Explore The Florida Keys

Locations > The Keys

Fishing, spearfishing, diving, snorkeling - so many choices in the Florida Keys to enjoy the spectacular reefs and shipwreck, all just minutes from shore. Your choices are endless and so are the fish you can catch. The Florida Keys have many marine habitats that include fringing mangroves, seagrass meadows, hard bottom regions, as well as patch and bank reefs. You can fish for big game fish on the Atlantic Ocean side or fish the flats and back country islands of Florida Bay. Shipwrecks are numerous in this area with Shipwreck Alley being a popular destination for both anglers and divers. With the warm Gulf Stream running by The Keys just offshore, numerous fishing tournaments and fishing charters frequent this blue water area on the edge of the Gulf Stream for some excellent deep sea fishing for big game fish.

Charts & Maps of The Florida Keys and FKNMS New! Buy our handy PDF file loaded with 78 Florida Keys diagrams

 

The Florida Keys is a 158 mile long string of islands extending south and west of the Florida mainland from Key Largo to the Dry Tortugas. The Florida Keys are within Monroe County and include Florida Bay and the southern tip of the Florida peninsula that is mostly Everglades National Park. The Keys are divided by both geography and demography into three distinct units: Upper Keys, Middle Keys, and Lower Keys. The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) was created in 1990 to oversee the 2,900 square nautical miles on both sides of the Florida Keys. Management in these state and federal waters is achieved through a cooperative agreement with the State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Fishing opportunities in The Keys include fringing mangroves, seagrass meadows, hard bottom regions, as well as patch and bank reefs. You can fish for big game fish on the Atlantic Ocean side or fish the flats and back country islands of Florida Bay. Shipwrecks are numerous in this area with Shipwreck Alley being a popular destination for both anglers and divers. With the warm Gulf Stream running by The Keys just offshore, numerous fishing tournaments and fishing charts frequent this blue water area on the edge of the Gulf Stream for some excellent deep sea fishing for big game fish. For the shore angler there are hundreds of bridges, beaches, piers sprinkled through out the 1,700 islands that make up The Florida Keys. For the freshwater angler the Everglades and National Parks offers limitless fresh and brackish fishing.

 

Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) includes all of the Florida Keys and a portion east of Key Biscayne near Pacific Reef. Fishing and Lobstering in the sanctuary is allowed except for distinctly marked marine protected areas throughout The Keys.

Except for catch and release fishing by trolling in the Conch Reef, Alligator Reef, Sombrero Reef, and Sand Key SPAs, fishing by any means is prohibited within marked areas. However, gear capable of harvesting fish may be aboard a vessel in an Ecological Reserve or Sanctuary Preservation Area, provided such gear is not available for immediate use when entering and during transit through such Ecological Reserve or Sanctuary Preservation Area, and no presumption of fishing activity shall be drawn therefrom.

Fishing the Reefs of The Keys

Watch this video from SpanishFlyTV's Jose Wejebe that describes the different type of reefs in The Keys.

There are so many fishing tournaments in the Florida Keys Monroe County Commission put together a guide with contact information if you are interested in joining one of their annual tournaments. Fishing Tournament Guide

Keys Islands

The Florida Keys islands are divided into 3 regions - Upper , Middle, and Lower:

Upper	Middle	Lower
Key Largo	Craig Key	Pigeon Key	Park Key
Tavernier	Fiesta Key	Money Key	Lower Sugarloaf Key
Plantation Key	Long Key	Little Duck Key	Saddlebunch Keys
Windley Key	City of Layton	Missouri Key	Shark Key
Upper Matecumbe Key	Conch Key	Ohio Key	Geiger Key
Tea Table Key	Little Conch Key	Sunshine Key	Big Coppitt Key
Indian Key	Duck Key	Bahia Honda Key	East Rockland Key
Lignumvitae Key	Grassy Key	Spanish Harbor Key	Rockland Key
Lower Matecumbe Key	Crawl Key	Scout Key (West Summerland Key)	Boca Chica Key
Village of Islamorada	Long Point Key	No Name Key	Stock Island
	Fat Deer Key	Big Pine Key	Key West
	Key Vaca	Little Torch Key	Sigsbee Park
	City of Marathon	Middle Torch Key	Fleming Key
	City of Key Colony Beach	Big Torch Key	Sunset Key
	Boot Key	Ramrod Key	Wisteria Island
	Knight's Key	Summerland Key	Mule Keys
		Knockemdown Key	Marquesas Keys
		Cudjoe Key	Dry Tortugas
		Sugarloaf Key	Tortugas Bank