Islamorada (Florida Keys)

[Mech]

I got invited to go to my cousins place there for lobster hunting and tarpon fishing.

He was the federal wildlife guy there and ran one of their boats.
He just recently switched his hat to homeland security but still does more or less the same job but with a bit of a twist .

He is a toy collector and said we have access to his private boats and Harleys.

We haven’t bought our tickets yet but will soon.
We dig lobster so we will wait for that season.
Tarpon wise he says that there are 6 foot monsters in the canal he lives on.

Really looking forward to this.
I’ll post some pics and a review about this place near the end of the summer.

We are simple people that like old Harley’s so this a big thing for us.
So can any of you offer any tips for this trip?
I love my cousins but I kinda wanna ditch him and his family so we don’t wear on them.

His family is staying at our place in Sequim next month.

Thanks.
Andy.

[JL]

Tarpon and sharks will stage around the bridges where the tidal exchange is. Almost like a trout will face upstream waiting for an easy meal... At night, you'll probably see their shadows around the bridges if the tide's right. Tarpon like your offering presented above them.

If it was me, I'd head to those passes at night, first thing in the AM, and at last light. During the day, I'd hit the flats and shallows for bones or maybe a permit or something.

Always other wild cards around there too like snook/reds/cuda/food fish/etc..

Sounds like an awesome trip! You'll eat well, I'm sure.

[3dvapor]

I rented a vrbo with a boat slip and rented a boat for a few days.  Everybody goes out to the sand spits and anchors.  Sit in lawn chairs swim etc.. we also snorkelers a lot.  Robbies marina was fun for the kids to feed the tarpon.  We also had fun in key west. 

[Mech]

Thank you for the tips guys.

My cuz has two boats.
One of them costs more than than I am ever willing to pay for so I don’t see me ever using it as a loaner because I don’t know the area.

The other is sort of a panga or rather a large lake boat with a nice motor but yet nothing too fancy so I am comfortable with that.

Tarpon seem to be very abundant within in a short ride.

I plan on fly fishing for them but I will also bring a couple of nice bait casters because I do bait casters better but I really don’t know.

Catch and release only and I am totally cool with that... maybe a nice fight and a pic and we are good.

My research says most noobs never actually land them but they fight them for a bit.
I see some of this in my future but I’m gonna land some.

I will probably hire a guide for a day or two.

My cousin doesn’t dive for lobster but he uses a “bully net” and just takes his little boat to shallow water near the grass areas and kinda spears them with a net stick for an easy limit.

Robby’s restaurant let’s you feed the big tame ones and that is on the punch list.

Im not going to barrow one of his Harley’s unless we ride together.

For the most part I am just cool with hanging out with the wife, getting our lines wet and seeing some cool stuff.

His house is on stilts and he modeled the lower level for guest chambers.
We get our own little area.
Looking forward to this .

Thanks again.
Andy.

[jay.sharkbait]

Thank you for the tips guys.

My cuz has two boats.
One of them costs more than than I am ever willing to pay for so I don’t see me ever using it as a loaner because I don’t know the area.

The other is sort of a panga or rather a large lake boat with a nice motor but yet nothing too fancy so I am comfortable with that.

Tarpon seem to be very abundant within in a short ride.

I plan on fly fishing for them but I will also bring a couple of nice bait casters because I do bait casters better but I really don’t know.

Catch and release only and I am totally cool with that... maybe a nice fight and a pic and we are good.

My research says most noobs never actually land them but they fight them for a bit.
I see some of this in my future but I’m gonna land some.

I will probably hire a guide for a day or two.

My cousin doesn’t dive for lobster but he uses a “bully net” and just takes his little boat to shallow water near the grass areas and kinda spears them with a net stick for an easy limit.

Robby’s restaurant let’s you feed the big tame ones and that is on the punch list.

Im not going to barrow one of his Harley’s unless we ride together.

For the most part I am just cool with hanging out with the wife, getting our lines wet and seeing some cool stuff.

His house is on stilts and he modeled the lower level for guest chambers.
We get our own little area.
Looking forward to this .

Thanks again.
Andy.

Get ahold of Matt Foreman. He is a well known guide in the area and has Islamorada Coastal Adventures.

[Fl0und3rz]

You want to get your juices flowing, check out this guys channel.

Key West Kayak FIshing

[Boss .300 winmag]

You want to get your juices flowing, check out this guys channel.

Key West Kayak FIshing

Those are babies compared to the big dock dwellers.🤣

[M_ray]

It’s not just noobies that have trouble landing them. Don’t get frustrated, when I fly fished for them you land about one in 5 because of the paper thin mouths. It just depends on where the hook ends up. They have less bone to pin in their mouths so odds are against you from the start.

I thought I was doing crappy but the guides I e been with told me no this is normal, happens to everyone. When I see the shows on TV they never show you all the ones they are loosing so looks like they are landing every one.

Like someone else said if it were me I’d fish for bones, permit, snook ect during the mid day. It’s still on my bucket list to get a grand slam in one day.

https://igfa.org/grand-slam-clubs/

[Fl0und3rz]

Those are babies compared to the big dock dwellers.🤣

That was just a quick sampling.  He catches some major fish, including tuna, jacks, and sharks off that little kayak.  Snorkeling for lobster, too.