Maya: Good morning, Key West! It's Tuesday, October sixth, and you're listening to Tides and Fishing, your daily briefing from Morning Update. I'm Maya.
Devon: And I'm Devon. We've got a beautiful fall day shaping up on the water, so let's get you out there well informed.
Maya: Tides first, and these are Noah's predictions for Key West Harbor. We start the day with a low tide right after midnight, twelve oh four A M, the water down at one point zero two feet.
Devon: Then it builds to the morning high at seven oh nine A M, two point two five feet. That is the higher high of the day.
Maya: The afternoon drops to a low of zero point six three feet at one thirty-six P M, and the evening high lands at eight sixteen P M, one point seven three feet.
Devon: And the above-normal watch is quiet. Nothing flagged, so tides are sitting comfortably within the normal range for Key West.
Maya: A quick peek at tomorrow, Wednesday: a low of zero point eight six feet at one sixteen A M, a high of two point two seven feet at eight fourteen A M, then a low of zero point six nine feet at two seventeen P M, and the evening high of one point nine three feet at eight fifty P M.
Devon: October in the Keys is a transition month, and the fishing reports are showing it. Offshore, the pelagics are on the move. Captain Bruce Andersen at Coastal Angler notes the first sailfish of the season are starting to show just outside the reef as the water cools, and when the bait loads up in that area, kingfish, tuna, and wahoo move in with them.
Maya: And the Key West fleet is backing that up. Recent reports have wahoo, king mackerel, bonito, blackfin tuna, and mahi all in the offshore mix, with sailfish on the prowl. Captain Ralph Delph's Key West report has tuna, little tunny, wahoo, and sailfish taking floating live baits, plus some genuinely good-sized dolphin.
Devon: On the bottom, it is snapper and grouper time. Black grouper up to the forty-pound class for anglers working the reef hard, and mutton snapper to twenty pounds on the western patches. Yellowtail are showing along the reef, and mangrove snapper are a solid bet around structure.
Maya: On the flats, bonefish are the pleasant surprise, actively feeding and keyed on the tide changes, so time your shots around that morning high at seven A M. Smaller tarpon are still hanging around with some medium fish mixed in, and the captains say the main fall tarpon push should start with the new moon.
Devon: Permit remain picky and slow, as always. But the big barracudas are out on the flats as the water cools, a great challenge on fly or light spin gear. Just keep that fly moving fast to get their attention.
Maya: A word of honesty here. A couple of those reports are a week or more old, and one local captain's log cautions there are no verified fresh catches behind every claim. So fish what is in front of you, and check the boat's own readings before you commit to a long run.
Devon: Marine weather now, and it is a green light day, folks. Noah's Key West coastal waters forecast shows southeast winds near five knots today, seas one foot or less, and smooth nearshore waters. That is Hawk Channel, the Straits of Florida, Florida Bay, and the Gulf side, all of it calm.
Maya: There are no small craft advisories in effect, and no marine warnings of any kind. Just a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, so keep an eye on the sky if you are running far offshore.
Devon: For the small boat crowd, this is as good as it gets. The flats and backcountry will be glassy, the reef is an easy reach, and even the offshore runs are comfortable today.
Maya: Now the night sky, for the anglers who fish after dark. Sunset tonight is seven oh eight P M, and true dark settles in around eight twenty-four. And here is the treat: the moon will not be up at all during the evening. It is a waning crescent, only twenty-one percent lit, and it does not rise until three twenty-five in the morning.
Devon: So once dark comes, the sky is yours. Saturn is the showpiece, big and bright, high in the east right after dark. The Summer Triangle is still overhead, and with no moonlight, the Milky Way's star fields will show themselves whenever the trade-wind clouds break.
Maya: For the night bite, that late moonrise matters. The dark evening hours are prime, and when the moon does come up before dawn, it lights the water for that last push. Anglers chasing tarpon around the new moon will want to mark their calendars.
Devon: Just one caveat: there is a slight chance of passing showers tonight, so the stars will play hide and seek if the clouds thicken. But on a clear patch of dark Keys water, there is nothing better.
Maya: That is it for Tuesday, October sixth. Fish safe, respect the reef, and we will see you at first light tomorrow. Tight lines.