Light Tackle Fishing

The Florida Keys, that magical part of the USA that’s nearer to Cuba than the US mainland has water all around them and fish galore. Several of the Keys have built an enviable reputation for world-class sport but Key West wins the prize as the top spot because of the vast variety of fish that inhabit the oceans around the island. Fishing in Key West, Florida attracts fishermen from around the world and for very good reasons.

The inshore fishing around Key West includes tarpon fishing, 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 the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, there’s no excuse for having a poor day’s fishing whatever the weather gods can throw at you.

Although there are a number of offshore boats operating out of Key West, our first love is light tackle fishing. If you’re not a keen angler you’ll be asking what we are referring to, so we’ll begin with a quick explanation. The offshore boats tend to be larger with a greater degree of luxury which might include a large air conditioned lounge and full bathrooms. They motor around the ocean towing a number of lures behind the boat and when a fish is hooked the lucky angler sits in the fighting chair to bring the fish to the boat. A light tackle boat is somewhat smaller, normally around 26 – 30 ft long, with an open deck and no creature comforts such as bunks or saloons. Typically powered by a pair of powerful outboard motors, they roar around at impressive speeds which allows them to reach fishing spots many miles from the harbor at Key West. Each angler on board has 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 will normally fish in at least 200 ft of water whereas the light tackle boats are at home fishing anything between 20 ft deep for sharks around the harbor to 200 ft deep offshore whilst fishing for sailfish.

Now don’t get the wrong idea about light tackle fishing, it’s equally suited to beginner or expert. All of the skippers are very helpful and they’ll all do their best to make sure that you have a great fishing experience, and maybe a fish or two to have prepared at one of the local seafood restaurants. All of the light tackle boats have a large 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 sunscreen, sunglasses a hat and your food and drink for the day.

Our next articles will describe in greater detail a day fishing for tarpon, tuna, sailfish or grouper, but for the time being we’d suggest that you to book a trip and catch some of our plentiful fish.

Link to the original site

)