© 2026 Morning Update
Tides and Fishing: Miami — Sunday, October 4, 2026
Mon, 05 Oct 2026 03:08:15 GMT · 4:56
https://morningupdate.org/miami-tides-fishing/episodes/tides-and-fishing-miami-sunday-october-4-2026-2026-10-05/

Maya: Good morning, South Florida, and welcome to Tides and Fishing: Miami. It's Sunday, October fourth, and the tide board is running high all the way through Tuesday.
Devon: That it is, Maya. Let's start with the tides at Virginia Key, from Noah. Today, Sunday, the high tide came in just before four this morning at three thirty-six, at two point four nine feet, and the second high tide arrives at four twenty-seven this afternoon at two point five four feet. That afternoon high is above our normal-water mark of two point five feet, so expect some extra water pushing into the bay this afternoon.
Maya: And the lows today are ten-oh-two this morning at just over half a foot, and ten thirty-six tonight at point eight four feet. A nice big swing between that morning low and the afternoon high, which usually gets the water moving and the fish chewing.
Devon: Tomorrow, Monday, looks almost identical but even taller. High tides at four forty-seven in the morning, two point five two feet, and five thirty-one in the evening, two point five eight feet. Both flagged above normal. Low tides at eleven-oh-nine in the morning and eleven forty-one at night, both under a foot. So if you're poling the flats or running the skinny creeks, plan around that afternoon high water three days in a row.
Maya: Three straight days of above-normal highs, in fact. Tuesday's evening high hits two point six six feet at six twenty-eight in the evening, the tallest of the bunch.
Devon: Now to the fishing, and the bay is giving us plenty to talk about. The Florida Sportsman weekend forecast says North Biscayne Bay has sea trout, mangrove snappers, jack crevalles, and small barracudas biting early in the day. Their recipe: anchor on a grass flat, drop a chum bag with frozen chum, and the pinfish and pilchards should show up quick in the slick. Then fish chunks of pinfish under a Cajun Thunder float for the snappers and trout, or cast NLBN jig heads with soft plastics.
Maya: And don't put the rods away at dark. That same forecast says the nighttime snook and small tarpon bite has been good around the dock lights and the shadow lines of the bay bridges, with the best action on the outgoing tide. Anything that looks like a shrimp will draw strikes.
Devon: Down in South Bay, it's a flats angler's morning. Bonefish have been very good early and late in the day, with the incoming tides producing the best action. Look for them feeding in the shallowest water they can swim in, on the oceanside flats, around the Arsenicker Keys, and near Cutter Bank. Live shrimp and small crabs are getting the bites, and the oceanside channels have been holding small permit. The Finger Channels keep producing good jack and snapper action.
Maya: Cross-checking with the guide reports: a good bite logged within the last day, and within the last couple of weeks, blackfin tuna and mahi offshore, plus cobia, blackfin tuna, and big amberjack off the Miami wrecks. The mutton snapper bite is picking up too, eight to ten pound fish on light tackle, and mangrove snapper running fifteen to twenty inches.
Devon: Two more things for your calendar. The fall mullet run is in full swing along the coast, which is why the snook, tarpon, and jacks are fired up. And mark Friday, October ninth: the federal Atlantic red snapper season opens through the twelfth, one fish per person per day, no minimum size.
Maya: On to marine weather, from the National Weather Service Miami office, and it's a green-light kind of Sunday. No advisories in effect for Biscayne Bay. Tonight, east winds at five to ten knots with a light chop. Monday, southeast winds at five to ten knots, light chop. Monday night, the wind drops to around five knots and the bay goes smooth.
Devon: Tuesday stays calm, south winds around five knots, smooth water, but there is a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, so keep one eye on the sky. Small-craft guidance is simple today: the bay is boatable, the chop is light, and the only real hazard is an afternoon thunderstorm popping up. When the sky turns dark, head for the ramp.
Maya: And now, for the night anglers, the sky above the water tonight. The moon is a waning crescent, only about a third lit, and it sets at three fourteen this afternoon and doesn't rise again until two twelve in the morning. That means a beautifully dark evening sky over the bay.
Devon: And with dark skies come stars. Look east after dark and you'll find Saturn glowing steadily at about thirty-eight degrees up, a golden beacon you can't miss. The moon won't be around to wash anything out, so the constellations will be crisp, especially once you're away from the city lights. That's perfect conditions for drifting the dock lights after dark, when the snook and tarpon are hunting.
Maya: One more sky note for tomorrow night, Monday: the International Space Station makes a bright pass at seven twenty-seven in the evening, low in the west. If you're still on the water at sunset, look west and you'll see it gliding by.
Devon: That's the full board for Sunday, October fourth. Tides running high three days straight, trout and snapper biting early in the bay, bonefish on the incoming tide in South Bay, and calm, dark evenings for the night bite. Tight lines out there.
Maya: We'll be back before sunrise tomorrow with a fresh board. Until then, this is Maya.
Devon: And Devon. Good fishing.