Ralph Delph – Now Fishing in the Great Beyond

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

Middle Florida Keys Suggestions For Your Bucket List

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

Florida Snook Fishery Has Rebounded Significantly Since 2010 Freeze

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

Upper Florida Keys Suggestions For Your Bucket List

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

Barracuda FWC Workshops in Florida Keys in February 2016

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

Feds Set Boat Fees for Everglades National Park

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

Feds Try to Clarify Policy on Boating Sailfish

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

Grouper Fishing for Several Species Closes January 1

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

Yellowtail Snapper Fishing Year Change Approved

Federal fishery managers have approved a measure that they hope will prevent a closure like the one that occurred in the lucrative Florida Keys commercial yellowtail snapper fishery earlier this year. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council agreed to modify the current fishing year for yellowtail snapper, changing it from a calendar year to an August to … Read more

DEP Requests $13 Mil For Projects on Florida Keys Bridges

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is requesting $13.5 million to repair pedestrian bridges on U.S. 1 and continue the work on the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. The request to the state Legislature could help reopen six fishing bridges that were closed between 2011 and 2014 after state transportation officials deemed them unsafe. DEP … Read more