A permit swimming on a flat shallow enough to expose its black scythe-like tail certainly doesn’t seem “jack-like dumb” to fly fishers who suffer through countless fly presentations without a payoff. The most jaded fly fishers personify them, and call them [bleeping] dishonest, compared to tarpon, and maybe, bonefish. But a bait fisher who strictly plies offshore wrecks for permit loves that they act like jacks, more times than not. And yes, they are the same fish — revered wherever they’re pursued and caught.

Though far fewer Florida and visiting anglers target permit than they do tarpon, bones, redfish and others, the fish’s popularity is growing, as is the concern for their numbers and habitat. For starters this premier gamefish, released as an unwritten rule by flats anglers, is also a decent food fish, so a number do end up in the fish box. Or, unfortunately, the jaws of sharks.

The Project Goal

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) researchers want to know more about the permit’s life cycle, its migratory habits, spawning activities and the threats to its habitat and very existence. The innovative project was launched in 2011. At the time, the Lower Keys Guides Association and BTT voiced concerns to the Florida Fish & Wildife Conservation Commission (FWC) regarding declining numbers of permit on the flats. Their suspicion was that overfishing of permit spawning aggregations, such as those at Gulf and nearshore wrecks, was the likely culprit.

There was little hard data at that time to support the groups’ claims, and FWC made it clear that data had to be provided in the future if the commission was expected to take the issue to the public. That was the impetus to ramp up Project Permit.

Dr. Ross Boucek, BTT Florida Keys Initiative Manager, says permit were an especially “poor data species” when Project Permit was launched in 2011, incidentally, the same year that the FWC established the Special Permit Zone (SPZ) which includes Florida state and adjacent federal waters south of a line running due east from Cape Florida in the Atlantic, the waters of south Biscayne Bay, and south of a line near Cape Sable running due west through federal waters.

“Within the established Special Permit Zone, commercial take is prohibited,” said Boucek. “And adjacent to the SPZ we have the Pompano Endorsement Zone, sharing a boundary with the SPZ. So there is allowance for gillnetters that hold a pompano endorsement license to take an unlimited number of pompano.” The two species frequent the same waters there, so the state allows an incidental bycatch of up to 100 legal-size permit. Unfortunately, this commercial harvest exists very close to the permit spawning grounds.

“We closely monitor long-term trends,” said Boucek. “I feel the commercial bycatch numbers are
sustainable, especially in the SPZ bordering the pompano endorsement zone. But on the Gulf
wrecks that attract permit aggregations we did some sentinel studies that revealed a concerning
number of hooked permit are eaten by sharks, which is a problem in other Florida fisheries.”

Permit Travels

Can permit be considered homebodies?

When asked about the possibility that permit travel from the Lower Keys as far north as Florida’s Atlantic Treasure Coast beaches or the Indian River Lagoon, where anglers catch them mixed in with pompano, Boucek said that’s not at all likely.

“First of all, the mixing in with pompano in that region is a big information gap,” said Boucek. “But we are very sure that permit we catch and tag here in SPZ waters of the Lower Keys do not make the jump north across the SPZ boundary in South Biscayne Bay. We have tracked thousands of acoustically tagged fish to prove that. These fish are not as migratory as tarpon,” said Boucek.

“A prime example of restricted migratory behavior is a permit that I and colleagues from Canada tagged nearly 5 years ago in the Lower Keys. We used both an acoustic transmitter and an external dart tag on that fish, the dart being the external type of tag our fishing guide volunteers use. Three years after the tagging, Keys guides Nathaniel Linville and John O’Hearn caught that fish only 100 feet from where we originally tagged it! Granted, it did move around the region quite a bit in those years, but it never left the general region.”

A Downward Permit Trend

Besides hard science data derived from tagging, Boucek credits detailed anecdotal information, provided by anglers and experienced permit guides, with helping BTT better understand the fish’s habits.

“Capt. Pat Bracher, out of Cudjoe Key, keeps the most meticulous catch records I’ve seen which he has shared with us. In fact his notes on declining barracuda catches provided Florida fishery managers with evidence compelling enough to tighten barracuda harvest regulations,” said Boucek. “Bracher prides himself on getting his flats clients a Grand Slam. And he has literally thousands of them to his credit. His fishing trip journal, which he shared with BTT shows an unmistakable downward trend for permit around Key West, which started in the early to middle 2000s. The trend became apparent in the Lower Keys a bit more recently.”

Threats to Permit Numbers

Other than allowances for some commercial harvest, it’s become apparent that recreational harvest puts a dent in the permit stocks as well. Among light-tackle and fly anglers who enjoy sight fishing the flats for them, release mortality is low. Education and improved catch-and-release techniques, including minimal time out of the water, has helped immensely.

Ross Boucek hopes that anglers of all persuasions better appreciate the permit for its fighting ability, even on nearshore wrecks.

“We get the fact that this species is a legal fish for the table, but we think there is excitement to catching a big permit over a wreck, and satisfaction in releasing them. If the angler’s ultimate goal is to kill a fish for the table, that’s fine too,” said Boucek.

On the subject of shark depredation, Bouchek cited BTT’s studies of that situation on a few sentinel wrecks in the Gulf and some sentinel spawning sites on the Atlantic side of the Keys that hold flats permit.

“We found that about 35 percent of hooked permit are killed by sharks on Western Dry Rocks, out of Key West, and that has been a consistent number before and even after the closure period (April 1 through July 31),” said Boucek.

And the numbers are even greater (up to 80 percent of hooked permit killed) on some Keys Gulf wrecks and those in Florida Bay just outside the Everglades National Park boundary. The BTT feels these are not sustainable numbers. In light of these troubling numbers, which are anecdotal according to BTT, researchers are not sure whether anglers after permit (or snapper species) are changing their behavior by avoiding “sharky” wrecks or not.

The post Solving the Permit Puzzle appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Admittedly, Capt. Brandon Storin first considered it an annoyance, but he soon realized that he had dialed in a cool Florida Keys fishery that goes largely unnoticed.

“During the time when we catch bridge tarpon in spring, sometimes we’d run into some bycatch of cubera snapper,” Storin said. “I think they’re chummed up because of all the people tarpon fishing; there’s a lot of scent in the water. It’s mostly just the scent of the baits. Some people chum for tarpon (with cut bait), but I don’t because it brings too many unwanted species like nurse sharks.”

Considered the most brutal of the snapper clan, the hard-fighting cubera is a straight-up string stretcher. As Storin notes, these aren’t the giant spawners that anglers catch at night over deep-water reefs with legal-size lobster as bait, but the 15- to 20-pounders common at Keys bridges will still give you all the fight you want.

How to Target Cubera Snapper in the Florida Keys

If you’re game to actually target these cuberas near the bridges, Storin offers a few tips.

When: April-May is prime time, but the small to midsize cuberas hang around the bridges throughout much of the year. Colder weather will slow the bite when big winds muddy the water; during these conditions don’t waste your time.

Storin said he’s caught cuberas on incoming and outgoing water, but the fish seem most aggressive at the change of the tide. The fish can feed much easier during slower water compared to when the tide is screaming — ideal conditions are when that heavy bridge current slacks up and starts moving again.

“They’re definitely more nocturnal, so the night action is great, but also, the first and last hour of the day can be good,” Storin said. “If you’re fishing for them during the day, I’d bet that you wouldn’t run into many of them during the full moon.”

Where: Storin does most of his tarpon guiding around Islamorada’s Channel 2 and Channel 5 bridges, and the Long Key area. Most of Florida Keys’ major bridges will attract cuberas.

How: Based on his tarpon fishing thefts, Storin can attest that cubera snapper like a big deboned mullet on a fish-finder rig or pinfish drifted near pilings. If he’s targeting cubera specifically, Storin would fish a smaller deboned mullet or a live pinfish on the bottom.

“I’d definitely fish the baits close to the pilings and close to the bottom,” Storin said. “You’ll want to make an upcurrent presentation so the scent will come down to where the cuberas are.”

Tackle: A 7-foot medium-heavy spinning rod with a 6500 series reel carrying 65-pound braid will handle most bridge cuberas, along with the abundant mutton snapper. Storin uses 60-pound fluorocarbon leader for tarpon, but he’ll drop to 40 for the wary snapper.

Cubers Snapper Fishing Tips

Land-Based: For anglers perched on Keys fishing platforms like the popular pedestrian-friendly Channel 2 and Channel 5 structures, a chum bag and a jumbo live shrimp can make big things happen.

