Islamorada isn’t known as the Sport Fishing Capital of the World accidentally -warm Gulf Stream waters bring in a wide variety of game fish toward the islands day in and day out, making the tropical islands known as the FL Keys an international hot spot for celebrated and hobby fishermen alike. Whether you enjoy trolling for the big fish or poling your flats boat in the beautiful backcountry flats, Islamorada has the catch of a lifetime you’ve been dreaming of.

More fishing tourneys are held in the Keys than anywhere else in the United States and provide a chance to talk with other hunters, test your techniques, and perhaps even seek some fame and fortune. There are ofttimes at least ten different contests going on from Key Largo to Key West each month, targeting anything from dolphin to tarpon. Some fishing tournaments are created for women or for children, and many benefit assorted charities.

Fla Keys flats guides will whisk a tourist to the most prize spots for tarpon, permit, and bonefish, all of which are fantastic for both releasing and eating. Offshore charters are the choicest method for big game fishermen to snatch marlin, mahi mahi, tuna, and sailfish. Several charters have overnight charters in vessels up to fifty^ with luxury creature comforts, like full kitchens. Reef fishing for grouper and snapper keeps you closer to dry land and almost guarantees you’ll eat well for dinner.

Getting Ready for Your Florida Keys Fishing Escapade

When deciding on a charter outfit, know whether you desire to fish with your own tackle or have it provided for you, and investigate the status of bait and live well capacities. Assess your fishing skill and experience levels and choose a captain accordingly, since you don’t want the captain just handing you a fishing rod and a mess of squid and taking off, or reviewing basics if you’re a person who^s been fishing for decades. Most captains will gladly manage a range of skill levels, but it’s best to be sure before going with a particular charter.

Don^t forget to bring protection from the sun and a camera so you can catch and release but still demonstrate your adventure tales when the vacation is over. Release everything you will not eat once you^re back home because over fishing nowadays will deplete the waters for future fishers. If you’re not consuming your fish, return it to the water as readily as possible; remember, the more quickly you might reel your catch in (the less time it spends struggling), the stronger it will be when returned to the ocean.

Tips & Tricks

Fishermen attempting to get dolphin need to get cracking at sunrise, go for around one hundred twenty feet of water, and follow diving birds or drifts of floating sea grasses. Making chum slicks helps attract small fish, and while you’ve got a jack or some other smaller fish on your hook, leave it in the water since the dolphin will be attracted to it. Dolphin traverse through areas speedily, so it helps to search for other vessels and constantly troll rather than plunking down on one spot.

Amberjacks put up a terrific fight and might take half a day for even an experienced guide to reel in. Look for large amberjacks at big wrecks in over a hundred feet of water, and young fish around the reefs in the winter. Use a leader of 18 to 25 feet and at least 50 lb. test, and get live bait if you can do it. Don’t slag on your fishing rod, or you’ll release it when they strike.

Experienced anglers say the most trusted way to hook a barracuda is with a tube lure in nearly 15 to twenty five feet of water, and to keep the tube moving or the fish will become untrusting and wary. While barracuda are a topnotch sport fish because they’ll put up a good fight, they’re by and large not cooked and eaten. Most of the larger fish (over 5 lbs.) have become toxic to people due to their diet of reef algae. Ciguatera poisoning is almost never deadly, but never desirable. Tiny barracuda can be sliced up into steaks and consumed.

The Florida Keys Lobster

The spiny lobster mini-season pulls lobster-lovers from all over the world, so you need to get your reservations and agenda early. These lobsters inhabit the waters from Brazil to Bermuda, though a mass of them comes to the Key West waters. Once you corner one, be sure your net or bag is in the right place before they vanish, because these crawfish get away by spurting backwards through the water. Bring your critter to most Keys area restaurants and they’ll prepare it for you, or order theirs and enjoy the taste without the labor. Fla Kets lobster are very similar in taste and texture to Maine lobster, only smaller. They’re nifty boiled, steamed, or grilled, and sold whole, as tails, and as meat in many fish markets.

The two-day Sport Lobster Season is held the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and ending Thursday at midnight. New dates are:

• July 27 - 28, 2005
• July 26 - 27, 2006
• July 25 - 26, 2007

During this period, there’s a ban on diving and snorkeling within 300 feet of marinas, canals, and private shorelines to halt harm done by fanatic lobster hunters. You^ll find bag limits, restricted areas, and dive gear specifications. For complete and current rules, please contact the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission at 850-488-4676 .

The commercial lobster season goes from August to March. Only commercial license holders may trap lobster & stone crabs, and Florida no longer sells commercial licenses. Existing licenses must be purchased from another angler.