Welcome to the Fishing Capital of the World.
In many areas in the US, fishing is confined to one or two types. In the Florida Keys there is such variety you can choose a different style of fishing every day of the week.
Flats and Backcountry:
The Florida Keys are surrounded by hundreds of square miles of shallow sand, mud and grass flats. Bonefish root out crabs, shrimp and small fish in crystal clear water as shallow water often less than one foot deep and just as often within just yards of shore. These magnificent flats are found on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Keys as well as the Bay/Gulf side and in the expansive backcountry, an area largely within the Everglades National Park and populated by uninhabited mangrove islands on the Gulf Side.Target game species available include: tarpon, permit, bonefish, redfish, snook, sea trout, barracuda, jack crevalle, and sharks.
Deep sea, Offshore:
On the southeastern side of the Keys is Straits of Florida. Just outside the reef line the water plunges to depths of 1,500 feet or more. These deeper waters are teeming with all the big name pelagic game fish species. The colorful and delicious dolphin (recently more often being called by their Hawaiian name Mahi Mahi to differentiate them from the dolphin of Flipper fame) hide just below the surface along floating rafts of Sargassum seaweed and any other floating debris such as pieces of driftwood. The giant Blue Marlin, one of the most prized of the big game fish, are often found following the schools of Dolphin, one of their favorite foods.Target species available include: blue marlin, swordfish, sailfish, kingfish, dolphin, wahoo, tuna, barracuda, amberjack and shark.
Wreck Fishing:
Throughout the Keys history the reefs surrounding the islands have been notorious for eating ships. In modern times there are less natural shipwrecks but the older wrecks are still great fish attractors. In addition to these we have begun to deliberately sink various out of date ships to produce Artificial Reefs. Schools of permit, amberjack, and snapper cruise around and through the structures covered by soft and hard corals and sponges.Target species available include: permit, amberjack, grouper, snapper, shark, and barracuda.
Reef Fishing:
The Florida Keys are surrounded by vast coral formations which protect the islands from storms and provide homes for one of the most diverse populations of fish and other sealife found anywhere in the world. The Atlantic Ocean side has massive reefs and on the Gulf side there are smaller patch reefs. The large schools of baitfishes attract hungry snappers and groupers, which love all the hiding places.Target species available include: yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, groupers, kingfish, spanish and cero mackerel, cobia, sharks, and barracuda.
Bridge Fishing:
There are 42 bridges connecting more than 100 islands over a 126-mile
distance. Of the 126 miles of the Overseas Highway, 18.8 miles are comprised of bridges. Many of the original bridges have been replaced with the old bridges both left standing or broken up and the rubble left in place. This structure as well as the natural passes the bridges span combine to produce some of the most productive, and little exploited, areas in the Florida Keys. Whether you fish from the bridge, many of the retired older structures have been turned to fishing piers some miles long, or from a boat near the debris piles or bridge pilings, you are sure to find the widest number of different fishes available anywhere.Target species available include: snapper, grouper, mackerel, tarpon, permit, barracuda, sharks, cobia, trout, bonefish and snook.
Man Helping Man?
Early one morning a priest was walking out onto the old Long Key Bridge looking forward to a beautiful sunrise. Soon he came upon two locals pulling another man (easily identified as a tourist by his bright red sunburn) through the water, toward the Long Key end of the bridge, on the end of a rope. That’s what I like to see, said the priest, man helping his fellow man. As the priest continued out onto the bridge, one local remarked to the other, Well, he sure don’t know the first thing about shark fishing.
Hey guys are you having trouble getting permission to go fishing from your significant other?
Check out this Application to go Fishing.
When you need to fish fill out the application and submit it to her.
Happy Fishing!