DOWN THE KEYS TO WONDERLAND
In the minds of fishermen everywhere—be they salmon men from the Miramichi, dry-fly purists from the Beaverkill, steelheaders from Oregon or just plain cane-pole loafers—the Florida Keys are much like the pot of gold that rests at the rainbow's end of their wildest piscatorial dreams. For this, they know, is fishing's wonderland. Nowhere else in the U.S. are there as many different kinds of fish that can be caught (764 identifiable species), nor is there any other place where so many kinds can be fished all the year round.
The string of coral and sandstone islets, linked by the Overseas Highway which runs between the southern tip of Florida and Key West, is dedicated almost exclusively to the fisherman. For 112 miles by car or bus he drives across the sea, and all the way, on both sides of the road, one establishment after another is set up and ready to serve him in his purpose. He can enjoy any variety of the sport, from dabbling for grunts to battling the bigger ones like marlin and tuna and sailfish, without having to travel more than four miles in any given direction. It is hard to believe now, watching the thousands of sport fishermen pour onto the Keys in their annual winter migration, that only 20 years ago this fabulous fishbowl was restricted to only those with the boats and the time to get there. Before the completion of the Overseas Highway and its 40 bridges the Keys were to most fishermen a fabled place enjoyed only by the favored few, a legendary sea of fish where 100-pound tarpon leaped six feet in the air and a gray bullet of a fish with a bony mouth made fools of even the best anglers. And if a man grew bored with inshore fishing, there beyond him, never out of sight, was the storied Gulf Stream, highway of the biggest fish of all. Between the two were the reefs, boiling with their own finned kingdom.
With the coming of the road, legend became reality. Fresh water came to the Keys, and electric power and all the appurtenances of modern civilization. And the anglers crowded in. They have been coming ever since, and in ever-increasing numbers. Some, like Harold J. Graves of Portland, Oregon, cross the nation for the privilege. Others, like Count Etienne de Ganay of Paris, who is now on his way to the Keys after hearing about them while salmon fishing in Norway, traverse the world. For some it is a trip in a trailer, or a line dangled over a bridge and a fish supper served at a campsite by the sea; to others it is a houseboat cruise to the Key Largo Angler's Club for a social whirl and some fishing along the way.
Most of the Keys' visitors, however, come simply to fish, alone, with friends, or with a guide hired by the day. They stalk the flats of the bayside back country in skiffs, in search of the spooky bonefish, or work the waters under and around the bridges, tempting the tarpon on the turning tides. And, tired of that, they charter out to the deep blue water for dolphin and sail and maybe a marlin. From sunup to sundown they fish, with a sandwich lunch at sea.
A clannish lot, each Keys fisherman has his special place to stay. The light-tackle bone and tarpon men can be found around Islamorada on Upper Matecumbe Key—and they would not be caught dead anywhere else. There live the top guides specializing in these fish. Some thirty miles down the road, Marathon caters to the Gulf Stream charter business and the winter-trade yachts which put into Captain Thompson's docks. To this place come the Benson Fords, the Roger Firestones and the others who can make a houseboat trip to the Keys an annual pilgrimage. From here they move out on fishing safaris lasting three or four days, taking with them staffs of cooks and maids and guides. At Key West there is a little of everything for the angler and not much of anything else.
On Saturdays and Sundays the weekend trippers have their day, pouring in to picnic and fish from the bridges. Like sentinels they stand, with bamboo poles and bait buckets, fishing the whole night through by torchlight. They are, by tradition, an accepted road hazard on the Keys. To the relief of motorists, wooden catwalks are now being built for them—that they may fish and live.
It pains the Tavernier Chamber of Commerce that there is one blight upon the otherwise tranquil waters of the Keys: spearfishermen. The trouble began in a small enough way. A few people started spearing fish for fun. But then the meat-market boys from Miami moved in. Systematically working the best reefs, these "weekend warriors," as they are locally known, plundered some of the finest fishing holes on the Upper Keys. "They would take 500 pounds of fish in an afternoon," reported Carolyn V. Cohen of the chamber of commerce. It took the combined efforts of aroused Key dwellers (who have an astute eye toward their own future) to stop the blight with a temporary law banning spearfishing on the Upper Keys. To enforce the law, local vigilante groups have been set up and six special officers sworn in. The man who dares today to walk the Upper Keys with flippers and CO[2] gun in his hand walks not only with the eyes of accusation upon him, but in the shadow of the law. "If it takes open warfare," says Mrs. Cohen, "we intend to preserve and protect forever the fabulous fishing on the Keys."
