Florida Bay Fishing Report - Hot Spots Revealed in 2 Articles

Fall has arrived and delivered our first mini-cold front of the year. Wow, that air feels great! Cooler air combined with shorter days and less sunlight has sparked the fishing in Florida Bay. 

Two recent articles (one in the Miami Herald and the other in Florida Sportsman) caught my attention because they both revealed very specific locations to begin your hunt for Redfish and Snook. Usually these articles give just enough information to get you excited but only a general idea of locations.

Click HERE for the Snook article by Susan Cocking of the Miami Herald. For the article on Redfish spots, you'll have to purchase the October edition of Florida Sportsman Magazine and turn to page 66 in the Action Spotter section. 

Ahhh September...

Great fishing, warm crystal clear water, calm inviting seas, the crowds are gone... ahhh September, quiet time in the Florida Keys. 

This is the time of the year when locals regroup after a long season, when captains work on their boats, when kids go back to school and when you can get the best deals on hotels, fishing, diving and dining. 

In the old days, hotels would actually close in September due to the lack of business. It was cheaper to close than to stay open. Now days, hotels are open and offering their best deals of the year. 

Yes, there is the chance of a hurricane but most hotels are flexible with cancellation polices to make it easy for you to be here. 

Come on down and relaaax. 

No lines, no hassles, no problems. 

Hotel Booking Tip: Better ask about Hidden Fees!

With the economy off and gas prices up, people are shopping around for the best hotel deals. My advice is to be very careful. Don't just call and ask for the room rates. Ask if there are additional charges other than tax. 

In many cases the true daily cost will be the room rate plus a "resort fee" or other hidden charges AND they won't tell you if you don't ask. I do not like this trend. It's not a "bait and switch" situation but it's not totally honest either. It makes the consumer think they are getting a better deal and/or a much lower rate than the hotel down the street. Upon arrival, it may be too late to go somewhere else. 

The most common hidden daily charge is a Resort Fee. You have to look for the fine print on a confirmation letter, web site, or hotel rules to find out what it is and 99% of the time it is not negotiable and must be paid along with the room rate. These fees range from $10 to as high as $60 per day ($60 is at a hotel less than a mile from Pines and Palms). So if you were quoted a room for $279 per night for example, when you add the resort fee (say $30), you get a real nightly rate of $309 per night and a total extra cost for a week of $210.

Another hidden fee could be for parking, common in big cities but not something you would expect in the Keys. Bringing a boat? Not only will you be charged a daily dockage fee but sometimes a fee to launch your boat and park your trailer. Want your room cleaned daily? Look out for daily housekeeping fees. What's next? Some hotels are now experimenting with added energy fees.

This thing bothers me because at our place we do it the old fashioned way. Everything is covered in the daily rate: coffee, daily newspaper, housekeeping, energy, dockage, towel service, parking, etc. You are not forced to pay for extras like kayaks, bicycles, snorkeling equipment, fishing gear, etc., stuff that you may not use. 

You gotta compare apples to apples. One place might seem to have lower rates but don't forget to add in the resort fee and other charges to find the best deal.

Now you know... the rest of the story.

Pet Friendly Resorts

Quite often somebody stops by and complains they had to leave their hotel and find somewhere else to stay because there were animals everywhere and/or their room smelled like dog. 

The reason is simple. There aren't many places that allow pets. The ones that do are magnets for people traveling with cats and dogs and other animals such as ferrets and birds (strange but true).

Don't get me wrong, I love animals. That's me in the photo with our dog "Baby." We've experimented with allowing pets at the resort. We've tried a limited number of pet friendly rooms, we've tried small animals only... unfortunately it's the same result: dog droppings, hair, barking, and smell. 

Do yourself a favor, before you book a room ask if they allow pets. If it's a smaller property and you're not traveling with your doggie, you might want to try someplace else. If it's a larger property request a pet-free room.

As a resort owner, I wish there was a good way to allow pets and still keep the rooms clean and quiet. Let me know if you have any ideas. 

Lobster Mini-Season

Did you come down to the Keys to get some lobster? 

The annual 2-day "mini lobster season" frenzy has come to a close and it looks like most folks did pretty well. 

