The Florida Keys Is an Anglers Paradise
The Florida Keys, a beautiful coral archipelago just off Florida’s southern tip, are warm and tropical with pristine beaches and sunny weather year-round but one of their biggest attractions isn’t the weather but the fishing. The junction between the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico brings numerous species of fish to this region. Under the Keys is the edge of the continental shelf or Florida platform, where the seafloor drops and allows for easy access to the deeper levels of the sea and the fish that call those waters home. These unique geographic features of the Keys have led to its well-earned reputation as an angler’s paradise and the title of the “Sport Fishing Capital of the World.”
In-Shore Fishing
While you might think of fishing on the open waters when you think of fishing in the Keys, in-shore fishing has a little something for everyone from beginners to experienced or even professional anglers. In the flats, you can try your hand at hunting for snook, tarpon, and shark, crawling along the top of the water patiently, steering with a push pole, and being as quiet as you possibly can. You may be hunting in just a few feet of water, sight-casting, and bottom-fishing, looking for the predatory fish that will make you a trophy angler.
Further off-shore, you can head deeper into the backwaters, casting off all worries of seasickness as you drift across the waters and soak in the scenery of towering mangroves, meandering creeks, and shy wildlife. The season of your visit to Key Largo will play a big role in your potential catch, but you might just have the opportunity to reel in trout, snapper, bonefish, permit, tarpon, and more.
Inlets and Channels
Once you’ve explored the sandbars, flats, and bays to your heart’s content, you can move further out to the waters between the islands. While you can certainly head out on your own, there are also experienced charters that can take you out with everything you need and will know all the best places for the best catches. Nearshore reefs are often rich in snapper and grouper regardless of the time of year and can be great hiding spots for hogfish and other unusual catches. If you’re up for a longer trip, an offshore charter can bring you the opportunity to catch Mahi Mahi, wahoo, sailfish, and blue marlin.
The sunken ships, shallow structures, and reefs are lush fishing grounds filled with game fish such as bonefish, permit, snook, yellowfin tuna, barracudas, Spanish mackerel, kingfish, and tarpon.
The Florida Keys is an anglers paradise thanks to its incredible diversity, and it is a top destination for anglers of all skill levels. Perhaps not surprisingly, these islands have been the site of more saltwater fishing records than any other destination.
Visiting Mangrove Marina
At Mangrove Marina in Tavernier, we offer the ideal home base for anglers with easily accessible wet slips and convenient, comfortable house boats. When you’re not boating or otherwise out on the water, you can take advantage of everything our resort has to offer, from our heated freshwater pool to our bar and restaurant or barbecue facilities and Tiki huts. We’re conveniently located within walking distance of dining, shopping, and other essential services. Check us out at Mile Marker 91.7 on the Bayside and between Markers 62 and 65 on the ICW or call us to make reservations.
