If fishing for big fish with light tackle is your game, then Key Largo is the place to be from April to the end of June. That’s when the Tarpon migration is on and the fishing can be hot and heavy. These fish, also known as the “Silver King”, can be found moving back and forth through the creeks and inlets connecting Florida Bay to the Atlantic Ocean. Fishing the creeks with live bait is a very popular method and produces some huge fish well over 100 pounds. Sight fishing on the clear ocean side flats can be very rewarding too. Standing on the bow of a boat with a light spinning rod or a fly rod in hand and watching a school of big Tarpon swim within casting range will make any angler’s heart race. Be sure to take your vitamins as a battle with the Silver King can easily last an hour or more.

Snook fishing around Key Largo and the Upper Keys can be some of the best that you will ever find. These highly sought after prizefighters are plentiful in eastern Florida Bay and the Flamingo area. Snook can be found along mangrove shorelines, on the shallow areas referred to as “flats”, and in the deeper creeks and channels. There are many different techniques used when Snook fishing, some of which are casting plugs and live baits to shorelines, throwing soft plastic jerk baits and spoons on the flats, and using a jig and live bait combination in the creeks and channels. Snook can also be taken on a variety of fly patterns.

Fishing for Redfish in the Florida Keys is mainly done in shallow water. The flats and shorelines from Key Largo to Flamingo and beyond are ideal for holding small bait fish and crustaceans  that Redfish feed on. When looking for food, these beautiful copper colored fish can be seen making wakes in the water. A Redfish’s mouth is positioned down so it normally feeds on the bottom. When actively feeding, you can spot their tails sticking out of the water ( called tailing ). Casting to tailing fish is one of the most exciting ways to catch a Redfish. When they see your offering, whether it be a live shrimp, soft plastic bait, or a fly, they will attack it with a vengeance. Fighting a Redfish is like going toe to toe with a heavyweight boxer. They will slug it out with you all the way to the boat.

People from all over the world travel to the Key Largo/Islamorada area to try their luck and skill at fishing for the elusive Bonefish. Also known as the “Grey Ghost” or the “Ghost of the flats”, the Bonefish in a nutshell is a rocket with fins. Just hook up to one and you will understand. There are many different techniques used to capture Bonefish. One of the oldest is to position your boat on a flat where there is good water flow and anchor up or stake out, toss out a few lines with live shrimp on the hook, and wait. Throwing out a few broken up pieces of shrimp never hurts either. This has been a very effective method and is still practiced to this day. The most popular method is to sight fish for them. Bonefish can be spotted cruising the ocean side flats in search of tasty little morsels to eat. They will “tail” when feeding which makes them a little easier to find. It is hard to beat the feeling you get after stalking your prey, making the correct presentation of a bait or fly, and watching it eat your offering. When that happens, the chase is on. A Bonefish can peel off close to a hundred yards of line in the blink of an eye. More times than not your guide has to pole after the fish just to keep line on your reel. It is a very celebrated fish and one that weighs in the double digits will get you your share of high fives back at the dock.