Shallow Water Seafarer Loc: Big Pine Key, lower Keys (Winter)

I am going to start spending my Winters in the lower keys next December and I am looking for tips about what species I might find in my new 16ft. boat. I plan to learn how to snorkel for lobster season, but I am wondering which good eating fish are most plentiful in the shallows or off the coast on calm days? I plan to troll lures and drift the tide with live bait. Dave

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

Dave. Welcome to the fishing stage. We've got a lot of members on here from Florida. Put your location in your profile so we know where you're at and you'll hear from most of them and then some. I hear the trout down there are tasty.

flyguy Loc: Lake Onalaska, Sunfish Capitol of the World!

Welcome to the Forum, SWS. You are going to enjoy it, especially if you have a boat. Most of the saltwater fish are tasty if prepared correctly. That is the key. Make sure you get all of the blood out of them when you clean them. You should cut it out and wash them thoroughly. The fish that I do not even bother to clean are, and I know that I'm going to have a lot of disagreements but to each his own. I don't do hardheads, shark, mackerel, stingrays, and the boney little junk fish. Red snapper is the best and then the rest of the snapper family and there are a lot of them. Followed by sheepshead, trout, red drum, black drum, the bigger drum can be wormy be careful of that. You can see them. The bigger crockers, flounder, and pompano are good. I'm sorry to say that the Wintertime is the worst time to fish because saltwater fish become dormant when the water drops down into the 50's. You shouldn't have that happen down there but it could. As far as bait, live shrimp is about the only thing that I use, usually on a Carolina rig, a hi-lo rig, or a rig with the sinker on the bottom, the hook 10" - 12" above the sinker. A 2 or a 2/0 circle hook will be just fine. (MHO)

Olddawg Loc: Citrus Springs, Fl

Don't skip mackerel until you try it. Ice them immediately and clean soon after. But not on boat. All fish must be whole (except gutted) when brought to shore. Only keep what you will eat in 48 hrs as they do not freeze well. Great fried, smoked, baked whatever. Not like northern Boston mackerel at all but nice white flesh and very easy to fillet. Many smokehouses will smoke them for you for half of your catch and at 15 per day is not painful.

Shallow Water Seafarer Loc: Big Pine Key, lower Keys (Winter)

Does Highway 1 serve as the boundary between the Atlantic and the Gulf down in the keys? I've been looking in on the forum for a year or so now. I fished the bridges at Bahia Honda for years on camping trips. Plenty of good tasting grunts and snappers, porgies and hogfish. Of course with our Ohio tackle, we occasionally ran into something we couldn't handle that would run out the line in the reel and snap it off like a rifle shot, broke a rod once on what we figured was a big grouper. I am going to be operating out of Bogie channel next Winter, but I am willing to wander far under good boating conditions. I really appreciate the responses so far. I plan to volunteer and become a part time citizen of the Lower Keys in the years I have left.

Olddawg Loc: Citrus Springs, Fl

When you get there the confusion will be gone. So little land mass, if the water is east of you,Atlantic, west Gulf. In Key Largo and Key West when you leave the dock go east Atlantic, West Gulf. Watch your bottom machine and watch the water in the Gulf or inn shore by island because of large and small reefs. Buy a local chart and study it until you have a good idea of your surroundings as running around is expensive in damage to boats and damage to coral reefs that you can be charged for.

BILLBYRD1 Loc: Prattville Al

Welcome Dave.

Shallow Water Seafarer Loc: Big Pine Key, lower Keys (Winter)

Thank you Bill. I look forward to getting back to fishing.

USAF Major Loc: Sea Bright, NJ

Snook, mangrove snapper, cero mackerel as wells yellowtail snappers are very common catch. Use a fluorocarbon leader as the water is as clear as gin.