You’ve Gotta Try This: Offshore Fishing Adventure in the Florida Keys

Terry Gibson

Probably the toughest aspects of fishing in the Florida Keys is figuring out what you want to target and where. The area provides so many diverse and unforgettable fishing experiences, and grooms some of the world’s best backcountry guides and charter boat captains. Let’s consider the setup.

Marathon and its sister islands emerge from the Atlantic Ocean to the west of the Florida Coral Reef Tract, a 300-mile reef that runs from the Dry Tortugas southwest of Key West to the St. Lucie Inlet, in Stuart. Most of the reef is managed by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the jurisdiction of which ends where the waters off Key Largo and the mainland meet.

The Gulf Stream current flows vigorously northward along the reef’s eastern edge, carrying larvae released by spawning fish, corals, and other invertebrates upstream to nursery habitats including shallow reefs and seagrass meadows. It also serves as a migration route for pelagic (open ocean) and coastal pelagic (nearer shore) species. The pelagics include marlin, swordfish, and mahi mahi; the coastal pelagics include blackfin tuna, three species of mackerel, and prized sailfish, among others.

Though the Florida Reef Tract is a relatively linear north/south-oriented series of structures, deeper features, like the famous Marathon Hump, rise out of very deep water – more than 1,000 feet in the case of “the Hump.”

Shallower reefs as well as “patch reefs” inside the reef tract offer amazing fishing action for diverse species in clear, calm, and shallow water.

Fishing from and around bridges, including the legendary Seven Mile Bridge, can be as exciting or as relaxing as you prefer.

The Gulf side of the islands produces a lot more than amazing sunsets. Fly fishermen and light-tackle anglers focus on the network of shallow flats for resident species including permit and bonefish, and for tarpon especially during the spring migration. The Gulf side also offers great fishing around ledges and the many wrecks these complex shallows caused through the years.

What to Expect

--Fishing memories that last a lifetime

--Encounters with more species than you can shake a rod at

What to Bring

--Sunscreen

--Foul weather gear (just in case)

--Hats

--Polarized sunglasses

--Your own custom fishing gear if you choose to bring it

--Saltwater fishing licenses unless fishing with a licensed captain

--An appetite for fresh-caught seafood

Planner

Miami International Airport is about two hours and fifteen minutes (110 miles) from Marathon. There are jumper flights from Miami to the Marathon Airport, and car rental agencies at the Marathon Airport. It’s best to book a place to stay and a car in advance.

The Monroe County Tourism Development Council offers extensive lists of places to stay, restaurants, and charter services, as well as information about other activities.

Seasons

Northerners accuse Florida of lacking seasons, but we measure them differently here, by the arrival of migratory fish species that mix in with local populations. When planning a fishing trip to Marathon, it pays to show up when your preferred target species is most abundant.

Winter: December through early March

Best Bet: Offshore

Though it seems like more and more sailfish remain off southern Florida for most of the year, winter is primetime for the migratory sailfish to feed on baitfish balls, typically east of the reef. Charter captains use light tackle to target these acrobatic billfish, and very often an angler gets to see these fish literally light up in vibrant purple and bronze colors as they get excited about a bait. Fighting a sailfish is one of angling’s most frenetic experiences. Once hooked, sailfish invariable jump and “tail walk” repeatedly across the surface, running circles around the boat. Most sailfishing expeditions also result in catches of delicious mahi mahi (called “dolphin” locally), king mackerel, and smaller tunas.

Best Bet: Inshore

Warm, calm winter days can produce excellent fly- and light-tackle sight fishing for “flats” species, including bonefish and permit, as well as snook and red drum. There are always a few “resident” tarpon around, too. But anglers willing to get creative will get in on fast-paced action for several species of hard-fighting jacks, barracuda, and tasty snappers, among many other fun, fascinating fish species. Flies, plugs, jigs, and natural baits are all part of that inshore quiver. This sort of “potluck” fishing in calm conditions is a great way to get kids hooked on the sport.

Spring: Mid-March through early June

Best Bet: Offshore

The spring migrations of billfishes, tunas, mahi and more draw anglers from the world over to Marathon. Blue marlin, white marlin, and yellowfin tuna are prime targets for big game afficionados, and the year’s biggest mahi mahi tend to land in the ice box. Wahoo, the world’s uber mackerel, attack trolled lures and baits. Nothing dumps line off a reel as fast as on one of those delicious speedsters, which can grow larger than 100lbs (50kgs). Plenty of sailfish remain in the area, along with king mackerel. The smaller, tasty blackfin and skipjack tunas can also be plentiful.

