Ultimate Guide To Fishing In The Florida Keys

Among the many great things of the Florida Keys, fishing is by far one of the most popular activities. There are about 6 types of fishing you can find down here: light tackle, back country, deep sea, reef, bridge, and party boat.

Light Tackle: the most flexible and almost any species is achievable: tarpon, sailfish, tuna, cobia, dorado (dolphin, mahi mahi), snapper, ceros and wahoo.

fishing rods on the back of a Key West fishing boat

Back Country: involves fly, spin or plug. Fish the flats on the Atlantic side or the backcountry, a region of uninhabited mangrove islands on the Gulf side, for tarpon, permit, bonefish, redfish, snook, sea trout, barracuda, jacks, sharks, and cobia.

Deep Sea: as close as five miles offshore: where the sea reaches depths of 600 feet — and by 17 to 20 miles out, depths in some spots can approach 2,000 feet to troll for blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, spearfish, kingfish, dolphin, wahoo, tuna, barracuda, cobia, grouper, snapper, jacks and sharks.

striped marlin and sea lions feeding on sardines

Reef: means you’ll find schools of permit, amberjacks, snapper, grouper and mackerel inhabiting the coral structures, patch reefs and crevices. You’ll also find cobia, sharks, and barracuda.

Bridge: a perfect place for those who want to “‘wet a line” without a boat. Bridges along the Overseas Highway are noted fishing platforms, but a saltwater license is still required.

Party Boat: offers a more economical means of enjoying a day of fishing. Boats usually run multi-day or full-day trips.
school of barracudas forming a swirl shape

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