Fishing the flats in Key West is not only for
fly fishing as some make it out to be. All these fish would most
often just love a nice juicy chunk of bait or a live crab or
shrimp. For anglers who are comfortable with a spinning rod or
may just get frustrated with fly fishing and want to put down
the fly rod for a moment, light tackle fishing on the flats is
fun and exciting.
Fishing for Tarpon on the flats requires some
patience. Tarpon do not tend to go out of their way to eat. More
often you need to put the bait or plug right in front of them
and if it looks good, they'll eat it. In Key West we often fish
for tarpon with live mullet or live pinfish. The best way is
to rig the bait so it is able to swim freely and attach a small
float further up the line. This is a good indicator for the angler
to watch as he or she lets line out as the bait moves in the
current. This is done on the deeper flats near channels around
the lower Keys. It can often be very productive in the late day
and into early evening. One of the most highly recommended trips
is a night tarpon trip. The conditions have to be right but it's
a very fun experience to jump tarpon on a plug lure. We most
often count jumps of tarpon because some take so long to land
that eventually they chaffe the line and get away. The fight
for a larger tarpon can often last hours and it not only hurts
you it can hurt the fish and make it so tired it can't swim.
Permit fish are part of the jack family. They
are sleek and silver and often very large. They are skinny in
width but make up for it in their overall oval shape. Their shape
helps them fight when they are hooked and gives them an advantage.
Permit love live blue crabs. They feed on them in grass on the
flats. During certain times of the year, the blue crabs 'hatch'
and are found floating and clinging on to grass weeds. You might
see a permit feeding on the surface with it's entire head out
of the water.
Bonefish are sleek and stealth like. Often
we have anglers on the boat that have a hard time seeing them.
They seem to blend in to certain types of flat bottom like darker
green grass. Bonefish love shrimp and that is one way to get
them lured into an area is to throw out a couple chunks of fresh
shrimp. The flats to the east of Key West seem to hold the most
bonefish. They are found in only certain areas west of Key West.
The east flats are beautiful white sandy bottom and not only
make for a picturesque fishing experience but it is a heck of
a lot easier to spot these bonefish on white sand.
Fishing for Tarpon on the flats requires some
patience. Tarpon do not tend to go out of their way to eat. More
often you need to put the bait or plug right in front of them
and if it looks good, they'll eat it. In Key West we often fish
for tarpon with live mullet or live pinfish. The best way is
to rig the bait so it is able to swim freely and attach a small
float further up the line. This is a good indicator for the angler
to watch as he or she lets line out as the bait moves in the
current. This is done on the deeper flats near channels around
the lower Keys. It can often be very productive in the late day
and into early evening. One of the most highly recommended trips
is a night tarpon trip. The conditions have to be right but it's
a very fun experience to jump tarpon on a plug lure. We most
often count jumps of tarpon because some take so long to land
that eventually they chaffe the line and get away. The fight
for a larger tarpon can often last hours and it not only hurts
you it can hurt the fish and make it so tired it can't swim. 
Permit fish are part of the jack family. They
are sleek and silver and often very large. They are skinny in
width but make up for it in their overall oval shape. Their shape
helps them fight when they are hooked and gives them an advantage.
Permit love live blue crabs. They feed on them in grass on the
flats. During certain times of the year, the blue crabs 'hatch'
and are found floating and clinging on to grass weeds. You might
see a permit feeding on the surface with it's entire head out
of the water.
Bonefish are sleek and stealth like. Often
we have anglers on the boat that have a hard time seeing them.
They seem to blend in to certain types of flat bottom like darker
green grass. Bonefish love shrimp and that is one way to get
them lured into an area is to throw out a couple chunks of fresh
shrimp. The flats to the east of Key West seem to hold the most
bonefish. They are found in only certain areas west of Key West.
The east flats are beautiful white sandy bottom and not only
make for a picturesque fishing experience but it is a heck of
a lot easier to spot these bonefish on white sand.