NAVIGATING THE KEYS BY CAR
Mileage
.0
JEWFISH CREEK. Keys begin. Two fishing camps and marina. Rent motors, boats, tackle. Bait, beer, dockage, diesel fuel, gas at docks, restaurant. Boats for rent $3 per day, boat with motor $8 per day.
1.4
Intersection of state road 905 and U.S. Highway 1. Left turn to Key Largo Angler's Club and Ocean Reef Club.
11.5
Left: Angler's Club entrance. Private.
13.1
Right: Ocean Reef Club. Open to public. Hotel rooms minimum $12 per day in summer, $18 per day in winter. Cottages $75 per week in summer, $150 per week in winter. Air strip, golf course, beach, archery range, dining room, dockage.
RETURN SOUTH TO ROUTE 1
5.4
Right: Joe Hines boats, motors.
5.6
Right: Boat rentals.
5.7
Left: Key Largo Aqua Sports, skin-diving, charters, equipment rental, compressed air.
6.0
Left: Motors, boats, bait.
7.5
Right: Lone Star Corral Motel, boats, swimming in Gulf.
7.7
Right: Trailer park.
9.7
Right: Fisherman's Paradise Motel, boats for rent. Left: Charter boats.
9.8
Right: Boats and motors rental.
10.0
Left: Rod and Reel Motel. Summer rates $5 to $8, winter $9 to $15; pool, restaurant, bar.
10.8
Mell's boat works, engine repairs.
11.4
Left: Rock Harbor Bar. Right: Colonial Motel.
11.6
Left: Long View trailer park on ocean. Charter boats, boat rentals.
14.0
Right: Coral Sands trailer park and Stoneledge Motel.
14.5
Charter boats.
14.7
Left: Chamber of Commerce information.
16.8
B.P.O.E. 1872.
16.9
Charter fishing.
TAVERNIER
17.3
Right: Key Haven Motel. National Audubon Society bird tours.
17.7
Right: Harry's Place, restaurant and bar.
19.9
Right: San Pedro Catholic Church.
21.4
Right: The Sportsman Motel.
22.0
Left: Sea Breeze trailer park, bar and restaurant.
22.3
Right: Plantation Harbor, restaurant, cocktail lounge, fishing.
22.5
Left: McKee's Sunken Treasure Museum. Built like old fortress. Underwater tours.
23.8
Right: Boats, motors, bait. Left: Motel and restaurant.
24.0
Fishing camp.
24.2
Left: Tropical Winds Bar, lounge, restaurant. Big attraction: talking, prize-winning myna birds. Also on left: Three Palms Apartments.
24.3
Left: Windley Key trailer park. Drop Anchor Motel, boats and motors for rent.
24.4
Left: Harbor Lights Mm el, cottages, boats, motors, efficiencies.
24.6
Left: Reggie Roberts, guide.
24.9
Left: Theater of the Sea, live saltwater fish and porpoise on exhibition.
25.1
Left: Capt. Bill Schuler, tackle, weighing station.
25.4
Capt. Rollie Hollenbeck, guide.
25.7
Left: Whale Harbor Motel. Cottages, efficiencies, bar, food, reef-diving. Charter Guide Hugh Brown.
ISLAMORADA
26.1
Right: Cinemorada, movie house.
26.8
Left: American Legion Post.
27.5
Right: Martin's Hafway House, bar, restaurant, gift shop. Features sea food.
27.6
Right: Keys Marina, complete marine service, machine shop, repairs. Left: Parker Marine Supply, tackle and boat supplies.
27.7
Right: Keys Baptist Church; Methodist Church.
30.0
Right: Don's Marine Center, charter boats, bonefish guide. Evinrude motors, boats, tackle, information.
30.2
Right: Everett Carey dock, fishing guide. Left: Green Turtle Inn, bar and restaurant.
30.5
Left: Guide Dick Williams, Coral Cove resort, rooms and cottages, pool.
