Inshore · 60 ft · beaches, bays, inlets and rips
Permit
Trachinotus falcatus. Prime water reaches Islamorada in Florida Keys right now (87°F at the surface). Fish it around 20 ft down — that is where 88°F water sits off Islamorada.
LaneInshore · 10 fa (60 ft)
Depth it holds2–20 ft
Prime water75–88°F (workable 75–91°F)
Holds in the column2–20 ft down below the surface, over 2–20 ft of water
Judged onsurface temperature (NASA MUR satellite)
Structureprefers
The water column off Islamorada
The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 58 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Permit's temperature band (75–91°F) and the depth it holds actually overlap. That thickness is the number that matters: it is how much water you can work, not just whether the spot is warm enough somewhere. One model cycle, not a weekly archive — this holds still while the surface map scrubs.
How it's fished
Live crabs sight-cast on flats; over wrecks in summer.
Region by region — right now
| Region | Season | Prime water | Temp | Fish it at | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Keys | in season | reaches Islamorada | 87°F | ~20 ft | J F M A M J J A S O N D |
| Gulf of Mexico | in season | reaches Tampa | 86°F | — | J F M A M J J |
"Fish it at" is where this species' temperature band and its holding depth overlap in the water column, from the RTOFS profile (13 levels, 0–300 m) — the depth to actually put a bait, not just the place. "Prime water" is the furthest sampled station on the 10-fathom lane whose surface temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 10-fathom lane