# Biscayne Bay



## brokeoff (Sep 2, 2016)

If one wants to live in South Florida and fish Biscayne Bay, where would they live?


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

Following this thread interested in this too.


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

You will be stuck with living in Dade or Broward counties.
Monroe/the Keys is priced out of reality.
Residential areas all over with unbelievable traffic
both on the roads and water.
Before I moved to North Florida I fished weekdays to avoid the problems.


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## Pierson (Mar 16, 2016)

There is a small fishing town located at the north end of the bay. Its a really quiet place with not much going on. You could probably get a place right on the water pretty cheap. I think its called Miami.


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Pick a neighborhood, just not one in a flood zone,
or on a barrier island or in the storm surge area.










I lived in West Kendall until 2001.
Only thing I miss is the diving.


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## Tailer (Jan 10, 2017)

If you like living in a big city and you enjoy a vibrant, international culture you can live in Miami and be pretty happy. I moved down here a few years ago from North Carolina and my family and I are very happy here. Great culture, great food, interesting people, and great fishing. The traffic sucks, but the traffic sucks in every big city. I lived in Atlanta during grad school and I'll happily take traffic in southern Miami-Dade over ITP in Atlanta. 

Miami doesn't have much in common with the rest of Florida. Miami is not the "South" and I would not recommend moving here if being around people of other cultures / races / languages makes you uncomfortable. I'll say the same thing that I tell anyone I know who's interested in moving down here: if having to "press 1 for English" makes you angry cause this is 'Merica, Miami isn't the right place for you.


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## EasternGlow (Nov 6, 2015)

no blocky


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## brokeoff (Sep 2, 2016)

I lived in S Florida for 7 years. Half the time way in Delray and half the time was in N Miami Beach (which actually doesn’t have a beach).

This is all out of curiosity, but I looked online at some places in Pinecrest. Expensive but still better than Coral Gables abd Coconut Grove. My coworker who lived in MIA said those are Real Housewives types of places that I wouldn’t be interested in.

I can’t think of any cultures I’ve had an aversion to, I like to be close enough to a city for a night out doing something fun, and would always want to minimize distance to a ramp.

Somewhere on the middle of the bay might fit the bill. Just not sure how it works out practically, that’s why I’m asking.


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

Also depends on how much you want to drive to go fishing. If you dont mind driving an hour each way that opens up a ton of areas and you can hop on 95 and be there pretty easy. I pull the skiff down when we visit friends (we are east of Orlando) who live in Delray Beach and its not bad at all. But then again I have made the run from Orlando afterwork, spent the night in Homestead, fished a full day and was back home at 11pm.


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## Tailer (Jan 10, 2017)

brokeoff said:


> This is all out of curiosity, but I looked online at some places in Pinecrest. Expensive but still better than Coral Gables abd Coconut Grove. My coworker who lived in MIA said those are Real Housewives types of places that I wouldn’t be interested in.
> 
> I can’t think of any cultures I’ve had an aversion to, I like to be close enough to a city for a night out doing something fun, and would always want to minimize distance to a ramp.
> 
> Somewhere on the middle of the bay might fit the bill. Just not sure how it works out practically, that’s why I’m asking.


The thing about Miami-Dade is that you're never "outside" of the city. It's all urban from the edge of the Glades to the edge of the bay, from north of Miami to Homestead. I live in Coral Gables, but were looking to move to Pinecrest in the next year. Anything near the bay is going to be expensive. Take a look at the available ramps on the bay (Dinner Key, Matheson, Black Point, Homestead, etc) and you can get an idea of the surrounding neighborhoods. The ramps on the bay tend to be crazy on the weekends (particularly Black Point) so I usually put in in Key Largo and run north if I want to fish the bay on the weekend.


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## EasternGlow (Nov 6, 2015)

That's a good point about driving. I live in Delray (born and raised) and don't mind driving. I've learned to not care at all making the drive to Flamingo, Choko, the keys, etc. Driving to Matlacha tomorrow (3hr drive) early, no problem. Once you realize there's such fantastic fishing within a 2-3 hr drive of each direction, you get over the drive pretty quickly. BTW, I also lived in Miami for four years in the mid-2000's. The traffic and crowds suck, but the Grove is the place to be in my opinion.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I first came here (the Miami area) in 1971, fresh out of the service and back from a very bad place in southeast Asia - so Miami was heaven for me (and the hot sticky summer weather was just the same as where I'd been..). It sure has changed over the years... 

