Fishing spots in the Florida Keys

Monroe County is the Florida Keys: a 120-mile chain of islands strung along the Overseas Highway (US-1) from Key Largo to Key West, with Florida Bay and the Gulf on one side and the Atlantic and the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US on the other. Every channel between the islands funnels tide between the two, and the old Flagler railroad bridges that span many of them are now car-free fishing bridges — the heart of Keys shore fishing. Anglers come for clear, warm water and fish found nowhere else in Florida from shore: mangrove, yellowtail and mutton snapper, barracuda, jacks, sharks, goliath grouper and, above all, the spring tarpon run under the bridge lights, plus bonefish and permit on the flats. The whole county's waters sit inside the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The mainland part of Monroe is almost all Everglades National Park — a vast, mostly boat-access wilderness of mangrove backcountry, reached by road only at Flamingo through the park from Homestead.

Upper Keys (Key Largo to Islamorada, about MM 106–72)

• Character: bay-side mangrove shorelines and the famous Islamorada tarpon channels; most shoreline is private or developed, so public shore access is concentrated at the bridges and fills from Islamorada south
• What it suits: evening snapper and barracuda from Channel Two Bridge, snook and tarpon along bridge shadow lines, flats fishing from wade-able beaches
• Access: Channel Two Bridge and Indian Key Fill are the best public options; Islamorada marinas sell bait and rent rods

Middle Keys (Long Key to the Seven Mile Bridge, about MM 72–40)

• Character: the long old railroad viaducts over wide, deep channels with the strongest tidal flow in the Keys
• What it suits: big mangrove and mutton snapper, spring tarpon at night, sharks and goliath grouper, barracuda
• Access: Long Key Viaduct, Channel Five Bridge, Tom's Harbor Bridges and the west end of the Old Seven Mile Bridge at Little Duck Key all have free parking and are open 24 hours

Lower Keys (Bahia Honda to Stock Island, about MM 40–5)

• Character: quieter islands, wide shallow flats and a string of shorter old bridges, some now closed for safety
• What it suits: flats fishing for bonefish, permit and barracuda; seawall and bridge snapper; spring tarpon in Bahia Honda Channel
• Access: Bahia Honda State Park (entrance fee, daytime only) and Spanish Harbor Channel Bridge (free, 24 hours)

Key West

• Character: the end of the road, with the Atlantic on the south shore and the deep main shipping channel off the west end
• What it suits: easy family fishing for snapper and jacks, night sharks and tarpon under lights, deep-water fish from the Fort Zachary Taylor jetty
• Access: White Street Pier (free, lit, 24 hours) and Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park (entrance fee, 8 a.m. to sunset)

Season	Likely species (shore)	Notes
Spring (Mar–May)	Tarpon, mangrove snapper, barracuda, crevalle jack, blue runner, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish	The tarpon run peaks under the bridges at night; snapper wake up as the water warms
Summer (Jun–Aug)	Mangrove, yellowtail, lane and mutton snapper, nurse and bull sharks, barracuda, snook, permit on the flats	Peak snapper season; fish dawn, dusk and night to beat the heat and storms
Fall (Sep–Nov)	Mangrove snapper, crevalle jack, blue runner, barracuda, bonefish, snook	Bait schools and hungry jacks; hurricane season still runs, so watch forecasts
Winter (Dec–Feb)	Spanish mackerel, jacks, blue runners, barracuda, grunts, snapper on warm days	Cold fronts clear and cool the water; fish the warmer afternoons between fronts

• Bridge bottom fishing: a fish-finder or knocker rig with 1 to 4 oz of lead to suit the current, 20 to 40 lb fluorocarbon and 1/0 to 5/0 circle hooks
• Best baits: live shrimp, pinfish, pilchards and blue runners; frozen ballyhoo, squid and silversides as backup
• Yellowtail: a chum bag and a free-lined silverside on light fluorocarbon near slack water
• Tarpon: heavy spinning or conventional gear, 50 to 80 lb leader and live mullet or crab drifted on night tides
• Barracuda and jacks: tube lures, bucktails, spoons and topwater plugs, with wire for barracuda
• Flats: 7 to 8 ft light spinning rods with 10 lb braid and fluorocarbon leader, or an 8-weight fly rod, with live shrimp or small crabs
• Carry a sabiki rig for live bait and a drop net or bridge gaff; many decks sit well above the water

