Info:       

Fishing Guide: Captain Ron Ward
PO Box 421101
Summerland Key, FL. 33042

Phone:
305-872-0290

Sugar Loaf Lodge
17 Overseas Hwy. (US 1)
Sugarloaf Key, FL 33044

Web:
www.sugarloaflodge.net

Phone:
800-533-6097

Parmers Resort
565 Barry Avenue
Little Torch Key, FL 33042

Web:
www.parmersresort.com

Phone:
305-872-2157

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa
28500 Overseas Hwy.
Little Torch Key, FL 33042

Web:
www.littlepalmisland.com

Phone:
800.343.8567

General Info:             

The Keys To Key West
5555 College Rd.
Key West FL. 33040

Web:
www.gotothekeys.com

Phone:
888-362-3474

Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce
31020 Overseas Hwy.
Big Pine Key, FL 33043

Web:
www.lowerkeyschamber.com

Phone:
305-872-2411

Key West Chamber of Commerce
402 Wall Street
Key West, Florida 33040

Web:
www.keywestchamber.org

Phone:
305-294-2587

Monroe County Tourist Development Council

Web:
www.fla-keys.com

Phone:
800-FLA-Keys

Fishing for Tarpon in the Florida Keys                   

by Phil Johnson
photos courtesy of  Phil Johnson, Fla-Keys.com, Sugar Loaf Lodge

Suddenly, after nearly two hours of sitting around doing not much of anything but watching the tide change off Florida’s Lower Keys, the action went from zero to warp speed in the blink of an eye.

"Dip your rod tip! Dip you rod tip!" shouted Captain Ron Ward as he jumped around the boat setting us up for what he knew was the lengthy fight ahead.

We were on the ocean side near Sugarloaf Key just north of Key West and this was the moment I’d been waiting for: a tarpon was on my line.

Sure, blame it on television, (or maybe Hemmingway even though he wrote about a  marlin), but I have always wanted to catch a tarpon.  It is more than just a big fish. It is an aquatic acrobat! The image of  that rugged silver bullet, as long as I am tall, leaping fully out of the water with its head shaking is something that has been vivid in my mind since first watching adventure shows when I was a kid.

And here I was in Florida’s Lower Keys with one on the line.

The Catch                   

We had seen the fish a split second before it grabbed the crab bait on my hook. I'd hoped to get the fish on a fly. But right at the moment, neither I nor the fish was interested in such fine distinctions.

The fish ran hard; the fisherman brought it back; the fish took off again, the reel singing as the tarpon took line. This was no token fight: tarpon with an attitude versus fisherman with a purpose!

Ninety minutes and six more full water-clearing jumps later, the fish was next to the boat, Ron had his hand on the leader and it was an official catch: six feet long and about 135 pounds. Oh boy! No disappointment here. This was just as exciting as I’d imagined.

A photo was taken. Ron removed the hook from the fish’s jaw. Then the tarpon swam away, presumably to continue its search for food, and perhaps to fulfill the dream of another fisherman some day.

About Guides & Tarpon                         

Ron Ward has been a fishing guide in the Lower Keys since 1980. He's one of two full-timers who fish out of the Sugarloaf Marina next to the Sugar Loaf Lodge at Mile Marker 17 on Route 1, north of Key West.

While there is plenty of  fishing—and fishing guides—throughout the Keys, Ward believes there is no better place than the Lower Keys to cast a line. This is the area that starts at the Seven Mile Bridge and runs down almost to Key West. Here the Keys are narrow and you frequently see water on both sides of Route 1, the main north-south highway.

"We have access to both the ocean and the Gulf of Mexico backcountry here," says Ward. "There is no better place for sight fishing for tarpon. And, the bone fishing flats are excellent."

Guides from Key West to Marathon to Islamorada to Key Largo might argue the best spot for tarpon. But this day, it was the Lower Keys for me.

The best time of year for the migrating tarpon is March through June, with April and May, when the north winds have subsided, usually the most productive.

This is also a good time for bone fishing. Permit, the third species that makes up the Grand Slam of Keys fishing, usually come in as early as February and migrate off-shore by May.    
 
At one point a 100 pound tarpon was a giant fish in the Keys. But since they have no food value and the State of Florida assesses a fee if you keep one, almost all are returned to the water and available to be caught again. Over a period of years this has meant that there are lots of larger tarpon, and a fish less than 120 pounds is not considered exceptional today.  And that size can mean a two hour battle standing in the bow of a flats boat hanging on while the fish tows you all around.

Tarpon mainly cruise the channels on the changing tides, looking for small bait like crab and pinfish. To take on a tarpon in this primarily open water, the bait and spin gear are generally rigged with 20 pound test line. Fly fisherman will want a 12-weight rod with a 15-pound tippet and 30-pound backing on the reel. Flies used are usually large streamers, often orange and brown. Since fly fishing is almost always sight fishing, the guides choose darker colors on cloudy days.

Sometimes there is nothing in sight, and the tides are momentarily not optimal. A tasty diversion is to pick up a light spinning rod with shrimp bait and catch some snapper. Many of the local restaurants will cook up a catch for you.

Overnighting & Feeding Yourself                             

Travelers to the area often go right through the Lower Keys to Key West for accommodations and all the other attractions that have made this southernmost city in the U.S. a major tourist attraction. Lots of lodging and dining options are found there.

If you want to stay in the Lower Keys, the Sugar Loaf Lodge located next to the Sugar Loaf Marina is a 1950s style hotel and cabins with 26 rooms, a restaurant, and a Tiki bar. A little farther away on Little Torch Key, Parmers Resort offers rooms near the water. At the high-end is the Little Palm Island Resort.

For dinner nearby, Mangrove Mama’s serves good food. It's located is right on Route 1 at Mile Marker 20. If you can find it, locals’ favorite the No Name Pub off Big Pine Key is a quirky place that serves what some believe is the best pizza in the Keys.