If you missed out on the early fun, you can still come down and get your freebies because the regular season opens August 6th and runs through March 31st. 

It's been my experience that there are still plenty of easy-to-get lobsters through the month of October. After that, the commercial fishermen will have put a good dent in the population so it becomes a bit more difficult to find them.

If you are looking for lobsters, the important thing to remember is that they move around every night. Just because a likely looking place has been cleaned out doesn't mean they are gone for good. Good cover is good cover. Wait a few days and you might be surprised. 

Gas prices have reduced the numbers of people visiting in the Keys so if you want to visit now is a great time and there are some good deals out there. 

Jewfish Creek Bridge Opens

It couldn't happen any sooner... the new Jewfish Creek Bridge opens this Thursday (May 22) reducing a major traffic snarl on the Keys side of the 18 mile stretch. The bridge soars 65 feet into the air and will eventually eliminate the need for the drawbridge that has stalled traffic and caused huge problems during hurricane evacuations. Much of the repaving and widening of the road has been finished on the Monroe County side but we won't see completion of the entire project (Florida City to Key Largo) until 2011.

Where's the Beach?

As a hotel owner in the Keys, it freaks me out when a visitor tells me they can't wait to get here so they can take a long walk down the beach. In their mind I'm sure they hear screeching sea-gulls and see crashing waves with endless miles of white sandy beach.

Sorry, we don't have that here. Many people just don't do the research before going on vacation and are disappointed when they arrive. And I learned a long time ago, as the owner of the resort... it is going to be my fault for not revealing this fact. So we do a lot of explaining on telephone calls about the beaches (or lack of) in the Florida Keys.

Our beaches are quite beautiful but different. Most Keys resorts have a nice beach area for sunning and swimming but they are not long enough for running or taking a walk. We bring the sand in by the truckload because we really don't have much naturally occurring sand due to the lack of wave action. 

Here's a couple of definitions you need to understand: A "Sunning Beach" means the resort has a nice sandy beach area with lounge chairs but you can't swim from the beach due to a sea wall. A "Swimming Beach" means they have a nice sandy area but you can get up from your lounge and walk directly into the water without negotiating a sea wall.

There are a few nice beaches in the Keys. Near Islamorada there is Anne's Beach located at mile marker 73 on the ocean side. The beach has a nice shallow sandy swimming area, covered picnic tables, boardwalk and bathroom facilities. It's close to the road but pretty nice.

The nicest beach in the Keys is Bahia Honda located at mile marker 37. Some of the most prestigious travel magazines rank Bahia Honda as one of the best beaches in Florida and others rank it as one of the best and beachs in the world.

Islamorada Restaurant Guide

Our guests really appreciate this restaurant guide we provide as they check-in at the resort. B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, ** means this is one of my favorite places, O/S = Oceanside, B/S = Bayside, B/A = Boating accessable.

