Most diehard anglers enjoy fishing anywhere and anytime they get the chance, but Islamorada sport fishing is something special. In fact, almost every fisherman who’s been fortunate enough to experience landing big fish in the region describes it as “unforgettable.” Few places on the globe can come close to matching the Upper Keys when it comes to fishing. In fact, Islamorada is known as “the sport fishing capital of the world.” If you haven’t yet ventured to these amazing waters, you might want to book an Islamorada sport fishing trip as soon as you get the chance.
Location, Location, Location
They say that with real estate, the three most important aspects are location, location, and location. The same can be said about serious fishing. Islamorada is a prime piece of fishy real estate, thanks to its unique location. The village of Islamorada covers areas of five islands in the Florida Keys, about halfway between Miami and Key West.
Offshore from the Keys are the Continental Shelf and the Florida Straits. Not far to the south is a reef abundant with life, including desirable fish. Beyond the reef, the ocean depth plunges, and the water turns to a deep blue as the Gulf Stream brings large predators close to shore. Near the Gulf Stream off Islamorada is another rich fishing ground known as “The Humps.” These are underwater “mountains” located in water up to 800 feet deep. The Humps are prowled by amberjack, dolphin, snapper, grouper, king mackerel, wahoo, and blackfin tuna.
North and east of Islamorada is Florida Bay, close to 1,000 square miles of mud flats, islands, mangroves, and deep channels. A wide variety of gamefish call the Bay home, including tarpon, redfish, bonefish, and snook. If you head northwest from Islamorada, you’ll find the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico, which provides opportunities for more superb angling.
Your Finned Opponents
There’s no way to exactly predict what you might haul in with Islamorada sport fishing. It depends on the time of the year you go, on the knowledge and experience of your fishing guide or charter captain, and on a little bit of luck. Obviously, you can’t do a lot to improve luck, but you can do a couple of things to improve your chances of catching certain species. One way is to make sure you choose the right charter boat and the right captain and crew.
For your best chances of landing the finned species you desire, do a little research. Find out which fish are more numerous at certain times of the year, and that will help you plan your fishing trip. Do you dream of doing battle with a billfish? If so, your best chances of hooking white marlin are in June and July. Your best chances for sailfish are from January through March, in May, and again in September, October, and November. The king of all sport fish, the blue marlin, are most numerous in April through October, but they might be landed all year.
One of the best things about Islamorada sport fishing is its diversity. No matter what time of year you go, you’ll have the opportunity to catch blue marlin, sailfish, barracuda, wahoo, kings, cobia, blackfin tuna, barracuda, dolphin, sharks, snapper, grouper, and amberjack. If your fishing trip is in the late spring or summer, you can add white marlin to the list. In the fall and winter months, you can also expect to encounter yellowfin tuna. All things considered, it’s easy to see why Islamorada sport fishing is often judged to be the finest in the world.