What to Expect: Storin says bait size will determine how long an angler should wait to set the hook. A hefty meal might require a little chomping, but these fish are super aggressive, so they’ll snatch up a smaller offering and try to yank the rod out of your hand.

“If you feel them picking it up and turning the bait in their mouth, give them a few seconds,” Storin said, “but once they get a good bite, they’ll run hard. If you feel them batting at it, open the bail open to let them get it. I use the Owner Mutu circle hooks, so once they get the bait, I just let them come tight. Then you just have to (tighten) the drag and handle that run.”

The post Florida Keys Bridge Monsters appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Key West is a destination that bills itself as close to perfect but far from normal. Its seascape rivals any exotic locale around the world. Key West is the main attraction of the Florida Keys and is home to more than two dozen species, holding a variety of international game fish world records. From blue marlin, to tuna, to red snapper, the fishing is endless offshore. On the flats, you can find the trifecta of tarpon, bonefish, and permit. From spring to summer, many species spawn in the area and are easy to catch. The IGFA has been putting in work to protect the western dry rocks from over-fishing. Bruce Pohlot explains IGFA’s role of closing off the area to conserve and sustain the fishery with the help of other environmentalists. As time goes on, they hope to see more of the species spawn across the east coast of Florida.

The post Protect the Blue: Faces of Conservation in the Florida Keys – Key West appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

You can’t write the history book on fishing without Islamorada. The sport fishing capital of the world is in the birth place of saltwater fly fishing. Islamorada has an abundance of fishing at an arm’s length. The fishery can only sustain itself if fish are caught and released properly. Andy Danylchuk, a scientific advisor at Keep Fish Wet, works towards creating better outcomes for each fish that anglers release. Keep Fish Wet takes it one step further to provide a series of principles and tips that are based on science. The three core principles are: minimize air exposure, eliminate contact with dry and rough surfaces, and reduce handling time. Anglers have the opportunity to put conservation into action each time they plan to release a fish.

The post Protect the Blue: Faces of Conservation in the Florida Keys – Islamorada appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Stretching for more than 120 miles southwest from just below Miami is a string of 800 islands known as the Florida Keys, a coral archipelago that’s the only living-coral barrier reef in the United States. Certainly, for fishermen in the U.S., there’s no other place like the Keys in terms of its diversity of habitats and game fish, and a long- and well-established infrastructure to make anglers’ dreams come true.

As one drives south, you’ll see names familiar to serious anglers: Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Sugarloaf and the Lower Keys, and finally at road’s end, Key West itself. Key West is also the jumping-off point for the Dry Tortugas and the Marquesas Islands.

The Keys has something for just about every angler’s preference — seemingly unending clear flats, the productive waters of vast Florida Bay and adjacent Everglades, miles and miles of fish-attracting bridges, the lush coral reef itself and, just beyond, the promise of blue waters that kiss the western edge of the Gulf Stream.

The list of game fish that anglers hook in the Keys is far too extensive to include here. You can figure that any species inhabiting tropical and warm-temperate waters will be found in the Keys. High on the list of many enthusiasts are the “big three” of the flats.

1. That means tarpon — of 14 IGFA tippet-class world records for tarpon around the globe, 10 were set in the Keys/Florida Bay.
2. That means permit — of 18 line-class world records for permit, 12 came from the Keys, and of 13 tippet-class fly-rod records, 12 were caught in the Keys.
3. These waters similarly dominate for bonefish records. An iconic sight here is the guide standing on a poling platform, pushing a skiff with a long fiberglass pole, as an angler stands ready at the bow.

Of course, the Keys is much more than flats fishing, with opportunities to troll, fish live baits on the drift or from kites just off the reef. There, you can expect sailfish, mahi, wahoo, blackfin tuna and more. And speaking of blackfin, at least half the IGFA world records for line and tippet classes are from the Florida Keys.

Planning a Trip

When to Go: For the Keys, truly anytime you can go is a good time when it comes to fishing. Sure, some seasons/times are better for some species than others, but you’ll find great opportunities every month of the year.

That said, in planning a trip, you might want to consider weather and the numbers of fellow visitors likely to be on hand. Drier and breezier weather is the norm during the primary tourist season, during winter and spring, when the Keys are busy with visitors, at best, and overrun, at worst. Things will take longer and cost more. But of course, it will be warm — particularly when compared with winter up north.

