# Middle Keys



## Imago (Aug 9, 2018)

A bit out of date, but: I managed a day fishing middle keys 31st May. Supposed to be the height of tarpon season and virtually no fish in areas I've usually seen fish. Very few boats around. No boats on bridges, which I've never seen before. Attached is photo of deserted Long Key bridge. Am I missing something? People fishing tarpon comps still seem to be catching fish. I'm mystified??


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## BK922 (Jan 24, 2016)

Tough luck. I’m not in the know and someone else might be, but the day after the new moon at the end of may makes me thinks they may have wormed a few days prior and gone offshore and the locals knew it and took the day off.


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## fattypoon (Aug 24, 2015)

You need to be on the other side of that bridge


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## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

They did worm them, wormed for 3 nights. Also wormed on June full moon.


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## Imago (Aug 9, 2018)

I did wonder if they might have been affected by the worm. Tried all around, not just there, and very few fish anywhere. Bad luck maybe, or maybe just a lack of knowledge and contacts. But then I've pretty much got to go fishing when I've got time, like so many of us. Luck when fishing has never been my strong point.


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## tide_runner (Aug 1, 2021)

Not down playing your experience, but I fished out of Long Key May 31-June 12 and caught the crap outta them ocean/back side. Minus two days for the tropical storm. So I would advise keep trying and good luck.


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## Bobber21 (Jul 31, 2019)

I have fished ocean side of Long Key since the 80s around some of the patchy white holes and alway get shots coming and going. You may have just been at the wrong area , to close to the bridge. Better luck next time.


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## Imago (Aug 9, 2018)

tide_runner said:


> Not down playing your experience, but I fished out of Long Key May 31-June 12 and caught the crap outta them ocean/back side. Minus two days for the tropical storm. So I would advise keep trying and good luck.


Appreciate the insight. It's great to have that kind of comparison as there is no information/feedback when you're there like there is when you're sharing riverbank with other anglers (I'm from a trout fishing background). You just don't know if everyone else is struggling or doing well. Every other angler is half a mile away of course. I'll certainly keep trying.


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## Imago (Aug 9, 2018)

Bobber21 said:


> I have fished ocean side of Long Key since the 80s around some of the patchy white holes and alway get shots coming and going. You may have just been at the wrong area , to close to the bridge. Better luck next time.


Appreciate the feedback very much. All one gets on the ground is the industry spiel that 'fishing is great' and you just 'need a guide'. Or just a blank stare. Pre Covid I fished Long Key oceanside one year and saw lots of fish and had a reasonable number of shots. The problem then was getting into position for shots fishing singlehanded and then getting fish to take. But this year, for the first time I just wasn't seeing fish. That's what surprised me. I just didn't see fish in areas I'd seen them before. Not just Long Key, but Duck Key, the Ragged Keys, Oxfoot Bank, Indian Key. I didn't see fish anywhere. Worse yet the weather was better than I've even experienced. Normally too there are lots of anglers fishing the bridges with bait, but they were deserted. The few anglers I did see were all moving around in that way they do when they're not seeing fish. I was even running side scan sonar along the bridges and saw very few fish. Because of these indicators I perhaps didn't persevere enough. Plus the inevitable boat problems. People fishing tarpon comps are catching, so the fish are around somewhere. But that info came a bit too late. Clearly still a lot to learn. I'll be back next year. Or maybe even this autumn.


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## Miragein (Aug 21, 2015)

It’s not just you. It was a very tough tarpon season (including for the guides) in the upper/middle keys. Fish just weren’t in their usual patterns this year…


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

Did you try at night by chance? Tarpon stack up at long key bridge at night and they’ll hit about anything. I usually have good success fishing the keys bridges at night even after a hatch.


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## TarponMac (Nov 14, 2021)

I’m there now. Windy but had a few shots at migrating fish.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

I was just there a week ago (Big Pine) and hired a bay boat for three people to target Tarpon. Out of the three of us we got ONE hook up all day that was quickly spit out after the first jump. After that all we caught were sharks.

The guide said the migrating Tarpon were pretty much gone already and that for the past few years they have been showing up earlier each time. Was pretty frustrating, the main reason we went down there was to land some big Tarpon so it was a skunk trip pretty much. I thought for sure hiring an experienced guide that knew the area would get us some but it goes to show even the best guides can get skunked.


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## Jferna27 (Jun 10, 2021)

We were there the week prior to you and saw plenty of migratory fish. Fish swam on moving tides.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

We went through multiple spots and saw nothing but sharks, 3/4 day no Tarpon spotted, the one that was hooked was early in the morning blind casting with live crabs. Once the sun came out and we could see, there was nothing where the guide took us. maybe he was in the wrong places i suppose.


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## Jferna27 (Jun 10, 2021)

Oh my bad, forgot crucial piece of information. We were fishing out of Islamorada. We fished Big Pine one day and saw absolutely nothing apart from some babies in a back lagoon. A guide at the the Marathon boat ramp normally guides out of Big Pine said he was fishing Islamorada area because BPK was a ghost town. He speculated it was because of the worm hatch. He said he had not experienced anything like it historically.


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## Jferna27 (Jun 10, 2021)

Buddies friend was guided out of BPK may 24 weekend ended up just targeting bonefish because they did not see any poon.


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## Drifter (Dec 13, 2018)

Thats interesting, seems like they are all over the place every summer. Much easier to find then babies hidden in the mangroves that for sure.


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

We fished middle keys into Memorial Day weekend with a guide. Spent one day fishing ocean and went 1/2, plenty of shots, but it was rough, and I couldn't get it done.

The other two days it was backcountry on up to the glades due to the guide wanting to get away from Memorial Day boat traffic. It was my first time fishing this area ever, so I have nothing to compare my experience to, other than FL panhandle trips. I thought there were more fish, and they ate better. Grabbed 4 fish in 3 days with countless eats, jumps and pulled hooks...and rod tip raising! 

Guide said that it was a tough year, but mostly due to weather more than anything


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## Jferna27 (Jun 10, 2021)

TidewateR said:


> We fished middle keys into Memorial Day weekend with a guide. Spent one day fishing ocean and went 1/2, plenty of shots, but it was rough, and I couldn't get it done.
> 
> The other two days it was backcountry on up to the glades due to the guide wanting to get away from Memorial Day boat traffic. It was my first time fishing this area ever, so I have nothing to compare my experience to, other than FL panhandle trips. I thought there were more fish, and they ate better. Grabbed 4 fish in 3 days with countless eats, jumps and pulled hooks...and rod tip raising!
> 
> Guide said that it was a tough year, but mostly due to weather more than anything


Lots of good practice. As per the rod tip raising, old habits die hard!


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

Jferna27 said:


> He speculated it was because of the worm hatch. He said he had not experienced anything like it historically.


That's what our guide said as well, that there may have been a worm hatch somewhere nearby and that's why they weren't around


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## Jferna27 (Jun 10, 2021)

Apparently hatch went off May 20/21st at Bahia.


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

Jferna27 said:


> Lots of good practice. As per the rod tip raising, old habits die hard!


funny, I've seen @TidewateR strip-set a bluegill into oblivion....


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

I thought I was a strip set'n sob, until I went to the keys


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