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More than a pristine wilderness,
Florida Bay is a fisherman’s haven unlike any other.
A thorough understanding of the area will keep you hooked up!
An estuary of unrivaled beauty begins where the river of grass called the Everglades ends at the southern tip of mainland Florida. Florida Bay provides limitless angling possibilities for the light tackle enthusiast with approximately 1000 square miles of fishing area. Although isolated, it is certainly not out of reach. Easy access from Flamingo and Islamorada via any of the paved or unpaved boat ramps puts anglers’ only minutes from rod-bending action. For the uninitiated however, figuring out where and how to fish this pristine area can be quite challenging!
Florida Bay is very shallow, so shallow that in most parts a depth of 6 feet is considered an abyss. Flats boats and bay boats are the rule here. Even with a shallow draft boat, one cannot travel directly to the desired destination. Exposed, interconnected mud-banks ensure your route must be predetermined and well thought out. Consequently, some basic navigation tools must be employed.
First among them is a good navigational chart. Most charts provide compass headings for the small marked channels that allow anglers to safely navigate the bay. Channels, such as ‘Tin Can’ and ‘Crocodile Dragover’ are the only way to get from point A to point B. Knowing where they are and how to get to them is a must. Study your chart and understand what all the navigational aids mean. They will often be the only reference points you will see all day.
A GPS is also an extremely helpful navigation tool. With today’s pinpoint accuracy, you can program your routes and save them as waypoints. During inclement weather your route home is guaranteed, despite poor visibility. Also carry a radio with you, as help is often difficult to get and you may see very few boats throughout the day. The rangers at Flamingo are very helpful, but they can only give you assistance if they know you need help. Although cellular reception is steadily improving in this area, it is not complete and should not be relied upon.
Go slowly and proceed with caution, like you would when navigating any unfamiliar body of water. Observe your surroundings. If you see a multitude of mangrove shoots and wading birds in your path, stop and look at your chart to find a way around the bank. This may sound obvious, but with new prop scars regularly appearing on the flats, this point needs to be reinforced. If you do run aground, do not try to motor off the bank. You will only succeed in damaging the grasses that call these mud banks home. If you have a push pole, push yourself off the bank and into deeper water. If out of desperation you feel the need to get out and push the boat into deeper water, you’ll sink to your knees in soft mud. Remove your shoes before you try this act of desperation (mosquitoes can drive you to do crazy things.) You could wait for tidal action to float you off, but tide fluctuations in many parts of the bay are almost non-existent.
Florida Bay is a series of basins separated by mud banks. These mud banks restrict the flow of water as the tide ebbs and floods. First National Bank and Nine Mile Banks are the first barriers to the flow of water at the westernmost point of the bay. As you travel east, you will encounter a series of keys connected by thin mud banks that further retard tidal flow. To the south, the Florida Keys act as another restriction to the ebb and flow. There are several channels in the Keys that allow the movement of water from the ocean to Florida Bay, such as Lignumvitae Channel, Treatable Channel, and Whale Harbor. The tidal variation lessens as you travel northward. As a general rule, the farther north and east you travel, the less the daily tidal variation will be.
The innermost reaches of the bay see plenty of variation in water level, especially when influenced by moon phase and wind direction and strength. Water movement in areas east of Buoy Key rely more on wind and weather, rather than moon phase. Here the wind, coupled with seasonal or monthly tidal variation, can have a dramatic effect on water levels. This occurs despite the lack of daily tidal influence. For instance, this spring produced a continuous easterly blow, dropping water levels considerably. This exposed areas that rarely go high and dry. These patterns should be noted because places that one can motor across freely in one season are made impassable by a significant change in water level in another. Understanding these tidal flow patterns can be confounding. You may be in a place where the tide is coming in full force, yet only a mile away the flood may not come in for another three hours. For those wise anglers who make full use of the tides, a tide table is an invaluable guide. By using one it is possible to fish the incoming tide all day; a major advantage to the inshore angler!
