Fishing Hole Report

The Florida Keys stretch some 100 miles out into the ocean and have oceans all around them and fish galore. Several of the Keys have built an enviable reputation for world-class sport but for many years now Key West has held the reputation of being simply the best sport fishing location in North America because of the huge selection of species swimming around the island. Florida Keys 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 the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, there’s no excuse for having a poor day’s fishing whatever the weather conditions.

You’ll find a number of offshore boats operating out of Key West, our first love is light tackle fishing. If you’re not a keen angler you’ll be asking what we are referring to, so we’ll begin with a simple explanation. An offshore boat is larger with a more luxurious setup which might include a large air conditioned lounge and full bathrooms. They motor around the ocean towing a number of lures behind the boat and once a fish hooks itself the designated fisher sits in a fighting chair to play the fish to the boat. A light tackle boat is somewhat smaller, being somewhere around 26 – 30 ft long, with an open deck and no creature comforts such as bunks or saloons. Typically powered by twin outboards, 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 fish bites it is the angler’s job to hook and reel in the fish unaided. The offshore captains will normally fish in water at least 200 feet deep whereas the light tackle boats are at home operating in water anything between 20 ft deep for sharks around the harbour to two or three hundred feet deep offshore whilst fishing for dolphin, wahoo or sailfish.

You don’t have to be an experienced angler to go out on a light tackle boat, the captains enjoy nothing better than seeing somebody catch their very first fish. All of the skippers are very helpful and they will do their very best to ensure that you have a great day’s fishing, and hopefully a fish or two to take home with you or 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 sunscreen, sunglasses a hat and your food and drink for the day.

Our next articles will describe in greater detail a day fishing for sailfish, tuna, grouper or tarpon, but for the time being we’d suggest that you to get out there and catch some of our plentiful fish.

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