[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Islamorada is “Sportfishing Capital of the World” and nobody will dispute that. Fishing the multitude of Islamorada reefs and wrecks is a good part of what makes it so good. Call us to fish 1-855-GOT-BAIT
Reef fishing is a lot of fun starting from catching bait when we start out. We stop and jig for pilchards, ballyhoo, sardines, and cigar minnow. We use these for bait on the reefs. They are a lot of fun to catch and the kids love it.
Islamorada is SW of Key Largo.. Islamorada consists of 4 islands.
- Plantation Key- from Mile Marker 91 to 85 is separated from Key Largo by Tavernier creek and from Windley Key by Snake creek at the SW end.
- Windley Key: The highway crosses Windley at MM84-85. It was used as a quarry to build the Overseas Highway. There is a park there featuring nature trails and fossilized coral reefs.
- Upper Matecumbe key: the highway crosses from about MM 84 to MM79. This was the original Islamorada settlement. Budd and Marys and Pretty Work Charter boat are located here.
- Lower Matecumbe key: Located between MM 79 and MM 75. It is home to a BOY SCOUT adventure camp
Spots include
- The Eagle wreck is offshore in deeper water. Often you will find mahi, grouper, sailfish, sharks, barracuda and other large predators. It is a 287 foot steel boat in 110 feet of water. She was purposely sunk as part of an artificial reef 3 miles NE of Alligator reef light.
- Davis reef, Is inside an SPA and lies southeast of Plantation Key. It is also part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
- Conch Reef, One of the best developed coral reefs, it the Aquarius Underwater Habitat is located there. The reef is closed to fishing. You need a permit to enter area and there is no anchoring or touching of the reefs. It is a great dive spot but with 60-100 feet depths and strong currents, it is not for amateurs. The Conch Wall is offshore of the reef and is outside of the SPA
- Alligator REEF, Named after the USS alligator that wrecked there. It lies to the southeast of Upper Matecumbe Key. The Alligator Reef Light stand on the reef. It is located in a Sanctuary Protection Area (SPA) and is part of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
- Pickles Reefs There is a Civil War wreck there that carried barrels of concrete. The concrete lets there is home to much marine life. Depths run from 6-30 feet.
- Crocker Reef is SW of Plantation. It is in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, but is not in the SPA
- Aquarium a shallow patch reef
- Fish Bowl a shallow Patch reef
- Islamorada Hump It is about 15 miles offshore and is very popular and often crowded. A lot of boats troll here but bottom fishing is also very good. You will find tuna, amberjack, barracuda and others.
- Cheeca Rocks An inshore reef off of Matecumbe key. It is a Special Preservation Area
- Spiegel Grove A 510 foot steel ship in 135′ of water.
- Duane A 437\” steel ship in 118′ of water
- Alexander Barge A 120\’ steel barge in 95′ of water.
- Islamorada Reef concrete bridge parts in 115′ of water
- Bibb A steel ship 327\’ long in 130′ of water
Patch reefs Are found in 10-20′ of water. They are generally surrounded by a halo of sand which is connected to seagrass beds. The sand halo is caused by herb eating fish that est hr grass. The width of the sand depends on how far the fish can leave the safety of the coral. The reef develops from coral settling on the hard bottom, living and dying with more coral settling on top. When a reef nears the surface , it starts to get wider. The closer inshore patch reefs have the same fish as the offshore wrecks and reefs , but the fish tend to be smaller and often are found in schools. On the deeper side of these reefs mahi-mahi and sailfish are sometimes found chasing smaller bait fish. The deep waters off shore produce many species including swordfish, grouper, goliath grouper and schools of mahi-mahi.”,
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