On the other hand, waiting until summer and early fall when crowds have dispersed promises lower prices and a more relaxed ambience. With weather, on the plus side, it’s generally and often delightfully flat calm. However, expect things to really heat up by afternoon, when anglers also frequently must dodge squalls that build up. Then there’s the 800-pound gorilla that might show up anytime June through October: hurricanes.

Where to Go and How to Get There: Miami International is the closest major airport; if you can avoid horrendous traffic, you can be in the Keys in a rental car in less than two hours. Alternatively, fly directly into Key West’s international airport. Of course, many folks enjoy the unique drive over 42 bridges on U.S. 1, the Overseas Highway — as long as they’re not in a rush (especially on weekends in high season). Figure three hours or so from the northern end of the route to Key West. As far as hotels, resorts and — for those trailering boats — marinas, there are too many to count. If planning to visit in winter or spring, book many months ahead; much less lead time is required in summer.

What to Expect: If fishing on guided trips, tackle isn’t required. Generally Keys guides have plenty of gear — the right gear and usually good quality. That said, anglers who want to bring their favorite outfits should find plenty of use. As noted, whether you prefer fishing flats, backcountry, reefs or blue water, you can fulfill your desires any time of year. Ditto fishing day or night. Night fishing around bridges is a productive bet for snook and tarpon.

Besides fishing, the main attraction in the Keys would be diving. For some that means spearfishing; for others, it’s observation; and in season, in a big way, it’s “bugs” — gathering lobsters. The Keys also offers lots of fests and festivals, particularly the Bohemian, irreverent Key West with its annual Hemingway Days and Fantasy Fest.

As with many coral reefs globally, the Keys’ coral has had issues in some areas. Accordingly, a number of agencies are involved in reef protection and restoration, such as the Coral Restoration Foundation and Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota which has received a $7 million grant from NOAA for Florida reef restoration.

Helpful Links

• The Florida Keys and Key West
• George Poveromo’s World of Saltwater Fishing
• National Marine Sanctuary
• Fishing regulations

The post The Florida Keys Are Sportfishing Paradise appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

On kites, color changes, drop-back baits trolled and pitch baits over the reef, sailfish present some highly technical catch scenarios. Those fish beguile us, dazzle us, and make us feel fortunate to catch them on their swift migrations. Drape a sailfish across an angler’s lap for a picture though, and that fish loses a lot of its magic. Turns out that removing a sailfish from the water for a pic, or for any reason other than to keep the fish, is not only awkward looking, but also prohibited by federal regulations.

Don’t Remove Sailfish from Federal Waters

That’s right. While it’s legal to keep a sailfish if it measures 63 inches (lower jaw fork length) and the angler has all the necessary licenses and permits, it’s not legal in federal waters to remove a sailfish from the water if it’s meant to be released. It’s a violation of the Highly Migratory Species (HMS) regulations. The specific HMS regulation (50 CFR 635.21 (a) (2)) states: “If a billfish is caught by a hook and not retained, the fish must be released by cutting the line near the hook or by using a dehooking device, in either case without removing the fish from the water.”

Those regulations apply to anglers aboard vessels with an HMS Angling Permit, whether they fish in federal or state waters, and to fish for sailfish and other HMS species in federal waters, that permit is required. For anglers in state waters without an HMS permit, it’s up to the state whether they want to enforce the same regulations.

Can Anglers in Florida Bring a Sailfish into the Boat?

In the case of Florida, where many sailfish are caught in state waters, even from piers, Emily Abellera of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says, “Specifically for sailfish, temporary removal of sailfish from state waters would be allowed unless fishing aboard a vessel that has an HMS Angling Permit. In short, the restriction for temporary removal only applies in federal waters or anywhere if the vessel carries a federal HMS angling permit.”

“If you are an HMS permit holder,” affirms Cliff Hutt, a Fisheries Specialist with Atlantic HMS at NOAA Fisheries, “removing Highly Migratory Species from the water before release can result in a fine, but as with many violations first time offenders may also just get a warning or ‘compliance assistance’ as we like to call it.” On the books, the fine for the first infraction of the regulation is $500 and it increases with each infraction.

What Studies Show About Billfish Survival

These regulations intend to ensure the healthiest releases and the best survival chances for all the HMS species they cover. There is good research and evidence to back them up. A landmark study by Dr. John Graves of the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences in 2016 showed the crucial nature of the release to billfish survivability. Hutt, of NOAA, says, “This study involved white marlin, which are very similar to sailfish. He [Graves] found post-release mortality (PRM) increased substantially for fish that were removed from the water for as little as 3 to 5 minutes. PRM was less than 2% for white marlin that were left in the water before release, while a full third of fish removed from the water died within 30 days.”

Listen to Experienced Captains

Charter captains in Florida know the value of following the regulations, despite a desire among some anglers to hoist that sailfish onto their laps for a picture.

“We obviously always have people who want to pull the fish out of the water for a photo,” says Capt. Scott Fawcett, of Off the Chain Fishing Charters, in Stuart, Florida. “I never allow it. It kills me when I see everybody else doing it. First, because it’s so bad for the fish and secondly, because my charter will want that same photo as well. Thirdly, when you catch a couple hundred or more sails a year, it’s only a matter of time before somebody gets hurt while trying to do that anyway. I’m a huge advocate of no trophy pictures.”

Capt. Ryan Wenzel, of 4Reel Charters in Islamorada, Florida Keys, another sailfish hotspot, agrees with those sentiments. “I’ve started to let my clients know that taking them out of the water increases the chances that the fish won’t survive afterwards,” Wenzel says. “Grabbing the bill or leader and leaning over the side makes for a great picture as well and doesn’t hurt the fish as much. Another good alternative would be tagging a fish instead, as it helps with research and adds another challenge when you’re fighting the sail and makes it feel a bit more rewarding than getting the picture.”

Sailfish Release Tips

For the release, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Beware of the bill every moment.
• Wear gloves and from above, hold the bill securely near the sailfish’s mouth, letting the mouth open as the fish swims upright in the water at the boat’s side.
• Slowly move the boat forward to let the sailfish regain strength.
• When the fish moves strongly under its own power, direct it away from the boat and let it go. If you want, raise a flag or a high-five.

The post Hoist Flags, Not Sailfish appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

If you spend any time in the Florida Keys from March to May you know about the hot tarpon fishing around the bridges. Islamorada’s Channel 2 and Channel 5 bridges consistently produce. Near Marathon, the Seven-Mile and Bahia Honda bridges can be packed with boaters, soaking live crabs and silver mullet to hookup. At night time, some anglers cast and jig eel imitations around bridges with success. 

But a second, ever-growing attraction has spliced itself among the tarpon bonanza — hammerhead sharks. What first started years ago as isolated shark encounters have become as regular as the tides. Viral videos show triple-digit tarpon attacked by hammerhead sharks as long as a bay boat. Those videos or real-life experiences used to produce audible gasps, now they generate groans and anger. Boat-side interactions are happening more frequently, so much so that the routine hammerhead encounters have become an issue for anglers and tarpon alike.

Tracking Sharks Movements

Investigators wanted to study the interactions where hammerhead sharks attacked and ate tarpon, known as “depredation,” so they set out to track Florida’s sharks’ movements. An international team of researchers, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, compiled a massive dataset covering the position, migration and interaction of sharks and game fish. The researchers focused on the Florida Keys over a three-year period. In all, the team deployed nearly 300 acoustic receivers and tagged 257 fish (including 73 sharks) with transmitters on bull sharks, hammerheads, tarpon and permit.

Here’s how it worked: Every time a tagged shark or fish swam within range of the receiver, its location was recorded and tagged with the date and time. Using acoustic telemetry gave the team long-needed stats on the migratory, reproductive and feeding patterns of sharks. Then, the team ran their raw data through a unique machine-learning algorithm to model the complex interaction of environmental factors, such as time of year, lunar cycle, water depth and temperature.

“Combining acoustic telemetry and machine learning helped us to answer a host of questions about predators and prey,” said Grace Casselberry, the paper’s other co-lead author and a PhD candidate at UMass Amherst’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

Tarpon and permit repeat the same spawning migrations and return to the same spawning grounds, at the same times of year, every year. “[Sharks] seem to remember where and when the tarpon and permit aggregate,” said Casselberry.

That’s no surprise to tarpon anglers who have been outspoken about their increasing encounters with sharks, often in the form of their hooked fish getting chomped.

Bahia Honda’s Hammerhead Sharks

From April 2019 to July 2021, Casselberry was focused on acoustic telemetry. But from April to May in 2019, she conducted a visual survey of hammerhead sharks and tarpon at the Bahia Honda bridges to quantify depredation rates and identify factors that most influence depredation.

