The Florida Keys, that magical part of the USA that’s nearer to Cuba than the US mainland has water all around them and there’s fish everywhere. 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 vast selection of species swimming around the island. Fishing in the Florida Keys attracts fishermen from around the world and for very good reasons.

The inshore fishing around Key West includes fishing for tarpon, permit or sharks, the reef offers snapper and grouper and offshore there’s a whole host of species including dolphin, sailfish, wahoo, kingfish, tuna and cobia. With such a variety of species and with water on all sides you’ll be hard pressed to find an excuse for a bad day’s fishing whatever the weather gods can throw at you.

Although there are a number of offshore boats working out of Key West, our primary interest is light tackle fishing. If you’re not a keen angler you’ll be asking what we are referring to, so let’s start with a simple explanation. The offshore boats tend to be bigger with a greater degree of luxury such as air conditioned lounges and full bathrooms. They motor around the ocean towing a number of lures behind the boat and when a fish hooks itself the lucky angler sits in a fighting chair to play the fish to the boat. A light tackle boat is quite a bit smaller, being somewhere around 26 – 30 ft long, with an open deck and no creature comforts such as bunks or saloons. Normally powered by a pair of powerful outboard motors, 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 bite is detected it is the angler’s job to hook and reel in the fish unaided. The offshore boats tend to fish in water at least 200 feet deep whereas the light tackle boats are at home fishing anything between 20 ft deep for sharks in the harbour to two or three hundred feet deep offshore whilst fishing for dolphin, wahoo or sailfish.

Please don’t get the wrong impression of light tackle fishing, it’s equally suitable for beginner or expert. All of the captains are very helpful and they’ll all do their best to make sure that you have a great day’s fishing, and maybe a fish or two to have prepared at one of the local seafood restaurants. All of the light tackle boats have an excellent selection of top quality tackle for you to use if you don’t have your own gear. All that’s required from you for a great day on the water is food and drink, sunglasses, a hat and plenty of sunscreen.

Planned future articles include a more detailed description of a day fishing for tarpon, tuna, sailfish or grouper, but for the time being we’d urge you to book a trip and catch some of our wonderful fish.