In this episode Kasey and I travel to the Hawks Cay Resort in the Florida Keys. The Keys are hold several different species of pelagic. However the one fish we had in mind was the “Silver King” Florida Keys Tarpon. Enjoy our journey in tackling this monster fish. You can also Feed Tarpon at Robbie’s … Read more
The commercial harvest of the Florida Keys’ most lucrative sea creature Florida Lobster was up this year, but the price fishermen were paid was way down, they said. The recreational and commercial harvest of spiny lobster will close at midnight Thursday, March 31. The commercial harvest is expected to be about 5.9 million pounds, up about … Read more
It’s a beautiful day and the fishing is good. Suddenly, the line snags on something as the cast is made. A bird is hooked. Don’t panic. There’s a way to get that bird released. Reel Remove Release “The first thing to know is don’t cut the line,” said Kevin Oxenrider, a biologist with the Florida Fish … Read more
Why go For the holiday-maker looking to get off the beaten track a little bit and hoping to experience something unique and laid back, the Florida Keys is a perfect escape. The Keys comprise 110 miles of islands in south Florida including Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and the Lower Keys and the … Read more
The Lower Florida Keys have some well-known destinations. Lying between the Middle Florida Keys and Key West, with Big Pine Key’s Key Deer and Bahia Honda State Park’s beaches as well as one of the top diving spots, Looe Key, will keep visitors busy and happy. There are also many historic locations to satisfy any … Read more
The recreational harvest season for one of Florida’s premier fish ̶ snook ̶ reopens on March 1 in Florida’s Gulf of Mexico state and adjacent federal waters, including Everglades National Park and Monroe County. The season will remain open through April 30. In the Gulf, anglers may keep one snook per day that is not … Read more
Fishing legend, Captain Ralph Delph, made his final cast February 13, 2016 at 3:00am (exactly), in his home in Gallatin Gateway, MT, surrounded by family and dear friends. He was 75 years old. Fishing enthusiasts will remember Ralph as one of the founding members of the Miami Sportfishing Club, a two time “Master Angler” of … Read more
The Middle Florida Keys are an often overlooked destination. Lying between the Upper Florida Keys where you will find the Diving & Fishing Capitals of Key Largo and Islamorada and the Lower Florida Keys with Big Pine Key’s Key Deer and world famous Key West, the Middle Florida Keys is sometimes referred to as the Heart … Read more
There are no recommendations, only cold hard numbers in the state’s 2015 assessment of the Florida Snook fishery, which was decimated during 11 consecutive days of freezing temperatures in January 2010. Estimates at the time were that one third of the snook population perished during those shivering days. The assessment numbers, cold and objective as … Read more
Do you know how many parks there are in the Upper Florida Keys? Me neither. Between the City Parks: Islamorada’s Founders Park and Anne’s Beach, Monroe County Parks: Harry Harris, Florida State Parks: John Pennekamp and Lignumvitae and the National Parks-Refuges-Sanctuaries: Everglades, Crocodile Lake and the all encompassing Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, you are … Read more
These workshops will help FWC gather public input and develop a better understanding of the public’s view on management, including discussing recent management changes that went into effect Nov. 1, 2015, and the need for any additional management changes. Anyone with an interest in management of barracuda in Florida is encouraged to participate. Barracuda Workshop Dates … Read more
Changes could be coming to one of the Florida Keys’ most popular fisheries – Mutton Snapper. State wildlife officials wanted to hear from fishermen over possible changes to bag limits and fishing areas for mutton snapper such as Western Dry Rocks. Some state and federal fishery managers have proposed lowering the bag limit for one of … Read more
Marine Resources
A mandatory education class for boaters using Florida Bay waters within Everglades National Park will be free but a mandatory boat permit will cost. Those proposals to protect the bay’s shallow waters are written into the national park’s new management plan but no start dates have been announced. Everglades staff briefed the advisory council members … Read more
A classic sportfishing photo scene — a happy angler holding a just-caught sailfish before releasing it — could become an expensive snapshot. Federal regulations prohibit removing an Atlantic sailfish from the water before a release, National Marine Fisheries Service officials caution. “This is not something new,” Randy Blankinship of NMFS’ Highly Migratory Species Division said … Read more
Florida Marine Fisheries
Filleting Lionfish
You may have heard about the Whale Shark on a popular dive spot the sunken U.S. Coast Guard cutter Duane in Key Largo in December. Here is another large shark, a Great White Shark, in Islamorada, but you probably won’t see many divers swimming with this one.
The annual winter closed season on shallow-water groupers begins Jan. 1 and runs until May 1. Red and Black, two Florida Keys species that are targeted by anglers, are among the fish going off-limits. The closure covers federal and state waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including Monroe County. During this closure, anglers can harvest grouper … Read more