Florida Keys Flats and Backcountry Fishing
Surrounding many parts of the Florida Keys are shallow saltwater flats. These
flats tend to either have sea grass and a soft bottom or are hard rock bottom.
Depending on the tide different fish swim up on these flats to look for food,
and various other fish follow them up there. Flats fishing is usually sight fishing,
which is more like hunting. The guide poles the boat from a platform in the
rear of the boat and looks for fish in the distance and directs the angler
were to cast to target the fish. It requires more casting skill then other types
of fishing, since you need to have the ability to land the bait in the path of fish
swimming the flats. Primarily fish targeted on the flats are Bonefish, Permit,
Tarpon, Sharks and Barracuda. Sharks and Barracuda are considered lesser of
flats fish because they are much easier to catch and don't have the fighting
ablilties of the other fish, but in foot deep water they can still be a blast.
Backcountry Fishing is a loose term used to describe fishing north of the Keys.
In the upper Keys the Everglades National Park is north of the Keys and consists
of huge shallow water bays sourounded by mangroves. The area is a fish garden
of eden and massive amounts of fish make up the ecosystem. Fish common in the
Everglades are Sea Trout, Snook , Mangrove Snapper, Redfish, Jew Fish and sharks.
Sea trout are a commonly targeted fish in the Everglades by the guides out of
Islamorada. They school up and are caught by the dozen in some sections of the Everglades
Park.
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