Mangroves and Bridges: The Key to Fishing the Keys
It's no secret that Florida is a fishing mecca, and one of the state's gems is Islamorada and the entire Florida Keys. Fishing opportunities abound for various species, and there is always a chance to catch something. It's a popular tourist venue and fishing destination with plenty of excellent guides, including Captain Matt Foreman, a retired Navy SEAL who started Islamorada Coastal Adventures.
Wisconsin multi-species guide Jeff Evans has been going there every spring for years and turns into a client, fishing with Foreman in the mangroves and along the bridges for many species. Their targets include permit, grouper, trout, tarpon, snook, and more. They each shared their insight on targeting these situations with live bait and artificial lures.
Mangroves in Everglades National Park
The Everglades is home to the largest group of continuous mangrove forests in the Western Hemisphere, and these tropical trees are prime habitats for fishing. The vast amount of cover makes for great fishing, and Foreman, who grew up a freshwater bass angler, says there are many parallels.
"I spent most of my early years bass fishing, flipping baits to bushes and overhangs, and this is the same thing," he said. "Instead, we are primarily targeting snook and juvenile tarpon, but they are very similar in that they are ambush predators and will smoke a bait if you can place it in the shade and if you have some current moving."
Foreman typically opts for pilchards that he caught earlier in the day with a cast net, but will also use live shrimp. "We rig the pilchards on a 4/O circle hook and split shot and make it look as natural as possible coming through there," he said. "We'll fish the shrimp on a ¼-ounce jighead most of the time but will go heavier depending on what the current is doing. Most of my clients enjoy light tackle, so our gear is similar to what you'd use for bass fishing."
His gear selection includes a medium to a medium-heavy spinning rod, and a 3000-sized reel spooled with a 15 lb Seaguar Smackdown braid in Flash Green with a leader of 30 lb Seaguar Blue Label fluorocarbon leader.
"Those big snook are going to do their best to try to drag you into the mangroves, so you need a rod with a little backbone, a tight drag, and the right line," he said. "We also have a pretty bad shark problem, so getting them in as fast as possible is critical. Blue Label is great because of how well it holds up; it's soft and ties knots very well, but it can stand up to abuse."
Evans enjoys the Everglades experience, and as crazy as it sounds, it reminds him of fishing rivers in Wisconsin.
"It's a super fun way to fish, you look for those little ditches with current that cut back into the mangroves, but it's very similar to fishing moving water in the Upper Midwest," he said. "You are pitching to those specific spots, whether it's a deep hole or dark spot. It's an easy translation for someone used to fishing in freshwater."
The bonus is the wildlife and fishing experience here. "It's incredible, especially for someone who's never seen it because it's so beautiful," he said. "You see dolphins, flamingos, and all kinds of sharks. Then you have your chance to catch so many different species. We always go down in March, but they all say the fishing improves with more stable weather in April and May."
Targeting Bridges
Fishing the mangroves is fun, but a time commitment and the ride to fishing areas is longer. The bridges are a great place to go for those with less time to fish or for those who want to stay closer to Islamorada. They attract many fish species that are generally biting.
"The Glades are a time commitment and an all-day event, so the bridges offer a real productive way to catch fish," said Foreman. "Everything is coming back out of the backcountry to Florida Bay when you have an outgoing tide, and if you can time that with the evening bite, it can be a home run. Those predator fish will stack up on those choke points, and you never know what you'll catch; it could be a grouper, tarpon, permit, or any other fish species. We had a day last year where we caught 19 different species in one day; it's wild."
Foreman and his clients will still fish live bait, but he bumps up his tackle to deal with the current and cover. "I use a heavier rod and step it up to 30 or 40 lb Seaguar Smackdown and a leader of 25 lb Seaguar AbrazX fluorocarbon because of all of the bridge pilings, barnacles, rocks, and debris down there. You need that heavier line because those big fish will dog you back down into whatever structure is there."
Various live bait, including shrimp, pilchards, and mullet work, and Foreman will rig them up on 'knocker rigs' with sliding egg sinkers and a circle hook.
"Most of the time, a half-ounce weight is enough unless the current is insane," he said. "When trying to catch tarpon, we fish differently and drift the baits back on a float. But for all of the species, you're just trying to keep your bait around the bridge pilings."
Evans brought one of his go-to artificials from back home in Wisconsin to Florida and found great success with a 3/8-ounce gold Kastmaster Spoon with gold reflective tape and found great success around the bridges.
"The mangroves are a mess, and you'll lose a bunch of bait if you have treble hooks, but the bridges have a cleaner bottom," he said. "We were fishing the spoons just like we do back home in Wisconsin, casting up current and letting it drift back to the structure and using a flick of the wrist to get the bait to shimmy and shake. We caught several different species on them, and no matter what species they were, they about ripped the rod out of your hand when they hit it."
Evans used the same spinning setups that he uses back home but beefed up his line for this approach. "Instead of 15 lb Smackdown, I went up to 50 lb because there's a good chance you'll hook into a tarpon or permit," he said. "I also went with the heavier leader and 30 lb Gold Label."
Fishing in and around Islamorada, Florida, is an adventure, and many fish species are generally willing to bite. Targeting bridges and the mangroves are just two of the inshore approaches possible, but they are surefire ways to catch fish.
Seaguar Smackdown braid is available in high visibility Flash Green and low visibility Stealth Gray. It is available in 150- and 300-yard spools in sizes ranging from 10 to 65 lb tests.
Seaguar Inshore Fluorocarbon leader is available on 100-yard spools from 12 to 80 lb tests.
Seaguar Gold Label Fluorocarbon leader is available in 25- and 50-yard spools in 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 & 12 lb tests for freshwater use, complementing the 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 80 lb test leaders available for saltwater.
Seaguar Blue Label Fluorcarbon leader is available in 25-, 50- and 100-yards from 2 to 80 lb tests.
Seaguar AbrazX Fluorocarbon is available in 200- and 1,000- yard spools from 4 to 25 lb tests.