Marathon Key, FL is a rather unique fishing destination because of the excellent flats and deep water fishing in very close proximity to each other. This is important because if you choose to charter and fishing vessel this will cut down on the travel time to the fishing locations therefore giving you more hook in water time.
From Boot Key Harbor ( the main harbor on the island ) which the vast majority of boats depart, in all directions you have great flats and shallow water fishing for you Tarpon sport fishers and Flounder fanatics. Then about 5 miles south of Marathon Key just past Sombrero Reef and Delta Shoal ( a local dive site ) you will start hitting the deeper waters of about 150 to 200 foot of water, there you can begin your deep sea ventures. If you travel north towards the Florida coast you have shallow waters of 5 to 10 feet for 15 miles north to northeast from the Key.
If you chose to go west and northwest from Marathon this is where you are going to experience some of the best flats fishing on the planet. For miles it is crystal clear blue waters and a maze of little islands and keys all the way past Key West to the Marquesas Keys.
This clumped together collection of small keys and islands looks like forest confetti from an aircraft, and it would be accurate to say there are hundreds of them most noticeably Ohio Key, Bahia Honda Key, Little Pine Key, and No Name Key.
This is the back country channel fishing where you gonna find your Tarpon, Seatrout, Snook, Redfish, Snapper, and shallow water sharks.
Beside the great fishing, this being a flats area your guaranteed to see beautiful natural beauty and numerous different species of birds hanging out in the trees jumping from key to key.
Tarpon is a very popular catch in the Florida Keys and when in season, it is relatively easy to capture a large trophy. These fish on average weigh in from 40 to 50lbs and the Florida record for the largest is a whopping 243lbs. These sporty monsters grow to more than 8 feet long and get to a weight of well over 200lbs, they can be found hanging out around the shorelines of any key or landmass. Tarpon can be caught from a boat or from the beach as they are often found under bridges near jetties and close to piers. The best choice of live baits for this aqua beast are dollar crab, pinfish, threadfin herrings, and pilchards. If you want to stay inshore and want a fish that is gonna fight, leap, and make you earn for your glorious prize this is your fish.
If your going for a great fish to eat you also have your snappers that can be found inshore as well as offshore. The best place to find these delicious treats are in mangroves around the keys. Their alternate name is actually mangrove snapper and this is exactly where your going to locate these fish. The size range of the Mangrove snapper is usually from 6 to 10lbs with the Florida record being 16lbs 8oz. The best time of year for these fish is from June through August and its choice prey are crustaceans and other very small fish so this would be your best bet as bait.
As for sharks this is an area where you can find blackfin shark. The blackfin shark is decent for eating and its fin is more popular for its Asian cuisine "shark fin soup". These sharks can be found around bays, Mangroves, and river mouths. They tend to eat crustaceans, squid, stingray, sardines, mullet, triggerfish and even porcupine fishing.
If your a deep water angler and are looking for that sea warrior or the juggernaut that would feed a family of 5 your choices are endless. There are plenty of offshore charters that will lead you out into the blue abyss where you can expect to catch colossal Sailfish that will give you the fight of your life, And if you want something you can slap down on the dinner table you have great fishing for Dolphin, Tuna, Amberjack, Grouper and numerous Snapper .
If your looking for the best of both worlds your gonna wanna go after the extremely prized Florida Keys Grouper. They are hard fighting and are absolutely one of the most delicious fish known to man, the meat is white and firm and its fillets are long and thick!. Marathon Key, FL and the surrounding deep sea area are a global hot bed for Grouper fishing. The way you are gonna drag one of these tasty brutes to the surface is bottom fishing with heavy tackle. Groupers will strike their prey with passionate aggressiveness so you can expect them to start the fight immediately and they will usually quickly head straight for the rocks or any surrounding structure. All Groupers typically enjoy the same types of bait and your best choice is most likely the Pinfish or a large grunt.
April and May are the best times of year to catch the Red Grouper, Nassau Grouper, and the Gag Grouper. The enormous Warsaw Grouper can be caught year around in 300 to 600 feet of water and this giant usually exceeds 40lbs but has been know to grow to a staggering 6 feet long and up to 500lbs. For these mighty fish you can use as bait sardines, sand perch strips, cut squid, and of course the pinfish and other small fish.
Another great eating fish that is a bit more casual than the mighty Groupers is the Tuna. Of course these are great tasting, very healthy, and the slabs of meat these ocean superstars produce are overwhelmingly abundant. These fish can be caught three different ways trolling, Jigging, and live baiting. If you want to fight this fish than live baiting is gonna be your method. The choice bait for this process is the pilchard, and make sure your hook it through the nostrils because it will allow your bait to live longer and swim in the proper direction increase your chances for that choice catch. This is the type of fish where your gonna want to through your lines out the back of the boat and keep moving, Tuna are not bottom hunters they are in deeper waters but stay relatively close to the surface when hunting and can be moving of up to speeds of 43 miles an hour so if they are on the move you don't want to be waiting dormant.
Remember these are just some of the Popular choices for Marathon Key, FL. If you decide to visit and catch a charter your going to have tons of options and discuss these methods with your charter captain they will help you with your fishing adventure. If you end up deciding to rent your own boat and do it your self put these techniques into practice and you will come back edging up to the dock looking like a pro! Either way deep sea or flats fishing in Marathon Key, FL will not be a fishing trip that will be easy too forget so get out there and have a blast!
There are 58 fishing charters in the Marathon, FL area. Please see the list below: