Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

masterp

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Sep 1, 2002
Messages
84
Can any of you help me out with a April fishing trip to the Keys. (This post was originally for a February trip, but we ran out of time to book flights. ) I'm going to be flying down so I won't have a boat and probably minimal gear. I don't mind renting a boat or hiring a guide but am not sure if I can afford it for the whole week. My son needs action to stay interested and I'm not too fussy. I don't have room for my mounted dream trophy fish anyways! :( Blue cold fishing dreams need help!
 

Bigfun

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 21, 2003
Messages
305
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

I'm not from the keys but i just got back from them. get a boat some chum a lot of shrimp and anchor in some deep cuts/channels. i fished bahia honda bridge gulf side and 7 mile and had nonstop action untill the shrimp and or chum ran out. its my newest fav. place to fish.
 

Fishbusters

Ensign
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
921
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

Master P I would recomend doing some research online trying to find a bait shop close to where you will be because live shrimp is a killer from about anywhere. I have had some good luck fishing right where I was staying especially if it has deeper water near it. Usually that means I was fishing off a boat dock. Look into boat rentals and pay for a day or two with a guide then try to follow what he did that worked. Be careful because there is a lot of things that like to eat motors and boats (coral) just under the surface. Also try not to think big when looking for something for the kid yellowtail, mangrove snapper and many other smaller species abound within a cast's reach of shore. I am by no means an expert on the area and could not pinpoint an area but I do know a few of the basics that have worked the times I have been in the keys.
 

masterp

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Sep 1, 2002
Messages
84
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

I'm thinking of Islemorada. People tell me that's the place on the keys. I might be going with out the family. Any ideas for lodging and rentals?
 

mbrueck

Cadet
Joined
Jan 19, 2003
Messages
24
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

I grew up in Marathon and go back just about every year for fishing and diving. If you're just looking to bend your rod and fill your cooler, fish the reefs. You can rent a 20' open fisherman for about $150/day. Get enough chum for about 10#/hour and use live shrimp for bait. The inner reef is in about 30 feet of water and the outer reef is in about 60 feet of water (varies depending on where you are). Anchor off the outer reef - either inside or outside depending on the tide. Let your chum drift over the reef.<br /><br />Drift live shrimp back with the chum, you'll get yellowtail snapper in the chumline. Drop live or dead shrimp to the bottom to catch baitfish (grunts, goatfish, etc.). Drop the baitfish down on a heavy rig for grouper, mutton snapper, big mangroves, sharks, etc. Keep a rod with a wire leader handy for catching barracuda. If you get barracuda around, they'll cut your catches in half until you catch them. If you get a school of barracuda, move.<br /><br />It's very easy fishing on the reef and without any knowledge of the water, you can get your snapper limit.<br /><br />Good luck.
 

Fishbusters

Ensign
Joined
Apr 20, 2002
Messages
921
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

Mbrueck, I am glad to see someone from where you are located here on the board. The In-Laws used to live there and now have moved just a little south to Palm Coast. We go there at least once a year but we don't always spend more than a weekend. I have found it hard to get an update on what is hitting well locally untill I get down there and sometimes then it is not until I am about to leave. I usually only get a half a day to fish while the wife visits so when the time comes it would be a great help if you could give me a heads up. I will post here when we decide to go down.
 

Nite_Ryder

Cadet
Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
10
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

I just got back from the Tampa Bay area and enjoyed the best fishing action in my life. Shrimp seems to be the most common bait while i was there. It seemed like fishing in a Bait tank compared to the action we have up here on the lake. I just got to get a bigger boat for when i return next november,.
 

masterp

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Sep 1, 2002
Messages
84
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

Thanks for all the advice. The weather up here has been brutal and the winter just doesn,t want to let go. It looks like my trip to the Keys is going to be postponed. I'm still going, but I just can't commit at this time due to a new addition to the family. I'm not talking about a kid, but a pup Golden Retriver that I'm picking up on the 28th of this month. Thanks for all the advice and please keep posting any new ideas, because I'm still going! I've just got to let this pup grow up a bit first. ;)
 

mbrueck

Cadet
Joined
Jan 19, 2003
Messages
24
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

Methods of chumming vary for the type of fishing you do. For the chumming I was referring to (over the Keys reefs), bait stores sell ground up fish parts in frozen blocks. The blocks are placed in a "chum bag" (like an onion sack), and as the chum melts, pieces drift down with the current. To keep the yellowtail behind the boat, you need to chum heavy - at least a 10 pound block every hour.
 

Bob Dowdy

Seaman
Joined
Feb 14, 2003
Messages
52
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

Masterp,I have been fishing the keys for some years and you can hook up to fishing in any number of ways real easy.Theres guide services, bridges,canals,cuts and plenty of just pullover spots on the way down.Baitshops abound and their a great source of local info and locations,just go and have a great time---also don't talk it up when your back the place is filling up fast.<br /><br /> Tight Lines Skinny
 

bonitaboy

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
34
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

If you are more orless just looking to fish and do it fairly inexpensive than Conch key is a good place.there isn't much of a reason to go there unless you want to fish because there is nothing there.there is a place called bay view inn marina there as you go across the bridge to conch key.they rent rooms for about 100 a day,and they have boats right outside the back door at the dock.the rooms are not much to talk about at all but the convenience of the boat and bait store and everything right there is a beautiful thing.the boats go for 125 a day,they are kind of beat up whalers but they are sea worthy.there is a reef about six miles out on the atlantic side with lots of good fishing and you can catch snapper right off the dock as well.i dont recommend this place if you are trying to impress someone i.e. wife,girlfriend etc. but for just fun fishing with the son or some buds its hard to beat the price and convenience.mike and penny anderson are their names,phone #305-664-9393 305-289-8511 hope this helps you out but i see this is a older post but tight lines to you.
 

jamessloan

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Mar 18, 2003
Messages
35
Re: Need help on April fishing trip to Keys!

We spent the Christmas holidays in Marathon. Had a great time and caught plenty of fish. 7-mile was hot with tarpon and the reefs and humps were producing well. I saved a few GPS numbers from our trip. If you plan on going to that area, I'll be glad to post 'em to you. We trailered our boat, so I'm not sure about rentals. I saw some of the party boats come in with lots of bottom fish. That might be a good 1/2 day with your kids. I think the rates were $40 or so per head on 1/2 days. Be prepared for outrageous gas prices on the road...I actually paid less per gallon from a marina than at a convenience store!!
 
Top