Tom's Harbor Bridges Fishing

Tom's Harbor Bridges are a pair of old railroad fishing bridges either side of the Duck Key turnoff, and local anglers rate both highly for mangrove snapper.

• Two spans to choose from, so you can move with the tide
• Cantilevered fishing platforms on both, added for anglers by the trail
• Good daytime snapper fishing on a moving tide, with barracuda, jacks and the odd permit
• Short, manageable walks compared with the long viaducts

The bridges run beside US-1 either side of the Duck Key turnoff, between Grassy Key and Conch Key in the Middle Keys, north of Marathon.

• Tom's Harbor Channel (about MM 60.6): the state's 2010 angling survey lists a paved lot on the west side and gravel shoulder parking on the east side, and calls it wheelchair accessible
• Tom's Harbor Cut (about MM 61.2): gravel shoulder parking; not listed as wheelchair accessible
• Hours: both bridges keep the trail's hours, 8 a.m. to sunset every day, as listed by Florida State Parks, and there is no fee
• Surface: flat concrete decks shared with the Overseas Heritage Trail
• Not this one: the county bridge that carries Duck Key Drive onto Duck Key is closed to fishing

The tide pours through both channels and the bottom holds structure and snapper all year.

• Spring (Mar–May): tarpon passing; mangrove snapper feeding hard; jacks and Spanish mackerel after cold fronts
• Summer (Jun–Aug): peak mangrove snapper; yellowtail and lane snapper; nurse sharks, barracuda and the first permit around the pilings
• Fall (Sep–Nov): snapper still strong; big schools of runners and jacks; the odd mutton snapper and permit
• Winter (Dec–Feb): mackerel and jacks; snapper bite best on warm afternoons between fronts

Most of what you need here is snapper gear.

• Mangroves: tie 20 to 30 lb fluorocarbon to a 1/0 to 3/0 circle hook and weight it with 1 to 3 oz on a fish-finder or knocker rig; live shrimp, pinfish and cut ballyhoo all work
• Yellowtail: work a light chum bag at slack water and free-line a silverside back into the slick
• Permit: a live crab near the pilings around slack water
• Barracuda: a live runner or a tube lure, on a wire leader
• Tarpon: when fish roll, switch to heavy tackle and a 60 lb leader and bait up with a live mullet or crab
• A drop net or bridge gaff brings up keepers; everything else is released at the water

Both cuts carry water between the Gulf side and the Atlantic, whose tides come twice a day, so the current stays strong for much of each tide.

• Snapper bite best at mid-tide; cast from the side the current flows toward and let the bait swing back into the bridge's shadow
• Save slack water for lighter rigs, chumming and permit
• The trail opens at 8 a.m., but late afternoon until sunset is the top window, especially in summer
• A strong east wind drives extra current through, while calm, clear days can go quiet around midday

Both spans are flat and car-free, but exposed and above fast water.

• The Channel bridge is listed as wheelchair accessible from its paved lot; the Cut is reached from a gravel shoulder
• Pull well off US-1 when parking on the shoulder and watch traffic when unloading
• There is no shade, so pack water, and get off the bridge when afternoon thunderstorms gather
• Never go into the water after a fish; the current is powerful
• Share the deck with cyclists and walkers, and be off the bridges by sunset

Neither bridge has facilities beyond parking and the fishing platforms.

• Parking: a paved lot at Tom's Harbor Channel and gravel shoulder parking at both, per the state's 2010 survey
• Like the trail's other fishing bridges, these have Florida State Parks line-recycling bins at their ends
• Restrooms: none
• Nothing on site sells bait or tackle; stock up in Marathon or Layton
• No water or cleaning tables; bring a cooler
• Marathon, a few miles south, has shops, fuel and restaurants

• Start on the Channel bridge and move to the Cut if the current is too strong or too weak
• A falling tide in the late afternoon is the classic mangrove snapper window here
• Chum lightly: a small steady trickle brings snapper up without feeding every pinfish in the Keys
• Downsize to 20 lb fluorocarbon in clear water; mangroves are leader-shy
• When a goliath grouper or shark grabs your hooked fish, a knife at hand lets you cut free quickly
• Use the line-recycling bins at the bridge ends, or take old line home

Both are historic bridges on the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail, run by Florida State Parks, which is the Division of Recreation and Parks of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; neither charges a fee, and both are open from 8 a.m. to sunset. No-fishing signs on the US-1 traffic bridges do not cover the old spans.

• Monroe County Code bans fishing by pedestrians from the Tom's Harbor Channel County Bridge, the Duck Key Drive bridge onto Duck Key
• Carry a Florida saltwater fishing license unless you qualify for an exemption
• A free FWC permit is required for anyone fishing for sharks from shore
• Tarpon and goliath grouper come with strict release rules; FWC has the details
• Both spans stand inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, whose rules apply too
• Check current FWC rules for size, bag and season limits before keeping anything