The survey spanned 211 hours of fishing, recording 394 hooked fish. A total of 104 fish were observed being landed. Twenty-fish depredations occurred, with 4 post-release mortalities. Any subsurface post-release mortalities were not able to be observed or recorded.

“The average time to land a tarpon was 12.7 minutes,” said Casselberry. “Depredation was most likely to occur after 9.5 minutes; post-release mortality after 9 minutes.”

Casselberry tracked the tides, currents, fight time, number of boaters fishing, number of fish hooked at one time, number of times a tarpon jumped, time of day, and plenty of other variables to try to understand when a hammerhead shark was most likely to attack a tarpon.

“Hammerheads are modifying their use of Bahia Honda in response to tarpon presence,” said Casselberry. “Their daytime presence overlaps with angling pressure. I observed a 15 percent mortality rate [of hooked tarpon].” Casselberry’s tracking data also showed that hammerheads took up residence the longest in the Florida Keys from March to June. Each month saw increased resident hours from hammerheads until a decline occurred in July.  

Potential solutions to hammerhead attacks could be policy or management based, behavior based, or technology based (shark deterrents), said Casselberry. “For anglers, try to use heavier tackle to get that fight time under 9 minutes; be aware that the outgoing tide is when the hammerheads are most likely to be around; or try night fishing when hammerheads aren’t as active.”

Tarpon Numbers Trending Down

A recent UMass Amherst survey received answers from nearly 1,000 anglers and guides who target Atlantic tarpon. Tarpon are not part of any formal stock assessment, so talking to avid anglers is one of the best and only ways to get a pulse on the fishery. Overwhelmingly, respondents answered that the quality of the fishery has declined considerably since the 1970s.

Other results from the survey included:

• On average, guides lost 2 to 7 tarpon per year to sharks over the last five years.
• Respondents perceived water quality and habitat availability as the greatest threat to Atlantic tarpon; restoration efforts should be a top conservation priority.
• Respondents supported regulations that prohibit harvest of tarpon (such as catch-and-release only). 
• Respondents want increased science efforts to understand Atlantic tarpon ecology for conservation solutions.

The post Hammerhead Sharks Versus Tarpon appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

As the number of boating anglers increases on U.S. coastal waters, claims of ownership of public fishing spots have increased. Claiming ownership of a fishing spot is not a new phenomenon. Some guides and anglers have long felt that they own the spots they frequent, which of course, practically and legally, is not true.

Crazy Fishing Encounters Between Anglers

I first encountered this ownership attitude more than 40 years ago on the famed Peterson Key Bank, on the bayside of Lower Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys. The strip of grassy shallows extends from the Overseas Highway all the way north into Florida Bay. On a late June morning me and my dad headed into the bay. Very close to the highway, a skiff with three anglers was staked out at the channel edge. I turned my wheel to run the farthest edge of the channel as we passed it. Gave the two guys aboard a quick wave hello, but received no response in return.

I wanted to fish the same edge of the flat but didn’t want to crowd them so I continued well north to another point of the flat, a good 600 yards down the line. That’s five or six football fields away, to put it into perspective. I came off the throttle and idled to the edge, shut down and grabbed my pushpole. I glanced back at the other skiff, and the guide was now poling off the flat. Must not be seeing any fish, I thought.

I continued poling north to where I thought I saw a tail tip up. The skiff came down the channel, and then came off plane, right on the edge where we were fishing. I looked over, and the guy at the helm raised his hands in the air, shaking his head.

“You [bleeping] cut us off!” he screamed.

“From what?” I responded.

“You’re too close to me, do you know how fish move on this flat?” he continued.

“Back and forth,” I responded, which did not calm him down one bit. “I am a long, long way from where you were, you have no case.” At that he said, “I make my living on this flat!” Then, he simply motored off.

On another occasion in south Biscayne Bay, I was guiding bonefish customers, and motored to a favorite mainland shoreline. Well north of us, another angler was poling away from us, easily 200 yards away. He was poling at a fast clip too, heading toward the best part of that flat. So I tucked in, grabbed the pushpole and moved us into the shoreline, and parked to give the tide a chance to rise a bit more. We had a sandwich and a drink. The guy disappeared around a distant point.

