The grounds · 180 ft · banks, ledges and wrecks
Sailfish
Istiophorus platypterus. Prime water reaches Tampa in Gulf of Mexico right now (86°F at the surface). Fish it 16–181 ft down — that is where 85–77°F water sits off Tampa.
LaneThe grounds · 30 fa (180 ft)
Depth it holds98–656 ft
Prime water75–86°F (workable 75–90°F)
Holds in the column16–197 ft down below the surface, over 98–656 ft of water
Judged onsurface temperature (NASA MUR satellite)
Structurenone
The water column off Tampa
The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 181 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Sailfish's temperature band (75–90°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
Kite-fish live baits on color changes and showering ballyhoo.
Region by region — right now
| Region | Season | Prime water | Temp | Fish it at | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Keys | off-season | reaches Islamorada | 87°F | 16–176 ft | J F M A M J J |
| Southeast Atlantic | off-season | reaches Cape Hatteras | 83°F | 16–179 ft | J F M A M J |
| Gulf of Mexico | in season | reaches Tampa | 86°F | 16–181 ft | J F M A |
"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 30-fathom lane whose surface temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.
Charted grounds on the 30-fathom lane