Patch reef fishing florida keys

Patch reefs around hawks cay and conch key florida sportsman. Patch reefs are isolated coral heads inside the reef, which are very abundant in numbers and hold fish very well. Florida keys reef and wreck fishing key west fishing charters. Fishing in the florida keys is a little like tropical sunbathing theres never a real offseason. Patch reefs are small coral reef formations inside of the main barrier reef. Patch reef fishing offers an alternative on rough and windy days. The florida keys reef system provides abundant fishing year round. Fisherman and divers travel from all over the world to experience this gorgeous coral reef. During the warmer months they are usually overlooked and are only a source of bait for other species but in the winter they become a wealth of great bites and some pretty good catches on a day when most other areas are inaccessible. One of the best parts about fishing the inshore waters of south florida is the incredible system of patch reefs which hold an amazing array of species, and the best part is that you rarely have any competition for these areas.

The winter and early spring provide excellent patch reef fishing. This is a great way for the whole family to enjoy a great day on the atlantic waters just off of marathon key, florida. Florida keys reef and wreck fishing if you want lots of action, a variety of fish, in a variety of sizes and meat for the table, then reef and wreck fishing is for you. Reefs such as bathtub reef are not coral reefs, such as the stunning patch reefs and spurandgrove reefs in the florida keys. Reef and bottom fishing florida keys fishing charters. The reef runs the full length of the florida keys, all the way from key biscayne off of miami clear past the dry tortugas keys 70 miles west of key west. It took me over a year to get sick of it, get a bigger boat and move out deeper. In my opinion conditions couldnt be better, the hotter it gets the better the fishing gets. Coffins patch key colony beach 2020 all you need to. This is a great beginning for kids and the firsttime angler. Islamorada offshore fishing trips florida keys fun fishing. Coffins patch is a great reef close to the marinas and no more then 30 feet deep, you can see small nurse sharks, barracuda, rays even eels. Reef fishing bamboo charters florida keys fishing tours and. The water temperature has crossed into the high 80s and is even creeping into the low 90s.

We like to call this offshore light with super fun fishing all on light tackle. Your wife can relax as even the deeper reefs are only 37 miles offshore. I am a native of south florida that grew up fishing miami to key west. Patch reef fishing easy adventures boat tours islamorada. Grunts, silver porgies, hogfish, groupers, mangrove and mutton snappers are just a few of the many species of fish to be found on patch reefs.

The majority of the patch reefs lie across the hawk channel and just inshore of the main living coral barrier reef that extends along the southern edge of the keys. The best fishing spots in the keys and how to fish them. The marquesas keys is a group of islands roughly 26 miles west of key west. The florida reef consists of two ridges separated from the florida keys by the hawk channel. Long key reefs bridge spans and concrete, 24 deep gps coordinates. Patch reef fishing can offer action year round, but when in the windy and cooler months decemberfebruary in the florida keys the patch reef fishing is at its peak. The florida keys reef line averages a depth of about 23 ft.

Patch reef fishing 2 miles offshore from marathon key, fl. Anchor upcurrent of the patches, chum, and fish in the sandy areas close to but outside of the patch. For lots of action and the largest variety of fish, we can fish the outer reef, patch reefs and shipwrecks on the atlantic ocean side. A gpx file download is provided at the bottom of the page if youd like to import all the locations into your gps.

The outer reefs in the florida keys act like the great barrier reef sheltering the inner reefs. This vibrant coral reef system is considered the backbone of all life in the florida keys. Florida keys patch reef mutton snapper the intrepid angler. So strap yourself in, and prepare for one heck of a thrilling ride sport fishing florida keys. Spearfishing permit in the florida keys catch and cook. Landward out to 3 miles along this arch lies some of the most productive reef fishing in the united states. Today we get into some patch reef fishing off key largo. The seas off of key largo, tavernier and islamorada have been fairly calm for early june.

Further out to sea on the edge of the florida straits is the second ridge forming the outer reefs, covered by reefs and hard banks composed of. Get notified about fishing videos, fishing rig tutorials, fishing events and new fishing product releases. For trolling, id recommend hitting the patch reefs around 56 miles to the. Tips on fishing floridas inshore patch reefs the outdoors guy. Bringing a few of my semi experienced fishing buddies, along with all our wivesgirlfriends.