Ten minutes later here he comes, running full throttle right at us. It took him a full minute to reach us, and then he idled right to us and said, “What are you doing? I was already here! This is my prime spot, and we are fishing a tournament!”

“You were here, and you were poling away from here, and now I’m here.” I said calmly.

I knew who the guide was, introduced myself, and said I was perfectly in the right and he was not. So the jerk cranks his outboard and proceeds to burn the entire flat before leaving. My customers were uncomfortable to say the least, and one of them said, “That guy own the place or what?” I actually called him that evening, his number was in the phone book (this was way before the internet). I left a message that we should at least discuss what happened further, but he never called back.

Fishing Spot Ownership

And these arguments between different boaters goes on all of the time. I described just two of the more explosive experiences I had with other captains in South Florida. It happens more frequently now because there are simply more anglers, more guides and fewer good “spots” and fish in general. Etiquette goes out the window on busy weekends. Besides fishing too close to another boat, nothing is as egregious as thinking that you own a spot on public waters.

Fishing spot ownership was recently discussed on the popular Millhouse Podcast, hosted by Andy Mill and his son, Nicky Mill. Andy is a legendary tarpon fly tournament winner, and has lots to say about the subject of owning fishing spots.

Mill has been fishing the Florida Keys flats for about 40 years, and that includes hundreds of days with the best guides, in tournaments and on booked pleasure trips. He’s also fished plenty on his own skiff in those waters.

“I have seen it from both sides” said Mill. “I get it when a guide sort of takes ownership because he has figured out and patterned a flat through many hours there. But I also see it from the perspective of an angler who happens upon a shoreline or flat that is not being fished at the time. I have spent a lot of money with many Keys guides. And I also fish with my son, on our own.”

Mill suggests that Keys regulars, who are friends of the guides, are very respectful of their need to produce fish, so they try to avoid places the guides frequent, to a point.

“Guides who are Keys regulars respect each other’s space,” said Mill. “But not every angler who fishes the Keys is tuned in to this, so basically if no one is one flat, it is open to fish. When my son and I are out for a day on the water, we are especially aware of the spots our guides we fish with frequent. But if we go to these spots and they are open, we fish them. Why would we not?”

There are places Andy Mill pretty much leaves alone, even when unoccupied.

First One to the Fishing Spot

I think Capt. Steve Huff, arguably the best guide on the planet, has the best philosophy about this. Huff says when you are the first to come to a shoreline, or flat, and you touch bottom with your pushpole, you temporarily own that spot. After you leave, then it’s free and clear for the next guy.

Capt. Rick Ruoff, a longtime Islamorada guide who now lives in Montana where he bird hunts and fly fishes for trout, discussed the situation in the Keys with Mills on a recent episode, and said part of the problem is electronics.

“In the ’80s I was one of just a handful of flats guides out of Islamorada, and we and our skiffs were recognizable,” said Ruoff. “Some anglers would follow me around, to see where I went routinely. The very next day, the guy would be on the spot, having watched me the previous day.”

Ruoff blames tech that allows an angler to help locate a guide poling and simply save the spot.

“I never yelled at anglers who encroached on my fishing, I just stayed internally angry,” said Ruoff. “Tarpon are the drug. They bring out the worst in anglers.”

Respecting Veteran Fishing Captains

Guides such as Ruoff are on the passive side of this, but others are more adamant about their right to ownership of a place, despite being essentially public property.

For example, Capt. Rob Fordyce of Islamorada, is on record having said it’s a matter of “intellectual property.” Not to mention common respect.

“In the middle Keys, when I started guiding, there were known places where the veteran guides would regularly fish,” said Fordyce. “They developed them and figured the places out long before I came along. There were a few main marinas where guides kept their skiffs. The guides were sort of cliques, having spent so much time together. Even if the groups were not particularly friendly with the others, they respected territory of others. It’s a matter of etiquette.”

Fordyce said that when he was 18 or 19 years old, and just fishing privately there, he would be the first angler at a backcountry tarpon spot, such as the famed Buchanan Bank, getting the best post where tarpon always poured in. But when the guides showed up, he gave way.

“When Capt. Cecil Keith arrived, whom I admired greatly, I would ask him if he wanted to take my position, because he had fished that bank for decades. That’s just a matter of respect, and that’s something that doesn’t happen anymore,” said Fordyce. “That guy earned his stripes and had more right to that spot than I did.”

