Rare Negative Low Tide Boosts Stuart Fishing Thursday

The St. Lucie River at Stuart runs on a predictable rhythm Thursday — and today's pattern rewards those who read it carefully.

TODAY: Partly to mostly sunny, typical mid-April dry-season conditions. Highs near 83 degrees. Rain chance remains low, forecasters said.

TONIGHT: Warm and clear. Low near 68 degrees.

THIS WEEK: No significant pattern change through the weekend. Dry-season tranquility holds — low humidity, light afternoon sea breezes and minimal rain threat through Sunday.

TIDES — THURSDAY, APRIL 16: - Low: 1:38 a.m. — -0.1 ft - High: 7:39 a.m. — 2.9 ft - Low: 1:48 p.m. — -0.4 ft - High: 8:13 p.m. — 3.4 ft

ON THE WATER: That afternoon low of -0.4 feet — a negative tide — pulls water hard off the flats near the Roosevelt Bridge, concentrating bait and drawing snook and redfish into predictable ambush points. Anglers working the grass edges of the South Fork between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. will find current moving fast. The 8:13 p.m. high of 3.4 feet is the day's strongest, pushing water back into mangrove roots along Willoughby Creek — a prime window for evening bridge and shoreline fishing. Boaters launching from Leighton Park should note shallow-draft risk during the midday negative low, according to NOAA CO-OPS tidal data.

ALERTS: No active NWS watches, warnings or advisories are in effect for Martin County.

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