*Lazy Days: (L,D) mm 79.9 O/S; 664-5256; 2nd floor oceanfront dining, a beautiful view. Get a reservation for the balcony and eat outside. In the summer, ask for a table on the balcony but in the shade. B/A
Hungry Tarpon: (B,L,) mm 77.5 B/S; 664-0535; This is fun little Keys diner. It’s a “dive” but the food is really good. It’s a popular local favorite. Try their unusual breakfast specials. Good burgers. Eat, then go have some fun feeding the Tarpon out back at Robbie’s… those fish are BIG, imagine catching one on a fly rod! B/A.
*Midway Café & Coffee Bar: (B,L) mm 80.4 O/S; 664-2622; They have good homemade food and the best coffee (which they roast). This is Islamorada’s version of Starbucks but with high quality food. Breakfast & lunch served 6:00am – 3:00pm Thurs.-Sat., 7:00am-2:00pm Sunday, closed Wednesday. Smoothies are super too. A bit more expensive than your average breakfast place but, homemade is homemade.
**Uncle’s: (D) mm 80.9 O/S; 664-4402; One of my favorite dinner places! They don’t have a view, but the food and the service is excellent. Known for Tuna, try the “Tuna Teriyaki” (it’s a bit hot); excellent local fish preparations; usually a wild game dish on the menu too. Bring an appetite; they give you tons-o-food! Arrive early and enjoy the antics of Tony the bartender… you’ll know what I mean after you meet him.
**Spanish Gardens Café: mm 81 O/S, (L,D); UPDATE! One of my new favorites for lunch, the sandwiches are unbelievably good. This is a small deli and restaurant with fine cheeses and meats with fresh bread. There are also smaller tapas items available, coffee and fresh squeezed juices. They also sell neat gourmet items. I just updated this (1/15/09) to a ** rating because they recently updated their dinner menu and everything is fabulous. Order a glass of the Rioja with dinner... yum.
*Green Turtle Inn: (B,L,D) mm 81 O/S; 664-2006; My new favorite place for breakfast and they have great coffee too (Starbucks). Lunch and dinner is very good too. It’s real nice inside, let us know what you think!
Islamorada Fish Company: (L,D) mm 81.5 B/S; 664-9271; Fun must-do lunch while you are here… eat outside on their dock... fish in a basket style… beautiful Bay view AND it’s a working seafood market. Shop at the Worldwide Sportsman next door before or after dining. If it’s Stone Crab season, don’t leave without trying some… they’re fully cooked, get the honey mustard sauce and a wooden mallet to break open the shells, take home and eat: yum… sweet meat! The boats come and go daily with their fresh catch in season. B/A
Zane Grey: (L,D) mm 81.5 B/S, located inside the World Wide Sportsman, 664-4244. Excellent view of the bay from the upstairs balcony, light lunch – dinner, cigar bar, entertainment (sometimes). B/A
**Morada Bay: (L,D) mm 81.5 B/S; 664-0604; Go here for nightly sunset celebration. One of our favorite hangouts for a cocktail and/or dinner. Wear your sandals so you can walk barefoot on the beach. Watch the sunset sitting in an Adirondack chair while you wait for your table. “Full Moon Party,” monthly starting @ 7pm on the full moon. Tip: eat at the bar if it’s crowded instead of waiting for a table. It’s a fun place, wonderful sunsets. Take your camera. Kids welcome.
**Pierre’s: (D) mm 81.5 B/S; 664-3225; The elegant sister restaurant to Morada Bay, gourmet dining. Start with a cocktail downstairs, so you can see their beautiful bay front bar and porch... a work of art. Request a table on the balcony, for best dining experience. Reservations recommended. Time your dining with the sunset. The place to go for a very special dining experience. Expensive.
Islamorada Restaurant & Bakery (Bob’s Bunz): (B,L) mm 81 B/S; 664-8363; Excellent basic All-American eggs and bacon breakfast. Try their famous cinnamon buns with cream cheese frosting (get it… Bob’s Bunz!) … a side of bacon… coffee… yes! (go early, they sell-out fast!). Carryout bakery items. Good basic lunch too. Open 6am – 2pm.