31.6
Left: Johnson outboard motors, sales and service, boats. Bud 'N' Mary, boats and motors, bait, tackle, small boat dockage, charter boat. Right: Everett Fowler's Fishing Camp, motel, bait, small boats, motors, charter boats, weighing station. Can launch boats from trailers here or use Fowler's small boat hoist. Bar, restaurant, yacht basin. Charter rates $65 per day, $35 half day.
33.0
Left: Picnic tables.
33.8
Right: Blueberry Hill Key restaurant, fine food, dinner by reservation only.
34.1
Right: Starck's bait, charter boats, tackle, lunchroom. Left: Malibu Lodge, efficiencies, rooms.
34.2
Right: Capt. Angus Boatwright, reef and stream fishing. Also on right: Capt. Joe Culley, charter fishing.
35.3
Left: Matecumbe Motel. Modern.
35.8
Capt. Ellis Shires, bonefish guide. Tropic-Air Motel, swimming, rooms, apartments, launching ramp, boats.
36.2
Don Wollard, bonefish, tarpon, sail, redfish, trout guide. Blue Water Apartments, Evinrude service.
36.4
Left: Lindo-Mar Motel, beach.
37.9
Right: Toll Gate Inn, motel, restaurant, bar, fishing guides. Boats, bait, ice. Summer rates $5 per day, winter $12.
39.1
Left: Picnic site.
39.5
Left and right: Craig, Florida. Restaurant, charter boats, general store.
41.8
Right: Greyhound Key. Motel, cafeteria, pool, docks, boats, launching facilities, etc.
42.2
Right: Long Key. Ice, motors, bait.
43.4
Right: Capt. Del Layton, boats, bait, tackle, motors. Right: restaurant, efficiencies, rooms.
48.9
Right: Conch Key. Bill Hunt's camp, trailer park, cabins, efficiencies. Boats, ice, weighing station, groceries, etc.
49.8
Left: Walker's Island, cottages, boats, motors, charter boats.
50.9
Left: Duck Key. Exclusive, expensive housing development.
52.2
Left: Tom's Harbor. Motel, boats, restaurant.
53.0
Right: Pelican Motel and restaurant. Also, Bonefish Harbor, boats, motors, tackle, ramp and hoist for boats; bait.
53.9
Manning's trailer park.
55.7
Evinrude motors and service. Chris-Craft dealer.
MARATHON
58.6
Key Colony Beach, housing development.
58.8
Trailer park.
59.2
Left: Key Colony Marina, fishing docks, charter boats, party boats, dockage, boat and motor rental, diving equipment, compressed-air station, weighing station.
59.8
Left: Jack Tar Hotel, swimming pool, restaurant, bar, fishing docks, cabana club on ocean.
60.2
Left: Fish smoked to take home.
60.5
Right: Florida Skin Divers Headquarters.
60.9
Left: Movie house.
61.6
Right: Catholic Church.
61.8
Right: Dining room, bar, beach, cottages, trailer court.
62.1
Left: American Legion Post #154.
62.4
Right: Thomas-Seiler Co., Chris-Craft dealer.
62.6
Right: Florida Highway Patrol station; Marathon Chamber of Commerce, information.
62.7
Right: Marathon Community Church.
63.1
Aqua Products Company, diving equipment.
63.3
Right: Davis Docks. Yacht anchorage. Restaurant, bar, motel.
63.4
Left: Miller's Tackle Shop, guides, fishing parties arranged, bait, taxidermist. Marathon Medical Center. Ye Ole Feshin' Hole, bait, tackle, charter boats, taxidermist.
63.5
Right: Children's day nursery.
63.6
Hall's Camp and Motel, guides, bottom fishing, equipment rental.
63.7
Right: Hanley's, excellent food and drinks. Dinner from $2.25. Bar built like hull of ship, picture window onto slip, no juke box. Dockage. Bill Thompson's docks, facilities for yachts, also motel.
63.8
Right: Fish Bowl, live tropical fish on exhibition. Boats for rent. Left: Mooring trailer park.
SEVEN-MILE BRIDGE
75.3
Right: Bahia Honda Park, picnic tables, beach, boat launching facilities, lunchroom.
76.7
Left: Picnic spot.