Finding fish in this vast wilderness can be tricky if you are not looking in the right places. Because the bay is a group of over forty sub-basins separated by mud banks, the salinity, oxygen levels, forage, and temperature vary in every basin. Plus all of these conditions differ throughout the year. It is best to have an understanding of the bay and the variety of habitat found within its confines to understand where a particular species of fish will be located. The portion of the bay east of the Black Betsy Keys receives the least amount of tidal influence and because of this, prevailing conditions such as salinity and oxygen levels vary widely. The sea bottom in this area is almost totally devoid of sea grass. As a result, fish are far and few between.
Heading west from the Black Betsy Keys, conditions become more favorable for fish. Between the Black Betsy Keys and Buoy Keys, the fishing is much improved. Here anglers will find redfish, snook, tarpon and other species synonymous with Florida Bay. The flats closest to the mainland are the most productive, and one can often find fish throughout the year in the smaller bights, such as Garfield Bight and Rankin Bight. Here, poling the flats and sight fishing is easily accomplished so long as the mullet muds don’t cloud the water too terribly. The deeper basins west of the Samphire Keys will produce lots of trout certain times of the year for those who don’t want to break a sweat poling the flats. It is important to note that fish in this area tend to be smaller than one might find closer to the Gulf. However, they are less pressured and one is less likely to share these flats with other anglers.
The area between Buoy Key and Cape Sable has some of the best fishing in the bay. Here the tides are swift and the forage is plentiful. Also, its proximity to Flamingo makes this area readily accessible, and consistent fishing starts not far from the ranger station. It is possible to see large schools of reds working across the flats or snook sunning in potholes. Tarpon will remain in the many basins for much of the year and juveniles can be found in the channels as well as on the flats. This area receives much more pressure than the middle section of the bay, yet there is little noticeable effect on the fishing quality. It does, however, lessen the sense of isolation found in a true wilderness area.
Fishing channels that feed water to these flats at the beginning of an incoming tide can be very effective. These are natural staging areas for fish waiting to swim onto the flats. Once the tide is high enough, get on the platform and pole the boat, keeping a vigilant eye on the water level. Tides move very quickly here, and it’s easy to forget about them when chasing tailing redfish.
The southern portion of the bay can be very productive for bonefish if you look in the right places. Typically, bonefish will not travel north from the Florida Keys beyond the first tier islands and banks. From spring through fall, the Cotton Key Basin, ringed by the Cross Key Bank to the east, the Crane Keys to the north, and Shell Key Bank to the west, is an excellent place to find a Florida Bay bone. This Basin has several creeks that bring a healthy flow of water from the ocean, and bonefish are abundant. There are numerous flats to explore in and around the basins, and almost all will hold fish at one time or another.
Moving west, Twin Key Bank and the western edge of Nine-Mile Bank produce plenty of bonefish. The bones here are wilder than their counterparts on the downtown flats of Islamorada and the flats of Biscayne. These fish are thus much more willing to take a fly or skimmer jig. Tarpon can also be found in great numbers moving along the edge of these banks during their annual spring and summer migration. Increasing numbers of redfish also visit this flat. The enormous size of the area makes locating fish a little more difficult; however, isolation and minimal fishing pressure offset this difficulty.
Florida Bay is one of the wildest parts of America. Its proximity to major metropolitan centers makes it an ideal place for those wishing a quick escape from the commotion and stress of city living. The bay represents Florida, wild and untamed. To preserve this wondrous place, the visitor should leave no trace of his or her presence. This will allow the park to stay pristine for future visitors. One cannot convey in words the enormity, untainted beauty and incredible fishing opportunities the Bay has to offer. Many anglers dedicate their lives to fishing this wilderness. Once you have been here you will understand why!
Bio
Capt. Matt Urich caught his first fish off of the pier at Sanibel Island at the age of two, and hasn’t been right since. After taking time off from fishing to earn a Bachelors Degree in Geology, he decided to make his passion his career. Capt. Matt has traveled the world to pursue the most prized game fish, and considers sight fishing to be the ultimate form of angling. He loves poling the flats and putting his clients on fish, although he prefers to be on the pointy end of the boat. He currently resides in Tavernier in the Florida Keys, and fishes the Florida Keys, Biscayne Bay and the Everglades.
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