Florida Keys Flats????

[onthefly]

I am heading to the keys to do some Tarpon fishing along with some deep water Permit fishing. I have a boat but it is not a flats boat so I am looking for areas to wade that are accessible by car for Bonefish and Permit. Any info would be helpful...mile marker and key? Thanks.....

OTF

[Montcopo]

Try the state park camp ground beach on Long Key. Don't recall the mile marker but it is one key above Marathon. Last time there I was able to cast at several schools while wading out from the beach. I also noticed a number of guides with clients push poling in the area as well. Another area is on Marathon at the beach behind the K-Mart. Follow the road down to the front of the area near the public beach.

[Bonefish79]

Here you go. These have always done me well, no secrets here so I'm not burning anyones secret spots. Accessible from shore and wadable, but there's a few nasty areas that tend to scare off the casual fisherman. These are around the Lower Matecumbe Key area just below Islamorada.

Oceanside flat MM 74 near Sunset Drive, just north of Channel 2 bridge and Caloosa Cove Marina. I've caught loads of bonefish on that flat, live shrimp, small bucktails, the usual bonefish flies. This is usually called the Highway Flat, but we've always called it the Stuckey's Flat because of the old billboard that sat on the edge many years ago. Had my introduction to keys bonefish on this flat with a guide by the name of Rick Ruoff.

Channel 2 bridge, could be tarpon. You can fish the shoreline in several spots.

Craig Key (south side of Channel 2 bridge), fish the deep oceanside edges for barracuda. Try the shoreline on the gulf side near the two big estates out there, I've taken big jacks in there. If you're feeling brave, the oceanside flat that ends at Channel 2 can be waded at the low half of the tide. You've got to slog through 100 yds of muck first, but the outer flat is hard sand and can be full of bonefish. Not for the faint of heart.

Long Key State Park, ~MM 68, go in to the picnic area on the ocean and start wading north. Grass and sand flat, some areas of muck that you'll have to traverse, but this flat goes forever and has some of the largest bones I've seen down there. Also sharks, barracuda.

Have a great trip.
Doug

[msusawyer]

I'm heading down to the keys at the end of May. I'll be staying at Bahia Honda state park for a few days before I go to Key West. Any suggestions for that area?

[Capt Frank]

I would get out at daybreak at Bahia Honda, before swimmers get in and you should spot some bones. Ive used small Charlies and Gotchas, white/pink. Flood tides are good, may see some barracudas and jacks. I hear tell there are some rolling tarpon near the bridge on occassion.
onthefly the best tarpon fishing is KW period. Fish the channels in the back country or bmail me for more.

[Tailing Loop]

I fished Bahia Honda after a cold front which dampened the party but i was told to go there by some shops in the keys. It provided great wadable fishing access but again the cold front put a damper on catching fish. -the problem may have been the fisherman too [wink] Also, if you go down far enough Boca Chica is supposedly a very prodcutive spot and wadable as well.

[msusawyer]

Thanks for the advice. Now I'll just have to learn to tie gotchas and charlies.

TL - How many shad flies have you tied by now? I've probably got 10-12 shad flies and 6-8 clousers. I keep trying deceivers but somehow they just don't turn out right.

Maybe if I pray for rain on saturday, OMC will set me straight. Of course, then I'd have to deal with the wrath of god from everyone on the board. Hmmm, tough call.

[akocan]

I have also had a lot of problems with deceivers, I finally got mine to come out looking ok and working well when I read an article by lefty. The resson he invented the deceiver was because when he just tied on the tail feathers, they would get wrapped around the hook when he cast them. He added the deer hair to act as a guard to prevent the feathers from wrapping around the hook. Once I started tying in the deer hair to be more of a guard than trying to get the deceiver look good, I found my flies turned out much better.

[msusawyer]

Mine just end up with the wrong shape, I think because my hackle aren't ending up in the right place or right orientation. I've got one of Lefty's videos that I'll have to review a little more to see if I can figure out whats going on. If that don't do it, I'll save it for another day and try to watch someone else do it first

[msusawyer]

I found this link on danblanton.com Its got some really good info

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=95444