Best Bets: Inshore

It’s tarpon time! By mid-March the “Silver Kings” arrive in droves. But strong numbers don’t guarantee success. The tarpon is one of the smartest and most selective of sea creatures. Fly anglers challenge their casting abilities by sight-fishing for tarpon on the shallow flats. The presentation of the fly must be near perfect to get a bite, and these powerful, acrobatic fish will test any angler’s stamina. Many tarpon veterans target them around the bridges with live bait – in fact the Seven Mile Bridge is offers channel after channel of great tarpon spots.

Spring also produces some of the year’s best fishing for permit, a cunning species of jack that spends much of its life feeding on shallow flats where fly and light-tackle anglers sight-fish for them. Crab patterns and live crabs are the offerings of choice, which bonefish, also a great springtime target species, will inhale.

Summer: Mid-June through August

Best Bet: Offshore

“Yellowtailing” is a time-honored tradition and arguably the best family fishing experience in the Keys. The fishing takes place on offshore reefs and around patch reefs, where plenty of other species attend the frenzy. They include gray (mangrove) snappers, Cero and Spanish mackerel, and several jack species, plus colorful grunts and the occasional grouper. The groupers and jacks will pull your arm off. Almost all of them make a spectacular family dinner.

Yellowtail snappers grow to about 10 pounds of deliciousness. Their fusiform (bullet) shape allows the speedsters to pull drag like a jack or a mackerel. Their appetites allow them to be chummed to the surface where anglers can feet them bits of cut bait or minnows on a carefully concealed jighead or hook. The action often lasts until your limits are caught. Many local restaurants are more than happy to cook your catch. Get the mates to teach your kids how to clean the fish. It’s a very important life lesson.

Best Bet: Inshore

Bonefish, permit, and tarpon remain targets on the flats. However, the action on shallow wrecks in the Gulf is tough to beat. Coastal pelagic species including prized cobia, three species of mackerel, every snapper species found in shallow water, plus grouper of all sizes will bend rods and backs. This experience is also great for kids. The run isn’t too far, the water is typically calm, and you never know what will bite next. Some truly giant fish inhabit those wrecks.

Fall: September through November

Best Bet: Offshore

The fall migration of pelagic and coastal pelagic species gets underway by mid-September. The days and nights before and following the full moons offer the best chances of the year for anglers to land a giant swordfish in the Straights of Florida. Daytime swordfishing involves dropping a bait to the bottom in more than 1,000 feet. The rods and reels are giant, both to hold enough line and to fight what is probably the most powerful of all billfish. It can take hours to land one. You’ll be sore for a week, but you’ll never forget that fish, especially if you choose to mount it.

Fishing at night for swords involves dangling baits at precise levels of the water column, above and below thermoclines—dramatic temperature changes—and other transitions that show up on the depth finder. It’s amazing how much mayhem operating in the dark can cause, especially when one or more swords takes a bait. At night, the ocean can seem so serene, until hundreds of pounds of swashbuckling swordfish run amuck through the elaborate spread of baits.

Best Bet: Inshore

In October and November, bonefish, the “gray ghosts” of the flats, gather in large schools called “aggregations” before heading offshore. These schools are full of big, mature fish, and they tend to be slightly less wary probably because they need to eat before expending a lot of energy swimming offshore and spawning. During the fall, it’s harder to score days with light winds, but the opportunities to catch truly giant bonefish do come along.

Fall also brings the return of Spanish, Cero and king mackerel, which are targeted around reefs on the Gulf and Atlantic sides. The Gulf side is typically calmer unless you’re fishing patch reefs inside the main reef. It’s action-packed fishing where you’re likely to catch a great many species in addition to those mackerels.

Sidebar: Diving for Spiny Lobsters

Marathon is a popular destination for divers, especially during lobster mini-season and during the main season. Mini-season is always on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July. The regular season is August 6 through March 31. Chasing after lobsters is like an underwater Easter egg hunt, only sweeter if you’re successful. The reefs surrounding Marathon allow SCUBA divers of all experience levels to participate, and there are plenty of places where you can score some “bugs” with a mask, snorkel, and fins. If you aren’t SCUBA certified, there are few better places to become a proficient diver than Marathon. Diving will profoundly change and enhance your perception of the undersea world.