I think the observations and attitudes of pro guides, whether flats-oriented or otherwise, should be taken into consideration for any angler who is unsure of whether to “slide into” a spot that is occupied. But that comes down to etiquette, of which seems to be lacking these days. And as waters become more crowded, and perhaps fisheries decline, anglers will need to be more conscientious and attune to this philosophy of spot ownership. The bottom line is, public waters are just that, and it’s up to us to be reasonable and keep it fun.

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All along this Village of Islands—Plantation, Windley, Upper Matecumbe, Lower Matecumbe, Indian, Lignumvitae and Tea Table Key—bonefish use their conical snouts to push through fertile seagrass and root out a bounty of crustacean, invertebrate and small finfish forage.

Convenient for anglers, much of the action occurs over flats adjacent to Islamorada’s downtown area (mostly Upper Matecumbe), within close proximity to renowned landmarks such as Cheeca Lodge and Spa, Worldwide Sportsman, Library Park, the 1935 Hurricane Monument and Robbie’s Marina.

Bonefish roam oceanside flats, especially when clear, calm days facilitate sight-fishing, but Florida Bay’s vast habitat holds the lion’s share. The bayside also offers more wind breaks on blustery days.

Capt. Jared Raskob says fresh shrimp or crushed blue crab top the natural baits, while fly-fisherman often fool bones with crustacean patterns. Whatever your choice, know that Islamorada bones are a wily lot with zero tolerance for intrusion.

“It’s like playing a game of chess,” Raskob says. “You’re trying to find a way to get your bait into their window of opportunity without them knowing how it got there.”

Get it right and your hook-set launches a shallow-water missile that’ll disappear half your spool in a blink. Blow it with a splashy cast or too much pressure wake and bonefish will validate their nickname, “gray ghost.”

Learn to catch ’em here and you can catch these shiny speedsters anywhere they swim.

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Islamorada proudly bills itself as the Sport Fishing Capital of the World, and for good reason. From here, an angler can catch creek-mouth snook in Everglades National Park, tempt a bonefish on the shallow flats around the village’s six islands and head offshore to battle a sailfish—all in the same day.

No matter the length of your angling bucket list, you can check off a whole bunch of species in Islamorada.

The ocean and backcountry flats host bonefish, permit and tarpon, the most sought-after triumvirate in the shallow-water game. Over grass flats and around the mangrove islands in Florida Bay and the national park, anglers can target snook, redfish and sea trout, as well as a variety of shark species, mangrove snapper, tripletail and cobia.

Weather from March through June and from September through November delivers preferred water temperatures for inshore fishing. During summer, visitors depart early in the morning, before the shallows heat up, or fish late in the afternoon, when temperatures cool and a spectacular sunset is almost guaranteed. 

Offshore, yellowtail and mutton snapper as well as grouper, king and cero mackerel swarm structure and coral reefs out to more than 100 feet deep. The same spectacular marine and fish life attracts scuba divers from all over the country.

Just outside the reef line, sailfish swim through the Keys. Plan to visit from November through April for the best opportunity to hook one of these acrobatic, hard-fighting billfish.

The offshore humps, where the ocean floor rises to within 400 feet of the surface, attract baitfish and opportunistic predators such as blackfin tuna, amberjacks and sharks. The humps produce year-round, but spring typically marks the peak of the bite, when the most and biggest fish are landed.

Dolphinfish, also known as mahi-mahi, usually top the list of popular offshore species for anglers hoping to catch dinner. Sharp-eyed captains look for weedlines, floating debris and diving birds to locate schools of the colorful fish, which show up in the spring, but in recent years have proved most abundant from August through early December.

Anglers often stop to catch dolphin on their way out to the swordfish grounds, which lie 25 to 30 miles offshore. Daytime swordfishing, where captains drop baits to the bottom in depths of 1,500 feet or more, was pioneered in 2003 by several innovative Islamorada fishing fanatics.

All Islamorada restaurants, from fancy to family style, offer fresh, local seafood. Lodging options range from high-end resorts to Old Florida motels to floating houseboats, where visitors can rest up and spend the following day on land viewing the works of painters and sculptors at the Morada Way Arts & Cultural District.

Non-anglers can find a different type of fish thrill by hand-feeding the 100-pound tarpon that gather at Robbie’s Marina and taking in a marine mammal show at Theater of the Sea, all of which make a visit to Islamorada a capital idea.

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