77.7
Left: Boy Scout camp.
78.0
Left: Picnic area.
81.3
Left: Big Pine Inn, rooms, restaurant, bar. Old frame building. 3½ miles to Old Wooden Bridge Fishing Camp. Cabins, boats, motors, bait, good fishing. Old wooden bridge was one of original highway bridges.
83.5
Right: Little Torch restaurant. Motel, fish mounted, tackle, bait, cottages.
87.1
Right: Johnston's Point. Bait, tackle, boat rental.
92.2
Left to Pirate's Cove. Charter boat.
102.1
Right: Big Coppitt trailer park.
104.4
Naval Air Station.
107.4
Left: 200 yards to veterinarian, Dr. Paul W. Landrum Jr.
108.0
Left: Cliff's Marine and Supply Co. Boats and motor rental, sales and repairs. Fishing guidesavailable. Authorized Chris-Craft dealer.
108.4
Key West city limit.
A VARIETY OF FISH MAKE THE KEYS TOPS
Here, in paintings by John Langley Howard and Rudolf Freund, are the most popular species on the Keys, with all you need to know to find and catch them
BONEFISH
The most challenging sport fish on the Keys, this "Gray Ghost of the Flats" can be caught all year. Islamorada is the hottest spot. Best fishing in bayside back country, but inshore wading can produce fast action. Look for tailing fish and approach quietly. Usually taken with spinning tackle on plugs, flies,' spinning lures, small crabs and shrimp. June is tops. World record: 18 pounds two ounces.
AMBERJACK
Scrappiest of the reef fishes, they weigh anywhere from 12 pounds to over 100, and when hooked make deep dives for bottom rocks and holes. Drifting and slow-trolling is best fishing method, with live bait, strip bait, spoons and tin squid preferred. Chumming them up with mullet can produce results. World record: 120 pounds eight ounces.
TARPON
The most spectacular jumping fish on the Keys, they can weigh over 100 pounds and are found in bays, inlets and just offshore. Common everywhere, Islamorada stresses plug-and fly-fishing, and Marathon boasts most live-bait fishermen. Popping and diving plugs, flies and live mullet all produce. Heaviest concentrations are from March to July, with best angling April to May. World record: 283 pounds.
KING MACKEREL
Famous for charging bait at great speed, these excellent eating fish are abundant during March, April and November. Commonly called kingfish, most are caught slow-trolling or drifting, and wire leaders are needed. Pier fishermen find them around pilings. Best trolling baits are strip and whole fish, shrimp, spoons, tin squid. Average weight: eight to 10 pounds. World record: 76 pounds eight ounces.
JACK CREVALLE
Extremely popular on the Keys, this semitropical species averages under five pounds but sometimes goes over 30. Striking them isn't necessary—they strike you and then take off on a long fast run. They are live-bait feeders, preferring shrimp or mullet, but will also take popping plugs, or a fly-rod streamer. Usually found in surf, bays, inlets, passes and around reefs and wrecks. No records kept.
GROUPER
These giant members of the sea-bass family rank higher as food than as gamefish. Heaviest concentrations are found from November to July, especially outside reefs, in bays and around causeways. They average eight pounds in weight, but have been pulled out to 100 pounds. Plug-, fly-and spin-casting are good, but still-fishing and deep trolling are preferred. Lobster is best bait. No records kept.
SNOOK
The fighting qualities of this fish make it a favorite among bait casters and spin-fishermen. It is a mean, noisy bully that will hit almost any lure. Hot spots are passes and inland Keys, and best angling months are June and July. Snook average four to six pounds, and are best still-fished with live shrimp or mullet, although fly-, spin- and plug-casting produce. World record: 50 pounds eight ounces.
BONITO
Nomads of the sea, these voracious feeders are considered top-ranking battlers by light-tackle men. Found four to 10 miles offshore, they average eight pounds and can go to 25. Feather and nylon jigs are most popular lures, but spoons and tin squids are effective. Best fishing March to May. Spin-fishermen should cast close to school and make quick, jerky retrieve. World record: 39 pounds 15 ounces.
