As the first cold fronts of the year begin to roll in around mid-November, our inshore fishery will begin to shift away from the big three of bonefish, permit and tarpon and will begin to focus on some varied options. Our backcountry begins to fill with mullet, stirring up mud slicks that fill with life including sea trout, ladyfish, jacks, and bluefish among others. The flats will shift from the bonefish, tarpon and permit which have been the focus of the past several months to primarily barracuda and sharks. These fish are a ton of fun and heavily underrated as a flats quarry. Also, redfish and snook have started to become more prevalent in the Lower Keys during these months, and the big three can also be found between cold fronts given a few days of warm weather. Big snappers occupy both channels and mangrove islands if you want to catch some dinner, and if you have a smoker, we have a fantastic Spanish mackerel fishery in the gulf that will provide you with plenty of meat for a delicious Florida Keys fish dip. There are even some colossal jacks occupying many of the backcountry channels that can provide a great experience on topwater lures.

Around mid-February, we generally start to see some permit feeding on local flats, getting ready for their spawning season. This is a great time to plan a permit trip and will continue through to April depending on the weather. As the water temperature continues to increase, we will start to see the first migratory tarpon make their way into the keys. This can be hit or miss depending on the weather, but on the days that the fish are feeding the fishing can be really great. These fish are fresh and haven’t been exposed to any lures or baits yet. Bonefish will also push onto the flats, given a bit of warmer weather, and if a front pushes in we can still rely on the same barracudas and sharks from our wintertime fishery. Snapper will continue to be a good option for quite a while into the spring, and the basins will oftentimes have life as well depending on the weather.

Around the beginning of May, I’d say we officially shift into what I’d call our summertime fishery. Tarpon fishing is in full swing, fish are occupying the bridges and oceanside hotspots and really giving us our best opportunities of the year at the fish of a lifetime. This will continue until early to mid-July. Then we will shift our focus from the large migratory fish to residential juveniles, which are still a ton of fun on light tackle. Permit tends to be a little slow early on, as the fish are off to spawn, but they can still be found from time to time, and the fishing will quickly improve later in the summer as the fish come back from the spawn. Bonefish will continue to be active during this time period. Lobster season can put a bit of a damper on the flats fishing for a few weeks, but there are still fish to be found if that is when you happen to be here.

Early fall brings a bit of a quiet period to the Lower Keys. Kids are back to school, adults are back to work, and lobster season is over. A lot of guides around here also take vacations during this time period due to the lack of visitors to the area. This can make early fall an excellent time to fish the flats here, as the water has lower traffic and the fish have less pressure to deal with. Juvenile tarpon, bonefish, and permit all will feed the flats heavily until the first cold fronts roll in around November, making fall an excellent time to target the “grand slam.” This is when you catch a tarpon, bonefish and permit on the same day and is considered one of the pinnacles of fishing in the Florida Keys. Around October, pilchards will make their way into the Lower Keys and open up a whole new fishery. Getting a blacked-out live well full of these awesome baits can net you a great day of fishing focused around mangrove snappers, big jack crevalle, juvenile tarpon and even snook.