For those who don't know the area a bit of description is in order... An aerial view of south Florida quickly shows that we're easily 70+ miles of urban area (mostly suburban if you want to get picky...) with absolutely nothing to tell you what city you're in from the Palm Beaches all the way down to Florida City/Homestead (the jumping off place for the run down to the Keys...) unless you see a sign. That "developed area" extends from water west as much as thirty miles in some areas then ends right at the Everglades (my house like so many others was actually built on what was Everglades... the Glades used to go all the way east to where downtown Miami is now....). Biscayne bay extends from Key Largo north all the way up to the northern end of Dade county (I know they changed the name to Miami-Dade county a few years back...). Most of us that live down here are perfectly comfortable commuting to fish, towing our skiffs up and down the coast -or across to fish the Ten Thousand Islands area or even the Gulf coast... If you're lucky enough to join up with a good fishing club you'll literally have the opportunity to fish someplace different in south florida each month -and they'll be wildly different depending on whether it's inshore or offshore, wreck fishing or the flats, you get the idea. Here are three clubs that have been around a while (understatement...). The Palm Beach club, the Sportsman of Broward (the SOBs...), and the old Tropical Anglers Club in Miami (where I learned a lot of what I know about light tackle and fly fishing... highly recommend them -and they do have a home page on the 'net...).

Your first choice will be where to live if you make the move (and the farther you are from the coast - the less expensive you'll find it, mostly -but not always). Anyone thinking of fishing on foot or wading will be sorely disappointed since there's just so little in the way of water access to Biscayne Bay (or the beaches...). Now if you want to fish canals and interior areas (freshwater) you'll find lots and lots of places to go on foot (and in the Miami area almost all the canals hold peacock bass - plus the occasional surprise snook or tarpon....).

Guides down here mostly commute to and from whatever ramp they fish from... Me, I'm so used to commuting that my daily launching spots in Chokoloskee or Flamingo are almost one hundred miles from my house - one way (and I've been towing at 20,000 miles yearly for a lot of years now). Way back when I belonged to the TAC I knew more than a few anglers that towed their boats (19 to 23 footers mostly...) every weekend down to Key West to fish in winter... So we're all pretty mobile... 

I wouldn't live anywhere else but many tire of all the hassles of living where there are so many people and English is not the majority language.. That you'll have to decide for yourself..


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

Lemay hit it well... A lot depends on you work situation, where and how far you want to commute. If you are coming to Miami, learn Spanglish first.

I was raised in Miami, class of '67 SWHS, lived in WestWood Lakes most of my young life, went away in '69 to places far away into the service back home in '73 what a change it was coming back. Stayed a couple years then transplanted to Key Largo, then several years later (got married) moved to Broward county.

If you wish to fish B-Bay its a beautiful place and lots of fishing opportunity, sounds like you are an inshore flats type fisherman, and if you like that you will also like Flamingo and soon want to go there. So trailering is the only way to go. I'd suggest, if you are set on Dade county, choices are somewhere in Kendall or Cutler/Palmetto Bay close to B-Bay Ramps and still driveable to Flamingo and or the upper Keys... Homestead is also an OK choice.
Now if you want to expand your horizons and trailering distance, still inshore flats boat style, SW Broward is a choice to consider, but father from Flamingo. My drive to say Black Point ramp (B-Bay reference) is 45-50 minutes (early morning), but its 2:15 drive to the Flamingo Ramp, however its only 1:20 to Choko. I'm alos only 30 minutes to fresh water everglades and 45 minutes to 1 hour up to Lake 'O if thats part of your style.


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## HPXFLY (Aug 27, 2015)

I spent a year out in the Redlands for work about 7 years ago, wasnt bad. Easy skip over to the bay and down the road to flamingo or the keys. It was nothing for me to trailer to the middle/lower keys to tarpon fish for the day. 

