Fishing the Florida Keys

Directory of Florida Fishing Guides and Charters

Florida Key Fishing Report brought to you by Captain Ann Holahan

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Imagine traveling through 400 islands of emerald waters stretching over 150 miles and watching dozens of exotic animals and plants. With only one of the only two living corals in North America, the reef in the Florida Keys supports a complex ecosystem of plants and animals including sponges, anemones, jellyfish, crabs, rays, sharks, turtles, snails, lobsters, and 1000 species of fish. Some of the most famous fishing takes place here. The hundreds of small, undeveloped islands that surround the main 30 islands are known as the “backcountry”. The Keys are divided into three different regions: Upper, Middle and Lower Keys. The Upper keys is the longest of the three regions stretching 18 miles from Florida City to the island of Key Largo. The Middle and Lower Keys start at Conch Key and end at Pigeon and are separated from the rest of the islands by the two longest bridges across the Overseas Highway, the 2.3 Long Bridge Key to the Seven Mile Bridge known as the “longest fishing bridge in the world”.

Charter Fishing

TarponBone Ranger Fishing Guide Company Big game fish such as marlin, sailfish, and tuna live in these waters. You can also reef fish for snapper and grouper or backcountry fish for bonefish, tarpon, and other “stalking” fish. The Upper Keys boasts their region to be the sport fishing and diving capital of the world with trophy size marlin, wahoo, and kingfish. Bill Fish: Blue marlin, longbill spearfish, sailfish, and white marlin. Blue Marlin: These are the largest of the Atlantic Marlins known to exceed over 2,000 lbs. 980 lbs is Florida’s state record. White Marlin: Often reaching 8 feet, these offshore fish can get up to 161 lbs. Longbill Spearfish: This species is the smallest of the billfish and rarely lives past 4 or 5 years. Florida’s record is 61 lbs. Sailfish: As Florida’s state salt water fish, the sailfish can be found wherever there is warm water, particularly the southern region of Florida—Miami, Ft Pierce, and the Keys—during the winter months. A typical size is 7’ and 27 pounds with Florida’s record at 116 lbs. Sailfish can reach up to speeds of 60 mph! A female sailfish will release several million eggs each year, with a fertilized egg hatching in a day and a half. Their life span is generally 3 to 4 years. Bonefish: Mainly inshore fish inhabiting the shallows of the Florida Keys. Typically they run 3 to 5 pounds. Tarpon: Also known as the silver king, tarpon can reach up to 8 feet, weigh up to 280 pounds, and live to be 50 years old.

Climate

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