Tower of Pizza Restaurant: (L,D) mm 81.5 B/S; 664-8216; Basic good to great pizza – they are generous with the cheese! Eat in or take out. Excellent Italian entrees too, free delivery after 4pm. Good food.
*Chanticleer South: (D) mm 81.5 O/S; 664-0640 This is located where Manny & Isa’s used to be. Their ad reads “Fine French Cuisine” and the food quality is excellent and expensive. Let me know if you like it!
Kaiyo: (L,D) mm 81.7 O/S; 664-5556; If you like sushi, this is the place. Beautiful interior design. Try the Islamorada roll. It’s fun to eat at the bar rather than wait for a table. Something for everybody, not just sushi.
The Lor-e-lei: (B,L,D) mm 81.9 B/S; 664-4656: The Lorelei was destroyed by hurricane Wilma but the cabana is open with a new chef and updated menu. A nice place to go for lunch and a traditional place for the nightly sunset celebration. New owners, not as fun or as good as it used to be. Mostly bar food but pretty good. B/A
Mangrove Mike’s Café: (B,L) mm 82 B/S; 664-8022. Another breakfast and lunch spot, like a diner, serving 6am – 2pm; daily lunch specials start at 11am. Locals hangout. Excellent breakfast and lunch.
Taki Outi: (L,D) mm 82 O/S; 664-0600; Your basic Chinese carryout with free delivery. Sesame chicken is good.
Athens Café & Grill: (L,D) mm 82 O/S; 664-0848; Greek food in the Keys? Yes, and it’s real good. Mostly carry out but a few tables inside. They deliver. Gyros are authentic and excellent! (Not open on Sundays.)
Whistle Stop: (L,D) mm 82.5, 664-4246: Best place for late night eats, serving food until 3 am Monday through Sunday. This is also our local liquor store next door. Lots of cigarette smoke!
Islamorada Village Gourmet: (B,L,D) mm 82.7 O/S; 664-4030. Opens at 5:30 am for breakfast. This is a little gourmet food shop, diner, and carryout. You can eat outside in the little courtyard next to the restaurant. Good place for dinner if you don’t want to wait in line at the other restaurants.
Bentley’s: (L,D) mm 82.8 O/S; 664-9094. One of the older establishments; feels like a TGI Fridays. Some people really like this place. To me the food and service seems just ok.
**Ziggie and Mad Dog’s: (D) mm 83 B/S; 664-3391. The “Ziggie” name has lots of Islamorada history. It recently reopened as a steakhouse with new owners. Looks way better on the inside than on the outside. The food and service is excellent! Try the filet, it’s huge (excellent fish too). White linens, nice atmosphere, excellent wine list. John will usually greet you and has everything perfect.
Whale Harbor Seafood Buffet & Raw Bar: (D) mm 83.5 O/S; 664-4959; B/A. They feature their famous all-you-can-eat seafood dinner. Most of their seafood on the buffet is not local but it is still popular. If you’re interested in watching the fleet come in, try a seat at Wahoos Pub & Grill upstairs at Whale Harbor. The food is pretty good.
Braza Leña: (D) mm 83.5 O/S; 664-4940; B/A. A Brazilian Steak-House. A grand selection of all you can eat meats and a large salad bar all for one price.
Hog Heaven Sports Bar & Grill: (L,D) mm 85 O/S; 664-9669. Full menu available until 4am, great burgers! Also pool tables & shuffleboard.
*Island Grill:(L,D) mm 85.5 O/S; 664-8400; B/A. One of my favorite dinner places. Neat little Keys-style oceanside eatery… just this side of the drawbridge. Live Entertainment. Indoor or outdoor seating. Everything we tried on the menu is excellent. Inside tip - eat at the bar if it’s crowded instead of waiting for a table. Go by boat too. A fun place to eat.
Chillie-Willies: (L,D) mm 86.7 O/S; 852-8786. Large sports bar & grill plus huge game room. They have 14 televisions so if you are looking for a certain sports game, chances are they can tune it in. The menu and food is excellent for this type of place. Try the hot wings or BBQ ribs.