BARRACUDA
These razor-toothed villains of the sea can be found almost anywhere on the Keys the year round. Though known to grow larger than 100 pounds, their average weight is 10 pounds inshore and 15 pounds in the Stream. They will strike at any lure that is flashy and moving. Best places to look for them are in bays, canals, inlets, or other relatively shallow areas. World record: 103 pounds four ounces.
SNAPPERS
Various species are found the entire length of Keys, with good red snapper banks 25 miles off Key West. Can be found all year in bays, inlets and offshore reefs, usually schooling in large numbers. The best months are May to August; weights vary from two pounds to 120 pounds. Still-fishing, drifting over reefs, plug-, fly-and spin-fishing are all good methods. Live shrimp is best bait. No records kept.
SAILFISH
Both hooking and playing this spectacular billfish are among the Keys' greatest challenges. Because it sometimes whacks the bait with its bill before taking it into its mouth, the bait must be "dropped back" when hit to simulate a stunned fish. Best baits are mullet, bonito and balaos. Once hooked, though, the sail puts on a blood-tingling performance of aerial gymnastics. Most abundant from May to July and October to December. World record: 123 pounds.
DOLPHIN
This multihued fish is rated one of fastest. Found in blue water, often under floating weed, it is abundant all year, with best angling April to July. Light-tackle trolling with strip or whole bait, feathers and spoons, is productive. Dolphin can also be taken on plugs, fly casting or on spinning gear. For action, leave one hooked on line astern of boat—and then watch out. World record: 75 pounds eight ounces.
WAHOO
As powerful a fish as any angler could hope to tie into, this one is rated by some guides as the fish in the Florida seas. Striking a bait or lure savagely, it can tear off 1,000 feet of line in seconds. Best angling in June. Wire leaders are necessary because of sharp teeth. Outriggers and a skipping bait are best, but wahoo are also caught on trolled sailfish baits, feather lures and spoons. World record: 136 pounds.
PERMIT
Rated an even better trophy than the bonefish, this biggest, gamest member of the pompano family is the teaser of the lot. Top angling from May to July. Those caught are usually hooked on a yellow jig, retrieved in a short, jerky manner. Best spots are around bridges and on the sand flats, and good baits are hermit crabs, sand fleas and live shrimp. World record: 42 pounds four ounces.
[
MAP
JOHN LANGLEY HOWARD
A SPORT ILLUSTRATED SPECIAL MAP
THE KEYS
Color gradations from light to dark indicate variations in depth of water from one to 600 feet. Where given, numbers represent depth of water in feet. Best fishing areas are in red.
GULF OF MEXICO
TARPON BELLY KEYS
Winter Tarpon
SAWYER KEY
Permit
30
JOHNSTON KEY CHANNEL
Tarpon
25
JOHNSTON KEY, BARRACUDA KEYS
Permit & Tarpon
Tarpon Best Spot Mud Key Channel
30
15
10
5
1
30
Night Tarpon
5
10
15
20
KEY WEST
108 AIR MILES TO HAVANA
35
4
120
Good Trolling S.W. to Cosgrove Light for Reef Fish; Grouper, Barracuda Amberjack, Mackerel, Kingfish, etc.
