Fishing The Keys

[dims]

My wife and I are looking @ going down to the Keys (First time) and we want to mix in a little fishing on our trip ( I love this lady! :brow ). We're looking at late March-April for time frame and would like to do some bonefishing,permit, maybe tarpon flats fishing ( Me w/ flyrod and her w/ spinning gear) and some blue water fishing for bigger game. Looking for recommendations for times to go and guides. She fairly "green", but good enough to catch salmon & haibut in Alaska. Would like a guide good w/ a mix of fishing experienced people. We may base where we stay in the Keys on best fishing oppourtunities.


Appreciate the info.

dims

[flyinsalt]

You can't go wrong with Islamorada. It's near the center of the Keys and there are lots of guides there. Lots of good places to stay, too. Call Florida Keys Outfitters and they will set you up with a good guide.

[soundownsam]

Islamorada has good fishing,however, I would also look at Marathin or Key West. Islamorada bones have seen alot of flies in their lives and can be tricky. There are more options further south and the offshore and bottom fishing opportunities can be better further south.

Also it owul be a shame to spend time in teh Keys for the first time and not spend atleast 1 night in Key West.

Sam

[LandlockedinMI]

A little advice...

I've been going to the Middle Keys at that time of year for the last 15 years.

YOU NEED TO BE FLEXIBLE> Almost every guide will take you out to seek the big 3 of the flats but you need to seriously consider the weather.

In all that time, I've had 2 trips where the weather was very conducive for tarpon. We had 5 days of easy winds, 80 degree days and pure sunshine and as they say, the tarpon just poured onto the flats. You literally couldn't move the boat w/out running them over in the channels, flats and bridges.

BUT the vast majority of the time, it's blowing 15-20 and the water is a mess. And many cold fronts pushing through. Hideous for tarpon and bones. Makes the permit more comfy but even harder to see. But those conditions usually mean great offshore fishing.

I've fished Cap Ken HArris in Key West many times. He loves to fly fish but he fishes a 28' Contender (a Conch actually)- he'll not waste your time chasing fish that are not likely to cooperate. If you're going late MArch, there will likely be bkf tuna and sails off shore ( a blast), if tarpon are moving, you can hit em in KW harbor or backcountry channels.

If you must fly fish in KW, see if you can book Tom Pierce. If you can, you are lovin' life.

Grassy Key has a bunch of great under utilized flats and bridges. You can call HAwk's Caye MM61 (Marathon?) for fly guides (there's a guide there from Boston - w/ the wicked accent- whos' pretty good)

I'd stay clear of Islamorada unless you book a big name guide- but anyone you'd want to fish w/ out of there is probably already booked- or should be.

If you can fish further north, I'd drop Capt Bob Lemay a Pm here on this board. He is one of the best for fishing Flamingo and anywhere else he puts his boat in for that matter.

[SpexnReds]

If you plan to make it to Key West, I highly suggest using Capt. Tom Rowland as your guide-he and his buddy Capt. Rich Tudor (who fishes out of Islamorada) are THE tarpon authorities of the United States and some of the best guides you could ask for. You can catch them on TV on OLN's Saltwater Experience.

[LandlockedinMI]

If you plan to make it to Key West, I highly suggest using Capt. Tom Rowland as your guide-he and his buddy Capt. Rich Tudor (who fishes out of Islamorada) are THE tarpon authorities of the United States and some of the best guides you could ask for. You can catch them on TV on OLN's Saltwater Experience.

Second Rowland. Although there are a few guides twice Toms' age that'd argue the "tarpon Authority" tag....

[AlderBrookFarm]

It's been several years since I've gotten to fish the Keys but it was also the March/April timeframe. In Islamorada I would call Mark Bellefleur. In Marathon I fished with 2 guides. One was Diego...someone help me here cause I know we had discussion on him here...can't remember his last name. We also fished with a guide, Clayton "Cy" Eastlack. He was great as he had two boats, a flats boat and a Parker that he could go offshore with. With Mark and Cy we fished spin gear and flyrods at the same time as my now ex didn't like to fly fish. I fished alone with Diego and had a blast and am sure he would spin fish too.