The Best Eco Tour in the Keys

If you want to go fishing, most people know we have world class guides and world class fishing. If you want to go snorkeling or diving we have the only living coral reef in North America and plenty of dive shops to take you there.

But what about eco-tourism and sight seeing? When you come to visit the Keys, you are in the middle of a National Marine Sanctuary, and right in our backyard is Everglades National Park, the most unique ecosystem in the world.

There's an outfitter in Islamorada who specializes in kayaking called Backcountry Cowboy. They have a really cool retail store with everything you could possibly need for kayaking and outdoor adventure but more importantly, they offer some really great guided kayak tours. The basic ones like the Backcountry Nature Tour and the Sunset Trip are inexpensive and close-in near the main islands; nice short trips to have a look around.

The ones that interest me the most are the Everglades Day Trips and Everglades Adventure Trips. You just can't beat this deal. For $120 they provide everything (including top of the line kayaks) for an unforgettable professional guided tour through the Everglades wilderness. The "Everglades Day Trip" is a guided three-quarter day trip to places where fish have never seen a lure. They also offer overnight trips for the more adventurous and more experienced paddlers.

With some back-country fishing trips now topping $500, this is a true bargain. Looking for something to remember, something adventurous, something different? This is a great choice and don't forget your camera!

How to Select a Fishing Guide

A lot of folks will be arriving soon and want to go fishing. Back-country or Off-shore, selecting the right guide to meet your expectations is crucial. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from disappointed customers who hired a guide and had a lousy day on the water. My first question is always: Who did you hire and then, How did you find them?

Islamorada has some of the best guides in the world. Please don't ask a total stranger for a referral and don't hire somebody you meet at the bar, the grocery store, or the tackle shop. Anybody you ask here in the Keys will likely say they are a guide, take you out in their boat, and take your money at the end of the day.

My advice is to get a list of names from somebody you trust. If you ask the hotel, your second question should be if they are paid a commission (great guides don't need somebody selling their trips). You need a list of guides because (in my opinion) personality is a big part of it. You are going to spend the whole day together in the boat. Select the guide who fits your style. Call at least 3 (more is better) and explain what you want and what your skill level is. Do you want to stalk Bonefish on fly and maybe have only one or two chances all day, or do you want to go fun fishing for whatever is biting? Guides do specialize in certain types of fishing. Don't hire the fun-fishing guide to take you looking for Bonefish.

You will meet the big Off-shore boats at the marina but many Back-country guides will pick you up at your hotel dock if you ask. The usual protocol is for the fisherman to bring the lunch and include the guide. Ask him what he likes on his sandwich. All tackle and licenses are provided. A tip of around 10% (+ or -) is customary and the guide will clean your catch too.

Through the years of operating Pines & Palms Resort, we've developed a short list of guides we send our customers to and they always come back happy. I'm sure other resorts do the same. Do your homework and have fun fishing!

Sara and Jim Bernardin

This is my wife Sara and me in front of Pines & Palms Resort. We have 25 cottages, suites, and rooms on the oceanside at mile marker 80.4 in Islamorada. 

It's a family friendly resort and we're there everyday to help you have a great stay here in the Keys.

Give us a call at 800-624-0964 or outside the U.S. at 305-664-4343. Visit our website by clicking the here.

Florida Bay Fishing is Hot

Spent Saturday out in the boat with a couple of friends from England, Glen Taylor and Philip Fidler. All I can say is Florida Bay fishing is just about as good as it gets right now. We fished a few cuts on our way to Schooner Bank and boated some nice snapper. When the tide stopped we headed a few miles west and put out the chum bag. Within minutes we were catching a fish on almost every cast.

Using a basic jig and shrimp on 8 pound test with a 40 pound leader, we caught over 14 different species of fish including some extra large Spanish Mackerel. The list includes Spanish Mackerel, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Lane Snapper, Yellowtail Snapper, Bluefish, Grunts, Ladyfish, Blue Runners, Jack Crevalle, Lemon Sharks, Spinner Sharks, Leather Jacks, Pinfish... you name it!

If you want to do some fun fishing and catch a lot of fish, head out a few miles past Schooner or Sprigger Banks. Make sure you have 2 or 3 blocks of chum and plenty of shrimp. It should be excellent fishing out there for the next 4 months.

Islamorada Fun Facts

The name "Islamorada", meaning "purple isle", is thought to come from early Spanish explorers.

Islamorada, "Village of Islands" was incorporated on November 4, 1997 and includes the islands of Lower Matecumbe Key, Upper Matecumbe Key, Windley Key and Plantation Key in the Florida Keys.

Prior to this date, Islamorada was only considered to be the little town on the island of Upper Matecumbe Key, which is where our Pines & Palms Resort is located.

As of the 2000 census, the Village had a total population of 6,846. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 7,033.

Islamorada is considered the Sport Fishing Capital of the World due to the number of world records and the number of different species which can be caught within a short boat ride of town.

Fishing Update

If you want to find out what's happening with fishing while you are staying in the Keys, all you need to do is tune in to WFFG 1300 AM and listen to their morning show, Monday - Friday from 7 to 9 a.m. It's a bit corney at times but they speak with lots of different captains and usually provide some good fishing information. By the way, WFFG stands for "worlds finest fishing grounds."

You can also click here and find the Fishing Forecast link to Florida Sportsman. It's updated weekly towards the end of the week.