The Florida Keys stretch some 100 miles out into the ocean and have oceans all around them and there’s fish everywhere. Keys such as Islamorada have built an enviable reputation for top class sport but Key West wins the prize as the top spot simply for the huge selection of species swimming around the island. Key West Fishing attracts anglers from around the world and for very good reasons.
With inshore tarpon fishing and sharks, reef fishing for snapper and grouper plus offshore fishing for sailfish, dolphin, kingfish, wahoo and countless other species, it’s a fisherman’s paradise. With such a variety of species and with water on all sides you’ll be hard pressed to find an excuse for a bad day’s fishing whatever the weather gods can throw at you.
You’ll find a number of offshore boats operating out of Key West, our primary interest is light tackle fishing. If you’re not a keen angler you’ll be asking what I’m talking about, so we’ll begin with a simple explanation. The offshore boats tend to be bigger with a greater degree of luxury such as air conditioned lounges and full bathrooms. They cruise around offshore towing a variety of baits behind the boat and when a fish hooks itself the designated fisher sits in the fighting chair to play the fish to the boat. A light tackle boat is somewhat smaller, being somewhere around 26 – 30 ft long, with no accomodation and an open deck. Typically powered by a pair of powerful outboard motors, they reach great speeds and are able to fish spots many miles from Key West. Each person on the boat is armed with a rod and reel, and when a bite is detected it is the angler’s job to hook and reel in the fish unaided. The offshore captains will normally operate in at least 200 ft of water whereas the light tackle boats are at home operating in water anything between 20 ft deep for tarpon around the harbour to 200 ft deep offshore whilst fishing for dolphin, wahoo or sailfish.
Now don’t get the wrong idea about light tackle fishing, it’s equally suited to expert or beginner. All of the captains are very helpful and they’ll all do their best to ensure that you have a great fishing experience, and hopefully a fish or two to have prepared at one of the local seafood restaurants. All of the boats have an excellent selection of fishing tackle for you to use if you don’t have your own gear. All you need to take with you for a great day’s fishing is food and drink, sunglasses, a hat and plenty of sunscreen.
Our next articles include a more detailed description of a day fishing for tarpon, tuna, sailfish or grouper, but for the time being we’d suggest that you to book a trip and catch some of our plentiful fish.
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