Long Key Viaduct Fishing

Long Key Viaduct is the classic Keys fishing bridge: the arched concrete railroad viaduct Henry Flagler built between Long Key and Conch Key, now closed to cars and open to anglers, walkers and cyclists. The state's trail guide calls it the second-longest bridge in the Keys, carried on 215 concrete arches.

• More than two miles of deck and a string of fishing platforms, so there is always room
• Deep, clear channels with strong tidal flow
• Year-round snapper and barracuda, permit in late summer and tarpon passing in spring
• Wide views over Florida Bay and the Atlantic

The viaduct runs beside the modern US-1 bridge between Long Key (about mile marker 65.5) and Conch Key (about mile marker 63), in the Middle Keys between Islamorada and Marathon.

• Parking: the state's 2010 angling survey lists paved parking at both ends, with no fee
• Hours: Florida State Parks lists the trail, the viaduct included, as open 8 a.m. to sunset, 365 days a year
• Surface: flat concrete deck, shared with the Overseas Heritage Trail
• Walk: the best water can be a long way out, so a cart helps
• Nearby: Long Key State Park is just up the road

Something is feeding under this bridge on most tides.

• Spring (Mar–May): tarpon run through the channels; mangrove and mutton snapper feed hard; Spanish mackerel and jacks after cold fronts
• Summer (Jun–Aug): peak mangrove and yellowtail snapper; goliath grouper and nurse sharks around the footings; barracuda on every tide; permit from late summer
• Fall (Sep–Nov): snapper remain good; big schools of jacks and runners chase bait; ladyfish in the shallower water at the ends
• Winter (Dec–Feb): Spanish mackerel, jacks and blue runners; snapper slow but still bite on warm afternoons

Heavy bottom tackle and live bait are the standard here.

• Snapper: a fish-finder rig with 2 to 4 oz of lead, 30 lb fluorocarbon and a 3/0 to 4/0 circle hook, baited with live pinfish, pilchards or cut ballyhoo
• Yellowtail: a chum bag near slack water and a free-lined silverside on 15 to 20 lb fluorocarbon
• Permit: a live crab fished near the pilings around slack water
• Barracuda and jacks: tube lures, bucktails and live runners on wire
• Tarpon: heavy tackle with 60 lb leader and a live mullet or crab if fish are rolling
• Bring a bridge gaff or drop net; the deck is well above the water

The viaduct spans a wide gap between Florida Bay and the Atlantic, which has two tides a day, and the flow through it is strong.

• Fish the middle hours of either tide for snapper; the current can be too strong for light weights at full flow
• Slack water is the window for chumming yellowtail and for permit
• Cast up-current and let the bait wash back under the bridge; which side to fish depends on the tide
• The late afternoon before sunset and a strong morning tide from 8 a.m. are the best windows; calm, hot middays are slow

The deck is flat and wide, which makes this one of the easier Keys bridges to fish, but it is exposed and high.

• The state's 2010 survey lists it as wheelchair accessible, and the deck is smooth concrete from the parking areas
• No shade or water on the bridge; afternoon thunderstorms build fast in summer, so leave at the first thunder
• Share the deck with cyclists and walkers; keep gear tidy and lines out of the path
• Fast, deep water under the arches: never go in after a fish
• Old railings: do not lean or sit on them, and be off the bridge by sunset

The bridge itself is bare, so bring what you need.

• Parking: paved lots at both ends
• Florida State Parks keeps fishing-line recycling bins at the ends of the trail's fishing bridges
• Restrooms: none on the bridge
• Bait and tackle: none on site; buy live or frozen bait in Islamorada, Layton or Marathon
• No fresh water or fish cleaning table
• Fishing platforms along the span give room to set up out of the trail lane

• Catch live pinfish or runners on a sabiki before walking out; live bait makes the difference here
• Pinfish for bait can be caught along the shore and on the first platforms at the ends
• The deeper arches toward the middle hold bigger snapper than the shallow ends
• A cart with a rod rack saves your back on the long walk
• Cut the line on any goliath grouper that grabs a hooked fish; you will not lift it anyway
• Snapper spook in clear, still water, so scale down your leader at slack

The viaduct is part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, managed by Florida State Parks (the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Recreation and Parks), and is open 8 a.m. to sunset with no fee. Never fish from the modern US-1 traffic bridge alongside.

• A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt
• Shore-based shark fishing needs a free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit
• Tarpon and goliath grouper have strict release rules; check FWC
• The water here is inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; check sanctuary rules
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything