Captain's Log — March 25, 2026

🌊 CONDITIONS

East wind near 10 knots today, seas 1 foot in Hawk Channel, 2–3 in the Straits. Florida Bay is a light chop — about as good as March gets down here. No small craft advisories. High pressure building in the west-central Atlantic is veering us northeast through the weekend, and then a front crashes the party late Saturday into Sunday with 20–25 knot gusts. Today through Friday is your window. Use it.

🌡️ WATER TEMPS (Reef-by-Reef)

Reef	Temp
Molasses Reef	77.7°F
Conch Reef	77.6°F
Davis Reef	77.7°F
Crocker Reef	77.7°F
Alligator Reef	77.6°F
Tennessee Reef	77.6°F
Offshore Edge	78.3°F

Water’s sitting right in that sweet spot — upper 77s on the reef line, pushing past 78 offshore. Consistent temps across the board means no cold pockets killing the bite.

⚓ GULF STREAM

The Stream’s shoreward edge is sitting just 15 NM southeast of Alligator Reef and 11 NM off Molasses — that’s close. Offshore current ripping 2.6 knots to the NNE out at the edge. That blue water is knocking on the door.

🪸 REEF REPORT

Molasses Reef — 77.7°F, current 0.3 knots ENE. Salinity 36.4 PSU — that’s textbook Gulf Stream water washing over the reef. Clean, blue, salty. The ENE push is pinning bait against structure on the south side. Fish here.

Conch / Davis / Crocker — 77.6–77.7°F, current 0.4 knots NE. Salinity 36.3+ across all three. Northeast flow is consistent and moving — not stagnant. Bait should be stacked on the downcurrent side of the reef heads.

Alligator Reef — 77.6°F, strongest nearshore current at 0.5 knots NE. With the Stream only 15 NM out, this reef is getting the best of both worlds — warm, salty water and enough flow to keep things moving. Prime spot today.

Tennessee Reef — 77.6°F, lighter current at 0.25 knots NE. Still clean water (36.3 salinity) but the slower flow means less bait concentration. Not the first pick today.

🎯 WHERE TO FISH

Top pick: Alligator Reef and the edge out to the Stream. Gulf Stream only 15 NM out with 2.6 knots of rip — the color change should be defined and loaded. On the reef, Alligator has the best current pushing bait into structure.

Second pick: Molasses Reef. Stream is just 11 NM off Key Largo, and that 36.4 salinity reading means clean oceanic water is right on top of the reef. ENE current pinning bait — look for yellowtail clouds on the downcurrent edges.

🐟 SPECIES + TACTICS

• Sailfish — Kite fish the edge or slow-troll the color change 11–15 NM out. Goggle eyes or pilchards on the kite. With 2.6 knots of Stream, deploy your baits on the inside edge and let them drift into the rip.
• Yellowtail Snapper — Chunk and chum the downcurrent side of Alligator or Molasses. NE current means anchor up-current on the north side, let your chum slick carry south into the reef.
• Mutton Snapper — Full moon was last week, but the clean water and current should keep them active on the deeper reef edges. Live pinfish or ballyhoo on the bottom, 60–80 feet.
• Kingfish — Slow-troll the reef line with wire rigs and blue runners. The consistent NE current has these fish cruising the reef tops.
• Cobia — They follow the current. With this NE push, watch for shadows on buoys and channel markers between Alligator and Conch.

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Three-day window before Sunday’s blow. Don’t waste it sitting at the dock.

Book your trip: dirtyboat.com · (305) 209-5594

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Midday Update — 11:30 AM

Winds backed off a hair since this morning — northeast to east near 10, briefly dipping to 5–10 this afternoon. Hawk Channel is slick calm, seas around a foot. If you were on the fence about going out, this is your green light.

Water temps pulled back slightly across the reef line. Molasses dropped to 77.0°F, Alligator sitting at 77.4°F, Tennessee at 77.1°F. Nothing dramatic — still well within the strike zone. The Gulf Stream hasn’t budged: 15 miles off Alligator, 11 off Molasses. That clean blue water is still parked on the doorstep.

No new advisories. The weekend front is still tracking for late Saturday into Sunday with 20–25 knot gusts. Bottom line: today and tomorrow are the cream of the week. Afternoon bite should be strong with this light wind laying down the chop.

Fleet report: There’s a defined color edge in 250–300 feet of water off Alligator Reef. That puts it roughly 3–4 miles off the reef line — well inside the Gulf Stream’s shoreward edge. That’s your temperature break, and where the bait is getting pinned between the warm Stream water and the cooler nearshore. If you’re running offshore this afternoon, point the bow at Alligator and look for that edge in the 250–300 foot range. Sailfish on kites, kings trolling the break, and anything with a pulse eating on the color change. That’s the spot.

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Evening Update — 5:00 PM

Afternoon satellite pass shows temps pulling back a tick across the reef line. Molasses holding at 77.1°F, Alligator dipped to 77.1°F, and Tennessee cooled to 76.5°F — some cooler nearshore water sneaking in down around Marathon. Gulf Stream hasn’t budged: still parked 15 miles off Alligator and 11 off Molasses. That blue water isn’t going anywhere tonight.

Tomorrow looks like another gift — northeast to east 10–15, seas 1–2 in the channel, 2–4 in the Straits. Very fishable. Friday’s similar. Then a front crashes in late Saturday night and Sunday is a full-blown washout — 20–25 knots, 5–7 foot seas in the channel. Thursday and Friday are your last clean shots this week. If you’re booking, book now. The dock gets real crowded come Sunday.