I lived pretty far west off of Krome and it wasnt very city feeling at all, which is what I like. Ultimately the traffic is what did me in. Basically takes an hour to get anywhere during the day


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

I grew up in Broward and moved to Jax about 6 years ago for work. If I could I would stay up here but my Wife got sick so we are moving down to be closer to her family. I am most likely going to move to Weston/Plantation area. It’s really close to 75, 595 and Turnpike and some good schools. Plantation is about an hour an a half from Choko which IMHO the best place to fish down there and an hour and half from Key Largo. It’s an hour away from Black point(Biscayne Bay), 40 mins from Haulover, 25 mins from 15th st boat ramp in Ft Lauderdale which isn’t the best place to fish but not bad during mullet run and night fishing. I’m currently in Hialeah and I would not recommend it. Even though it is closer in miles to the Bay, you will spend a lot of time in traffic on the streets. The food is great though, I don’t know anywhere else I can get a Cafe con Leche, Tostada, two Eggs and Bacon for 3.29.


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## manny2376 (Mar 15, 2007)

Brett said:


> Pick a neighborhood, just not one in a flood zone,
> or on a barrier island or in the storm surge area.
> 
> 
> ...


Look at that sat image... see the little green triangle in the center? That’s my neighborhood. I’m dead center of the county basically. 2 hours from my door to the ramp in flamingo 2 hours to Everglades city, 1.5hr to the ramp I use in largo and 15-30-45min to key Biscayne, black point and homestead marina respectively. I fish for peacock across the street from my house on a canal finger from the miami river and have landed several tarpon and snook over the years. 

“Traffic sucks” is an understatement, as is “learn Spanish”! Home prices are borderline crazy in spots, BUT I can be on tarpon/bones/permit/snook in basically an hour if I wanted to and still be home Before the wifey gets home from work. 

Of course I’m biased because I’m born and raised (live about 3 miles from my childhood home). 

Side note: did the West Kendall thing for a few years and just couldn’t handle the traffic! For some reason those west suburbs are just constantly crowded beyond belief!


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## Pbertell (Apr 22, 2015)

Love - Hate relationship for me. I drive 15 or 20 miles north from coral gables daily depending on which office I am going too. 30 and 40 minute rides each way when traffic is normal. One suggestion - I go north the opposite way of major traffic (I would keep this in mind based on your commute). I am one of the lucky ones..,.

I am 10 - 20 minutes from Matheson Hammock (bonefish, permit) - 20 - 30 from key Biscayne (bridges, govt cut, off shore), 45 minutes in the dark to homestead bayfront - best place to launch and fish South bay and north key largo, 1.25 hours to key largo, 2 hours to flamingo and 2 hours to everglades city.

Awesome restaurants - always something to do if you are looking for it. If you are at the ramp after 8am on a weekend lately you may be waiting 45 minutes to launch at the first three ramps I mentioned. 

My summation - I spend up to 2 hours a day in purgatory sometimes enraged in a self centered - me first culture to have the greatest fishing options available maybe anywhere. We don't save a lot of money because taxes, insurance, lifestyle get in the way but I can't imagine giving up the fishing at this point in my life. My vote would be for South coconut grove South to homestead depending on your commute. If I ever have to live in Aventura or North Miami Beach again plz shoot me!


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

and yet - for the offshore crowd with a boat in the water... those two areas work pretty well... For those of us that run the backcountry - not so great at all. I worked for the city of North Miami Beach for 22 years before I was lucky enough to get an early retirement and come back to fishing full time. That was in 1995 and I never looked back... By the way the night fishing in the upper portions of Biscayne bay (say Broad Causeway northward... ) can be very good at times...


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## cjshinn1 (May 29, 2012)

I just made the trip down there from Delray Beach this past Saturday. It was worth the drive down there...got my buddy on his first bonefish (and the first in my boat)!


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## EasternGlow (Nov 6, 2015)

sweet bone! I live in Delray too, might have to add BNP to the list.


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## vantagefish (Jul 16, 2014)

I also live in delray. Right about an hour to Key biscayne, 1hr40min to homestead bayfront, and about 2.5 hours to flamingo. Not short drives but very doable.


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## Pbertell (Apr 22, 2015)

Nice fish cjshinn1!!!! 
My problem w aventura is the traffic and the people - I much prefer south miami...


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## Boneheaded (Oct 4, 2017)

I live in broward county, was fortunate to grow up fishing Biscayne bay with a guide for a father. Today I fish primarily out of key biscayne to points north and south. Over development and traffic aside. Miami is probably the only place when the stars align you can catch bonefish and permit in the morning, trout, mackerel jacks and bluefish during the day, and snook, tarpon in the evening in one day if you're ambitious and pack an extra chicharones with you're Cuban sandwich.

Would love to have a bigger less expensive house upstate but dont think i can ever leave.


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