Find the Best Fishing Grounds at Key West Florida

Key West is famous for a lot of things, like its sunsets, the quaint neighborhood of conch houses known as Old Town, and its bars.  Of course, situated 128 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean, right next to a coral reef system that stretches all the way from Miami to Dry Tortugas, Key West has quite a reputable name in the world of water sports and fishing, too.  And one of the best and most popular ways to fish is Key West flats fishing.

The flats are wide expanses of shallow water that surrounds the Florida Keys as well as any tropical islands in the Caribbean and elsewhere.  Beds of sea grass grow abundantly on the flats, and all kinds of small fish live in there.  And all kinds of larger predator fish also cruise around the flats, eating.

The larger predator fish are what you’re after when you go flats fishing.  Look for bonefish, literally.  Fishing for bonefish is done as sight-fishing.  You actually look for the fish, then throw your shrimp bait at it.  Flats waters are ideal conditions for sight-casting.  Because the flats are shallow water, you can usually see right to the bottom, even in bad conditions.  Clarity of the water isn’t usually an issue.  Wind makes ripples on the surface, so wind can be an issue sometimes.

Flats Fishing in Key West - Tarpon