Channel Two Bridge Fishing

Channel Two Bridge is the Upper Keys' best-known fishing bridge: part of the old railroad span in Islamorada, closed to traffic, with fishing platforms, parking on both sides and a strong tide below. Few places in the Upper Keys put you over deep, moving water as easily without a boat.

• Reliable daytime snapper and barracuda action on a moving tide
• Tarpon passing in spring and the odd snook in the bridge shade
• Fishing platforms and a flat deck listed as wheelchair accessible
• Islamorada's shops are a short drive north

The bridge crosses Channel Two at about mile marker 73 on US-1, between Lower Matecumbe Key and Craig Key, at the southern end of Islamorada.

• Parking: on both sides of the bridge, with no fee
• Hours: from 8 a.m. until sunset on all 365 days of the year; Florida State Parks gives those hours for the trail, this bridge included
• Surface: flat concrete deck with fishing platforms; the state's 2010 angling survey lists it as wheelchair accessible
• It is part of the Overseas Heritage Trail, so expect walkers and cyclists
• Channel Five, the next fishing bridge south, is a couple of miles away

Channel Two carries plenty of water and a good mix of fish.

• Spring (Mar–May): tarpon passing; ladyfish and jacks in the current; mangrove snapper start biting well
• Summer (Jun–Aug): mangrove, lane and yellowtail snapper; a few snook in the bridge shade; nurse sharks nosing along the bottom
• Fall (Sep–Nov): snapper still biting well; jacks and runners chasing bait; barracuda everywhere
• Winter (Dec–Feb): jacks, runners and Spanish mackerel after fronts; snapper on warm afternoons

Bring the classic Keys bridge kit.

• On the bottom: knocker or fish-finder rigs weighted with 1 to 3 oz, 20 to 30 lb fluorocarbon leaders and 1/0 to 3/0 circle hooks, baited with live shrimp, pinfish or cut ballyhoo
• Yellowtail: chum lightly around slack water and float back a silverside on a free line
• Snook: a live shrimp or pilchard drifted along the bridge shade on 30 lb leader
• Barracuda: wire leaders, with tube lures or live runners
• Tarpon: when they are rolling, a live mullet or crab on heavy tackle with a 60 lb leader
• Keepers come up in a drop net or on a bridge gaff

Channel Two joins Florida Bay to the Atlantic, where the tide rises and falls twice a day, so a strong current runs through most of every tide.

• Target snapper around mid-tide and save the slack for chumming up yellowtail
• A falling tide pulls bait out past the platforms and brings the jacks and barracuda with it
• The best window runs from late afternoon to sunset, and the trail's 8 a.m. opening lets you fish a morning tide too
• Holding bottom gets harder when the wind opposes the tide, so calm days are ideal

One of the more accessible bridges in the Keys.

• Flat deck from the parking areas, listed as wheelchair accessible in the state's 2010 survey
• Share the deck with cyclists and walkers; keep lines and rods tidy
• No shade: carry water and leave when afternoon storms build
• Strong, deep current under the span: never go in after a fish
• Fish from the old bridge only, never from the US-1 bridge alongside
• The trail shuts at sunset; be off the span by then

The bridge has parking and platforms but little else.

• Parking: on both sides, no fee
• Florida State Parks provides recycling bins for used line where the trail's fishing bridges begin and end
• Restrooms: none on the bridge
• No bait or tackle is sold on site; stop for bait in Islamorada on the way
• No fresh water or cleaning table
• Food and fuel are in Islamorada, a short drive north

• Pick up live shrimp in Islamorada on the way; it out-fishes frozen bait here
• The platforms fill first on summer weekends, so arrive early
• A sabiki rig catches runners and pilchards for barracuda and tarpon bait
• Goliath grouper and sharks will grab a hooked fish, so keep a knife within reach
• Look for the row of old concrete piers north of the bridge: remains of a 1930s highway project wrecked by the 1935 hurricane
• Combine a session here with Channel Five a couple of miles south if one bridge is crowded

Channel Two Bridge is a section of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, which is managed by Florida State Parks (the Division of Recreation and Parks within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection); it costs nothing and is open from 8 a.m. until sunset. Only the old span is for fishing.

• Unless an exemption applies, you need a Florida saltwater fishing license
• FWC sets separate rules for snook, tarpon and goliath grouper, so read them first
• A free permit from FWC is required for shore-based shark fishing
• The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary covers these waters and has its own rules
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything