Islamorada tarpon fishing is best done in the morning or at dusk, both times when these large fish love to eat.  Your guide will anchor up in a sweet spot where the tarpon are known to channel themselves through a narrow spot on their way to and from eating grounds.  He or she will use a quick release anchor, which means you’ll be able to quickly free the boat from the anchor by just unclipping.  Having to pull up the anchor while an tarpon is hooked is no fun and it wastes time.

Your guide will then drive the boat with you as you perch on the front of the boat and try to reel in the monster whenever he takes a rest.  This is an essential part of Islamorada tarpon fishing, since these fish are so strong it’s difficult to just straight haul them in.  They’ll strip your reel before you get a chance to say “jack rabbit”.

Hooking a bonefish while floating in skinny water where you can actually see the bite is an incredible feeling, and then when he starts fighting you’ll know why anglers come back to this area of the Florida Keys year after year for Islamorada flats fishing - it’s addictive!

Guides know how to get you to the right spots so you can hook tarpon, bonefish, permit, snook, and sharks up on the flats around Islamorada.  Their vast knowledge of the sport will be much appreciated by you and your friends as you learn invaluable tips and technique from the experts.  Come back next year and you’ll soon feel you’re  fishing with an old buddy.

Lots of Islamorada hotels feature flats fishing charters from their private docks, which makes your heavenly day on the water so much more hassle free.  Imagine a full day of fishing the flats, followed by a ride “home” to your cottage on the water where you can grill up dinner immediately.  Now that’s a vacation!

Other productive places in the Florida for fishing would be Key Largo and Key West. Both have access to wide variety of fisheries. Flats fishing in the Marquesas can be incredible so keep that in mind when researching fishing in Key West

There are around one hundred Islamorada fishing charter boats in Islamorada, a city of just over 6,300.  That’s a lot of opportunities!  The three main marinas are Holiday Isle, Whale Harbor and Bud ‘n Mary’s, all on the ocean side and easily visible from the Overseas Highway.  Most of the Islamorada fishing charter boats go out of one of these three marinas.

If you’re into back country fishing, you’ll be interested to know that some Islamorada fishing charters can take you to Flamingo.  Flamingo is actually on mainland Florida, in Everglades National Park.  It’s remote, found at the southwestern corner of the tip of the mainland, and more easily accessible by boat than by car.  Here’s where you’ll get some seriously great action fishing the back country.  It only takes 45 minutes to get to Flamingo from Islamorada by boat.

Like in the world of real estate, it’s all about the location, location, location.  Islamorada, City of Islands, is perfectly situated in the Florida Keys between Florida Bay and the Straits of Florida.  The Straits are the Atlantic Ocean with the coral reef that makes Florida Keys fishing, diving, and snorkeling so exciting.  Florida Bay is the tail end of the Florida Everglades, one of the richest marine environments in the world.  Fish come from Florida Bay, which acts like an extensive breeding ground and nursery for fish and other marine life.  They travel down through the Keys and out to the ocean, making lots of fish traffic through Islamorada.

As you travel up the Keys from Islamorada, you are traveling further away from Florida Bay, which is why Islamorada fishing remains special among the Florida Keys as prime fishing grounds.  It’s closer to all that biomass from the Everglades, and just as close to the reef on the ocean side.  It’s the best of both worlds!