AS SEEN IN THE WINTER 2004-05 ISSUE

No other stretch of roadway attracts as much attention amongst the angling community as the famed Seven Mile Bridge. Spend a few minutes and
get to know this outrageous fish attracting haven! It’s well before sunrise. I toss the mooring lines and start our half mile journey toward one of the most unique man made structures ever devised.

My hope was for my client to release his first tarpon before the sun came up. Maneuvering into position beneath the towering giant, I quietly dropped the anchor. 15 minutes later a huge splash behind the boat broke the silence of the otherwise peaceful moonlit morning. The red & white Bomber Long-A he was tossing into the shadows had been engulfed by a large silvery monster. The 20 lb. Ande screamed off the Penn 9500. A second splash confirmed that we were hooked into a behemoth of a fish. Instructing my client to hold on to the rod for dear life, I threw the anchor ball and turned on the spotlight in preparation of the chase. The fish plowed his way south through the maze of concrete abutments before sprinting to the west, jumping clear out of the water 3 spans down. After an intense 30 minute battle, determination gave way to exhaustion as the shiny beast laid only feet from the boat. Unfortunately for the client the fish was triumphant at one last attempt at freedom. With one last sweep of its enormous tail the estimated 125 pounder’ leaped high into the air and landed directly on the leader, parting it like a hot knife to butter.

Landing a large tarpon in the shadows of the Seven Mile Bridge is one of the most exciting achievements in a saltwater anglers’ career. Thousands travel here from around the globe to try their luck against the local population, many of them emerging successful. Though tarpon are the main attraction, countless species inhabit this diverse habitat, all making for exciting light tackle angling. As a matter of fact, many anglers fishing along this stretch never target tarpon. The multitudes of giant concrete abutments supporting the miles of roadway above are home to a vast array of inshore sport fish.

Mangrove snapper are especially fond of the bridge. You can bet on bagging a few keeper ‘grays’ on just about any day of the year here. Additional species calling the submerged concrete home include different members of the grouper family, mutton snapper, yellowtail, jack crevalle, Spanish mackerel, permit, bonefish and a steady mix of toothy sharks and barracuda. On top of that, thrilling incidental catches include big snook, redfish, cobia, and the occasional king mackerel. Exotic sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, sting rays, and porpoise also abound in the area, making a visit to the Seven Mile Bridge an ideal family outing. After dark, millions of shrimp and glow worms flow through the spans and literally light up the night.

The original Seven Mile Bridge was built between 1908 and 1912 as part of Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad. In 1935 a devastating hurricane damaged the rail line beyond repair. The government took possession and converted the span to U.S. Highway 1, connecting Marathon to Big Pine Key. The original Seven Mile Bridge permanently closed just prior to the new bridge opening in 1982. Let’s take a closer look at the dynamics of this magnificent structure and see why the Seven Mile Bridge has so much fish attracting appeal.

Like all manmade engineering marvels affixed at sea, bridges are held up by enormous submerged pilings, all of which provide ideal habitat for a wide array of marine wildlife. Along the entire length of the Seven Mile Bridge there are literally hundreds of pilings and abutments stretching for miles and some have been here since the early 1900’s. The encrusted structures create an ideal haven for fish, not only due to the abundance of forage but because they also provide a refuge out of the powerful currents that rush below the bridge. In addition, the entire stretch of roadway is built over a series of shallow flats and channels that act as gateways for literally millions of fish migrating from the shallow waters of Florida Bay to the nutrient rich coral reefs and bait filled blue waters of the Atlantic. The entire area also acts as a nursery for hundreds of different juvenile species. It’s no wonder so many large fish hang around the fertile ecosystem.

To cash in on this goldmine there are 6 main areas of the bridge that anglers should be familiar with. Each has unique features and each requires minor changes in presentation:

East End & Knight’s Key Bank: The Marathon end of the Seven Mile Bridge is the most fished and widely diverse. The shallow waters of Knight’s Key Bank lie immediately on the bay side of the bridge with deep water channels paralleling both sides of the roadway. On an outgoing tide the powerful currents rush along Vaca Key before colliding into Knight’s Key Bank as the water forces its way through the bridge. Tarpon swim up-current along the bank here which makes Knight’s Key a great target area. If releasing a tarpon is on your to-do list, this is where you should fish anytime throughout the winter. The edges of the bank here are fairly deep and hold plenty of residents. Look for the tarpon to be most active during warm, calm spells, especially those just prior to a cold front. Low light hours from dusk to well after dark offer the best chances of success, especially around the full moon. Mullet are scarce this time of year so the most effective tarpon baits will be pinfish, pilchards, and large crustaceans. All are readily available and can be purchased at many local bait shops.

When live baiting tarpon use 6- to 7 ft. of 60 lb. fluorocarbon leader with a 5/0 live bait hook. I prefer Mustad’s #92677; these hooks are extra strong and are a bit offset. If anchored in a fairly stiff current, slowly drift the bait back rather than holding it still and waiting for a bite. This allows the bait to swim naturally and greatly increases strikes. The majority of wintertime tarpon fishing is done here at the east end of the bridge, but the Silver Kings will spread west as the spring approaches. Along this eastern end of the bridge there are also deep holes between the large abutments that hold countless jacks, grouper, snapper and more tarpon.

In addition to live bait the best way to connect with winter tarpon anywhere along the Seven Mile Bridge is by casting large lures after dark, such as Bomber Long A’s, Rapala Magnums, Mirro Lures, etc. Get your hands on a few different colors of the largest short-lipped plugs. Anchor up-current of the bridge leaving enough room to cast to several different abutments. Expect most of the tarpon encountered here to be between 20- and 70 pounds, though fish over 100 pounds will show their faces as early as February. Make sure you have a firm grip on the rod as a tarpon devouring a plug can be like hooking the bumper of an overhead passing vehicle.

Next is Pigeon Key. There are shallow flats surrounding this small island with fairly deep channels that run between the plateaus. This area is your #1 destination for both bonefish and permit. The bones tend to prefer the ocean side flats while expect permit to be rooting for shrimp and crabs on the outer edges of the bayside flats. Tarpon will also be encountered in the shadows of the bridge around Pigeon Key and numerous lemon and blacktip sharks are often eager to please. If the sharks are your pleasure, the western most flats just prior to Moser Channel are where they prefer to hang. Put out a chum bag and fish live bait or cut mullet on a short trace of wire, you sure to have plenty of fun. I should mention that the mangrove bite is fairly consistent here as well.

Moser Channel is where large yachts and sailboats cross under the highest part of the bridge. Here the channel is marked from the ocean side. You’ll notice two huge barricades that protect the bridge from vessels accidentally bumping pilings. These barricades hold huge amounts of life, but it’s difficult to land the large grouper and snapper due to the maze of smaller submerged obstructions. For these tasty bottom dwellers I opt for a more productive location just west of the main channel, a spot I call the ‘snapper grounds.’ It’s a long stretch of fairly deep water with grassy bottom. Mangroves are plentiful here throughout the year, and after passing cold fronts all the fish filtering through from the chilly waters of the bay to the warmer ocean provide explosive action. It’s not uncommon for populations of snapper and grouper to hold at the ‘snapper grounds’ for days or even weeks.

When setting up, anchor the boat directly up-current of one of the many large abutments. Leave about 20 yards of breathing room between your position and the bridge so you have some room to work with. With the use of chum, draw the fish out away from the bridge. Bionic Bait and Tournament Master are two manufacturers of high quality ground menhaden chum that the fish can’t seem to resist. A medium action 12 pound spinning outfit with about 4 ft. of 20 lb. fluorocarbon leader will do nicely. Add a _ ounce egg sinker or light HookUp Lure jig head to help present the bait deeper in the water column.

Whenever targeting snapper and grouper at the bridge I’d recommend a variety of bait. Pinfish or small pilchards are a must with fresh ballyhoo chunks a close second. Live shrimp works well, but the pesky critters will deplete your supply in no time. If your first drop doesn’t produce any keepers, don’t be afraid to re-adjust. There’s a full two miles of fairly deep water to work here. On occasion I’ll hit as many as 6 to 10 pilings before striking gold. Other days the fish are extremely cooperative and it really doesn’t matter where you fish.

West of the ‘snapper grounds’ and Molasses Keys is where the viaduct part of the original Seven Mile Bridge still exists. This area is hot for popular bottom species. However the most productive hole in this particular area is nowhere near the bridge. It’s an area clearly marked on local navigational charts as Money Key Channel. This productive trench of deep water is paralleled by sharp edges and houses a number of profound depressions, some as deep as 25 ft. There are plenty of mangrove, mutton, yellowtails, and even some hogfish in this area. In Monkey Key Channel when the bite ‘on’, it’s hard to keep bait in the water. Along with all the snapper, plenty of jacks, runners, bluefish, and mackerel inhabit the area. Chances are you will see other fishermen working the edges

of Monkey Key Channel so be courteous and allow the other boats ample room. There are also huge bomb craters in this area. These deep holes are inhabited by grunts, snapper, grouper and mouth watering lobster. One particularly easy to find crater is off the northeast end of Money Key Bank. Anchor up-current of this drop off and chum heavily. You’ll be quite surprised with the rewards of your enticement. When cruising along the bridge in the vicinity of Pigeon Key stay close to the new bridge on the ocean side, though you can run the entire length of the bridge if you’re in a fairly small boat and draw little draft. I do it with no problems in my 32 ft. Century. A second path of travel is to follow the markers on the bay side paralleling the northern end of the shallow flats that hug the bridge. Once you get to your desired area you can easily cut through one of the deeper channels.

As a rule of thumb focusing most of your time around the original bridge will produce the best results. The huge pilings dating back for generations are much older and larger, holding unimaginable numbers of grouper, snapper and other popular reef dwellers. Anyhow most of the productive holes along the entire stretch are located close to the old bridge. Although, directly south of the mile markers and speed limit signs on the new bridge is a large 30 ft. deep crater that covers about 100 yards from north to south. This hole is usually full of lobster traps, but you can always find room to chum and catch a variety of species. This area is where tarpon traditionally show up in early season around mid-February. Expect them to hang around the crater until late April. Plenty of snapper and grouper inhabit this area in the winter, along with large predators like blacktip sharks, cobia, and even a big king mackerel or two. Keep live bait handy when fishing this area. Slightly west of the speed limit signs on the bay side is a trench where the depth rapidly changes from 8 ft. to 16 ft. This narrow trench runs north to south and is also excellent for grouper, snapper, hogfish, jacks and more. All these productive spots can be found by keeping a close eye on your depth finder while slowly motoring through the vicinity.

All of the above are just a few of the many spots and productive locations surrounding the world famous Seven Mile Bridge. By investing some time and effort, you may even find your very own honey-hole. If you do….stop by the Seven Mile Marina and fill me in!

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