M for the next Tides and Fishing: Boca Raton.