A good option for days when we cannot travel outside the reef due to unfavorable sea conditions is to fish inside of the reefs. It is a short ride to the amazing coral reefs of the florida keys. Patch reefs are isolated, relatively small growths of coral that typically occur on the bottoms of nearshore shallows around key west. No matter when you plan to arrive, these five fishing tips will help you get started. Fishing patch reefs are a good way to start out fishing in the keys,and learn the techniques of florida keys fishing. Fishing the many different patch reefs that average 20 feet or so in depth is fantastic.

Youll be fishing anywhere from 20 feet of water on the patch reefs out to a little over 100 feet for big yellowtail and other snapper and grouper. The best days to fish the patch reefs are on cooler windy days when we can not get outside the reef. Closest to the keys is a sand ridge called white bank, covered by large beds of sea grass, with patch reefs scattered across it. You will soon understand what species seem to hit what rigs or baits more than others and you may then begin to target certain species. Often times, when we get cold fronts here it will blow very hard from the north for days at a time. Reef fishing in the keys presents all sorts of opportunities. There are not many spots on this planet that can offer the diverse fishing available in islamorada. Reef fishing charters in marathon, florida keys coral. If you want to pursue snook, redfish, or big sharks, weve got miles and miles of scenic florida bay to access on a backcountry fishing trip. Sanctuary preservation areas florida keys national.

Any reef or wreck fishing around islamorada can produce trophy mutton snapper and we catch them patch reef fishing in the shallow waters, bottom fishing on the reef while yellow tail snapper fishing or dropping on wrecks in deeper water with live or dead baits. How to fish patch reefs in the florida keys red rum. Patch reef fishing brings in all kinds of tasty and fun to catch fish including. Ross gallagher shares his technqiues for shallow water jigging mutton snapper out of marathon. When the winds pick up across the florida keys, inshore patch reef fishing can save yourself from a day at the dock.

One big benefit is that the fish you would usually find at the edge of the reef and beyond, will move in close to the patch reefs which are a mere couple of miles from shore. I love fishing the patch reefs here in the florida. If you arrive in time for a cold front, you can expect the sailfish to bite. We head 3 miles offshore in the florida keys which puts us in federal water where we go spearfishing for permit in this catch and cook. Reef and wreck fishing florida keys charter fishing. The patch reefs deliver for first time anglers in the florida keys. The gps global positioning system, dgps differential gps, lor loran c or uk unknown entries in the gps field indicates which format the original coordinates were obtained. You also have a good selection of wrecks and other artificial reefs when marathon fishing. The patch reefs offer calmer water on these windy days and the end result is a fantastic fishing. How to fish the patch reefs in the winter bullbuster. Follow us as we head out to troll, then do some catch and release on a key largo patch reef. The depth field is the depth of water in feet to the bottom in reef area, while relief is the height that the materials rise above the bottom in feet, if available. Capt blair wiggins travels to key largo florida to go fishing the patch reefs for snapper with capt tadd vandemark.

You will most likely hook into some mutton snapper or even a grouper. Mangrove snapper, yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, gag grouper, black grouper, goliath grouper, hogfish, barracuda, jacks, and sharks. Catch and cook keys patch reef fishing i start this fishing trip looking for live bait, i dont find any in the key largo bay so decide to run offshore to the patch reefs just south of tavernier. Mangrove snapper, mutton, yellowtail, grouper, mackerel, shark and barracuda. Patch reef fishing angling adventures florida keys fishing trips. The inland patches which are along the oceanside of hawks channel are packed with many reef dwellers like mangrove snapper, hogfish, grunt, many species of grouper, margate, porgy and many others. Florida keys reef and wreck fishing will present you with the ultimate of sportfishing challenges. You can explore this vast offshore fishery two ways with florida keys fun fishing. Sanctuary preservation areas spas within florida keys national marine sanctuary protect shallow reefs along the reef tract. Personally, it is my favorite type of fishing, i love bottom fishing and depending on the depth of water you often. Florida keys patch reef fishing nuttin but groupers. Most of the patch reefs are 5 to 15 feet deep and 100 feet or less in size, and most are accessable with a small boat. Florida keys patch reef fishing is a local term for fishing shallow water reefs, rock piles, coral heads and small ship wrecks inside the florida. Marathon florida keys fishing report captain chris johnson, seasquared charters december 28, 2010 our good client, jerry moore, escapes western pennyslvania every christmas to spend some.