WEST WASHERWOMAN
Bottom Fishing
SUGARLOAF BEACH
Bonefish
AMERICAN SHOAL
Red-Hot Amberjack Grounds
300
Stream Fishing; Sailfish—November to December, April to July; Bonito—all year; Marlin—spring; Dolphin—May-August.200
LOOE KEY
Barracuda
100
Red Hot
Sailfish Grounds
NEWFOUND HARBOR KEYS
Bonefish & Permit
COUPON BIGHT
Bonefish & Tarpon
LOGGERHEAD KEY
Good Tarpon Spot June to July
5
1
2
Guide: Captain Wyatt, PIRATES COVE
1
2
4
2
4
Grouper, Snapper
RACCOON KEY
Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon
CONTENT KEYS
Permit
HARBOR CHANNEL WATER KEYS
Bonefish & Permit
BIG TORCH KEY
Bonefish & Tarpon
CRAWL KEY
Winter Tarpon
BIG PINE KEY
LITTLE PINE KEY
Bonefish
NO NAME KEY
Tarpon
MOSER CHANNEL
Tarpon
BAHIA HONDA BRIDGE
Very Good Tarpon
HAWK CHANNEL
Kingfish—WinterBULLARD BANK AREA
Kingfish—WinterSIDEBOARD BANK
MONKEY BANK
Kingfish, Mackerel
Very Good
JOHNSON KEYS
Bonefish, Snapper, Trout
10
EAKETTLE KEY
Sea Trout
9
HARDUP KEY
Snapper
BOATYARD
THOMPSON'S DOCKS
Bonefish & Permit
15
25
KNIGHT KEY CHANNEL
Tarpon
35
20
40
100
Sea Trout, Early Summer
BUTTONWOOD KEYS AND CLUB KEY AREA
Tarpon
Permit
Sea Trout
Redfish
TWIN KEY BANK, BARNES KEY, RABBIT KEYS
Excellent Bonefishing
Tarpon
Bonefish
Tarpon
Guide: Buckey Starck
Charter & Tarpon
CROSS BANK
Bonefish
ISLAMORADA
UPPER MATECUMBE KEY
BLUEBERRY HILL
Restaurant
SPRIGGER BANK Bluefish, Jacks, Trout
TRIPOD BANK Bluefish, Jacks, Trout
PONTOON BANK
ARSENIC BANK
Tarpon
BAMBOO BANKS
LONG KEY VIADUCT
Hot Tarpon Spot
DUCK KEY AND TOMS HARBOR CUT
Bonefish & Tarpon
OLD SWEAT BANK
Bonefish & Permit
DAVIS DOCKS
MARATHON
AIR STRIP
Tarpon
BOOT KEY
Bonefishing
20
15
5
SOMEBRERO KEY
Tarpon
VACA KEY BIGHT AND CUT
Bonefish & Tarpon
GRASSY KEY
Bonefishing Wading
Sailfish Hot Spot One Mile from Edge, Drift Fishing Out to 30 Fathoms
COFFINS PATCH Kingfish
Bottom Fishing in Rocky Patches
LONG KEY BIGHT
Bonefish, Tarpon, Permit
Bottom Fishing
Bonefish Wading
TENNESSEE REEF
CRAIG
CHANNEL FIVE
Good Tarpon
LONG KEY
LAYTON'S LONG KEY CAMP
JEWFISH KEY
Greyhound Post House
PETERSON KEY BANK
Bonefishing
TOLL GATE INN
MALIBU LODGE
CHANNEL TWO AREA
Bonefish & Tarpon
LOWER MATECUMBE KEY
INDIAN KEY Bonefish
SHELL KEY AND LIGNUMVITAE KEY AREAS
Bonefishing
TEATABLE KEY
Bonefish & Permit
SNAKE CREEK
Bonefish & Permit
COTTON KEY
Bonefish
Blue Water: Marlin, Wahoo, Dolphin, etc.
49 MILES TO MIAMI
LONG ARSENICKER
Bonefish
CARD BANK
Bonefish Flats
BARNES SOUND
Sea Trout
LITTLE BLACKWATER SOUND
Tarpon
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
BLACKWATER SOUND
Sea Trout
BUTTONWOOD SOUND
ROD AND REEL MOTEL
KEY LARGO COLONIAL Motel
CAESAR CREEK
Bonefish Flats
PACIFIC REEF
BROAD CREEK
Bonefish Flats
OCEAN REEF CLUB
Inn & Harbor
KEY LARGO ANGLER'S CLUB Private
TURTLE REEF AND ROCKS
Grouper, Barracuda
KEY LARGO
GULFSTREAM FISHING LODGE
JEWFISH CREEK
GARDEN COVE Bonefish
LARGO SOUND
Bonefish
Top Bonefishing Wading
ROCK HARBOR Very good Bonefishing
RODRIGUEZ KEY
Bonefish & Permit
AUDUBON SOCIETY
Bird Tours
TAVERNIER KEY
Bonefish & Permit
TAVERNIER
KEY HAVEN MOTEL
THE ELBOW
Kingfish
FRENCH REEF
Mackerel
MOLASSES REEF
Amberjack
PICKLES REEF
Barracuda, Amberjack
CONCH REEF
PLANTATION YACHT HARBOR
DAVIS REEF
CROCKER REEF
HEN AND CHICKENS
Bottom Fishing
FLORIDA
GULF STREAM