• The Atlantic side has two tides a day of unequal size; Florida Bay and the Gulf side have smaller, often mixed tides, and the ranges on both sides are only a couple of feet
• Because the two sides rise and fall at different times, the channels between the islands carry strong currents — the reason the bridges fish so well
• The middle hours of each tide usually fish best on the bridges; slack water is the time to chum for yellowtail
• On the flats, a rising tide on a calm, bright morning pushes bonefish and permit up into casting range
• Dawn, dusk and dark moving tides are the prime windows; midday summer sessions are slow and punishing
• Winter cold fronts bring north winds, clearer water and a temporary slowdown; the bite returns as it warms
• Summer brings near-daily afternoon thunderstorms; hurricane season runs June to November

• Fish only from the designated old fishing bridges; fishing from the US-1 traffic bridges is not allowed and is dangerous
• Several old bridges (including Niles Channel and a group of spans around Bahia Honda and Lower Sugarloaf) are closed for safety — respect fences and signs
• Share the old bridges with cyclists and walkers on the Overseas Heritage Trail; keep gear tidy
• Currents in the channels are strong enough to sweep away a swimmer; never go in after a fish or gear
• Lightning: summer storms build fast; open bridges and flats are the worst places to be
• Heat and sun: there is almost no shade on the bridges; carry plenty of water
• Shuffle your feet on the flats for stingrays and wear wading shoes for coral and urchins
• Park fully off US-1 at roadside pull-offs; traffic is fast and constant

• Buy live shrimp or catch pinfish and runners on a sabiki before you walk out; live bait makes the difference on the bridges
• Arrive before sunset on summer evenings to claim a spot over the deepest water
• Cut the line quickly on any goliath grouper — they are protected and cannot be lifted from a bridge
• Spring nights around the full moon are the classic tarpon nights; bring heavy gear and plan to release at the water
• A cart with a rod rack saves your back on the long viaducts
• The Keys run on mile markers (MM): addresses and directions count down from about MM 127 near Florida City to MM 0 in Key West
• Take old line home or use the recycling bins; birds and turtles tangle in it
• The Keys are inside a marine sanctuary: check sanctuary zones as well as state rules

• Miami-Dade County – Biscayne Bay, Card Sound and the Miami piers and jetties, just north of Key Largo
• Collier County – the Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades City backcountry on the Gulf side, bordering mainland Monroe

• Do I need a fishing license to fish from the Keys bridges and piers?
  • Yes. A Florida saltwater fishing license is required unless you are exempt, and the public bridges and piers here do not provide one. See FWC (myfwc.com) for license options and exemptions.
• Can I fish from the Seven Mile Bridge?
  • Only from the west end of the old bridge at Little Duck Key. The restored old span from Marathon to Pigeon Key is for walkers and cyclists only, and fishing from the modern bridge is not allowed.
• When is the best time for tarpon from shore?
  • Spring into early summer, at night on a moving tide, under the old and new bridges of the Middle and Lower Keys. Tarpon have strict handling and release rules — check FWC.
• What if I hook a goliath grouper?
  • Cut the line and let it go. Goliath grouper are protected; check FWC for current rules, and never try to lift one onto a bridge.
• Do I need a permit to fish for sharks from shore?
  • Yes. Shore-based shark fishing requires a free FWC shore-based shark fishing permit, and many species must be released.

Area	Coast character & access	Best species	Prime season	Go-to methods	Key safety notes	Facilities
Upper Keys	Mangrove shores, Islamorada channels; public access at Channel Two Bridge and Indian Key Fill	Mangrove snapper, barracuda, tarpon, snook	Spring–summer	Live shrimp bottom rigs, shadow-line snook fishing	US-1 traffic at roadside fills, strong current	Parking; bait and rod rentals at Islamorada marinas
Middle Keys	Long old railroad viaducts over wide, deep channels	Mangrove and mutton snapper, tarpon, sharks, barracuda	Spring–fall	Heavy fish-finder rigs, live bait, night tarpon drifts	Long walks, high decks, fierce current, lightning	Free parking, mono bins; no restrooms on bridges
Lower Keys	Flats, Bahia Honda State Park and shorter bridges	Bonefish, permit, barracuda, snapper, tarpon	Spring–summer	Wading and sight-casting; seawall and bridge bottom rigs	Stingrays, urchins, closed bridges, storms	State park restrooms and fee; Spanish Harbor parking
Key West	Atlantic pier and a rock jetty on the shipping channel	Snapper, jacks, barracuda, sharks, tarpon	Year-round	Light bottom rigs, jigs, chum for yellowtail	Slippery rocks, ship wakes, afternoon storms	Lit free pier; state park with café and restrooms