Florida keys angling adventures marathon fishing charters. Sharks are also a nocturnal feeding reef fish here in islamorada, so you are almost certain to encounter sharks on your night reef fishing trip here in the florida keys. For those familiar with the reefs along the east and southern coast of the florida keys. Offshore, patch reef, gulf and bay, back county, everglades, the flamingo, and bridges are all active destinations for the largest fishing fleet in the world. Key west reef fishing key west reef and wreck fishing. Weather permitting, we can take you out to the oceanside patch reef on of our 24. Florida keys fishing spots with over 500 fishing spots with gps coordinates for inshore patch reef fishing and offshore fishing spots in the florida keys from key largo, islamorada, marathon, big pine key, key west and all keys locations for reef fishing, bottom fishing and trolling. Blue star is a program established by florida keys national marine sanctuary recognizing tour operators who are committed to promoting responsible and sustainable diving, snorkeling, and fishing practices to reduce the impact of these activities on ecosystems in the florida keys.

Black, gag and nassau grouper, a variety of snapper, including mutton and yellowtail, porgies, and hogfish are all good to eat, fun to catch and live on the patch reefs. For the first year i fished here i primarily fished the shallower rocks and patch reefs. Tips on fishing floridas inshore patch reefs outdoors guy. In shallower waters, the patch reefs offer a lot of action. My name is captain rich smith and i provide florida keys fishing charters out of the middle keys islands of marathon. Patch reef fishing angling adventures florida keys. You can fish to the north on the key largo patch reefs, or just 3 miles offshore at the islamorada reefs or travel south to the marathon reefs. When the winds howling across the florida keys, light tackle jigging over shallow patch reefs can save the day. We will be targeting yellowtail snapper, hogfish, porgies, and groupers. Spas have mooring buoys for boaters to use in order to prevent anchor damage to corals. We want our customers to feel as though they are a part of our family, going out on a trip to the reef while here on vacation. Patch reef fishing good karma sportfishing charters.

Click on a location on the map to see its description and coordinates, or scroll down to the list to see all the details. The shallow patch reefs of the coffins patch sanctuary preservation area spa, located approximately four nautical miles off key colony beach, offer some of the best snorkeling in the middle keys. Fishing for mutton snapper in the florida keys can be great year round. Fishing the patch reefs and inshore rock piles in the lower florida keys can be a lot of fun in the winter and can yield some tasty fish. Its here that youll test your skill and mettle against the mighty warriors of the deep. Taking a subscriber patch reef fishing key largo catch n cook. Florida keys patch reef fishing seasquared charters. Many of the offshore and deeper wreck spots are too rough to.

The marquesas keys consists of a circular chain of islands that have beautiful waters and an untouched feel. Just looking for some atlantic patch reef fishing tips that would be easy to have the ladies enjoy. In between key west and the primary reef line, there are dozens of patch reefs that captain pepe likes to fish when the south florida weather gets windy. Just ducky charters is geared towards small fishing or snorkeling parties.

Notifications clear all need some places to yellowtail. The marquesas keys is a nature filled, magical destination for backcountry fishing in the florida keys. Charter fishing the reefs off of marathon in the florida keys is nothing but a hop, skip, and a jump from land. A great trip for the beginner to the expert angler. Heres a list of some of the popular florida keys fishing spots ranging from the north end of marathon key heading south towards key west. Teeming with pelagics and bottom fish yearround, the florida keys. We will be fishing the sandy rocky, and grassy patch bottom of the atlantic ocean from 1 to 5 miles offshore. Here we have many shallow patch reefs, deeper bank reefs, and tons of natural and man made wrecks scattered in between. Maybe you would like to take a look at the shallow water patch reefs that are just offshore of the keys. Some nice mangsyellowtail for dinner and stuff to keep the ladies busy catching. This is typical patch reef fishing all found 2 miles or less from shore here in. Fishing the patch reefs of miami, the keys, and most of south florida is not rocket science. Florida keys reef and bottom fishing opportunities. Rather, reefs such as bathtub are classified as nearshore hardbottom, a really understated way to describe habitats so important that theyre federally designated as habitat areas of particular concern hapc.