Tavernier Fishing Charters & Guides

Tavernier Fishing Charters

Located on the upper end of the Florida Keys, Tavernier offers the best of Keys adventures and the best of the southern Everglades. Eco tours, snorkeling, diving, being a beach bum and fishing are top reasons so many people keep coming back to this area. With 15 hotels in the community, finding reasonably priced lodging is easy. And the area has plenty to do for the whole family. Being less famous than Islamorada, but offering the same experiences, helps keep the prices down. Being close to the end of Florida's mainland puts Tavernier on the edge of the many islands and mangrove swamps that are the Sunshine State's southern tip. These flats are full of fish and offer everything from fast action with schooling redfish to cautious and deliberate stalks on ultra-wary bonefish in the flats. A look at the map of Tavernier (you can slide the map around) shows the huge number of small islands in the northern flats.

Tavernier Inshore Fishing

With hundreds of square miles of shallows between Tavernier and the Florida mainland, deciding exactly what to fish for is the biggest problem you have to work out with Tavernier fishing charters. The most popular fish on the flats are reds, trout, Spanish and cero mackerel, tarpon, mangrove snapper, black drum, permit, flounder and bonefish. How you fish for them varies with the fish. Reds and trout are the easiest fish to catch. When the bite is on, reds are hands-down the easiest. Find schooling reds in the shallows and you are almost guaranteed a fish on every cast. Reds hit gold spoons, topwater plugs and jerk baits, artificial and live shrimp, cut bait and live bait. If the water is deep enough, three feet or more, you can rig a popping cork to add sound and more vibration to your fishing. Trout will take these same lures and baits, but if you throw a spoon, use silver. Look for channels and the points of islands to find these fish. Trout also like to hang out near sandy patches in the grass flats. Spanish and cero mackerel are mostly loners, but will gang up on schools of baitfish or around good structure in slightly deeper water. Spanish get bigger than ceros. They both love to hit anything silver. Troll spoons, plugs and small feathered jigs tipped with a small baitfish. In the mangroves, you will find mangrove snapper and tarpon, often swimming in the same immediate area. The same rigs and jigs you use for trout and reds work on these fish too. If you want to lay into the big tarpon, then you need to upsize your offering. Use whole blue crabs, big pinfish, medium mullet or menhaden and make sure you have a stout rod with at least 200 yards of line on your reel Bones and permit are wary fish. A popping cork is likely to drive them away. Your approach on these fish has to be quiet, calm and precise. Live shrimp below just enough weight to make a good cast is all you need. Cast ahead of the fish and twitch it along until the fish sees it. Fluorocarbon leaders will give your more hookups than regular mono line. Look for sandy patches for flounder. Drag live or cut bait or shrimp lures, letting them bounce along the sand to entice this ambush predator to bite. On the surf side in the Atlantic ocean, pompano and croaker join the crowd of fish you can expect to catch. Catch sand fleas in the surf to use as bait. You can also use a sand flea rake or bait dip net to dredge the sand. You need a pyramid sinker on the surf rig to hold your bait in place.

Tavernier Offshore Fishing

Offshore fishing in the Florida Keys and with Tavernier fishing charters has a deserved reputation as being world-class. The legendary Ernest Hemingway made fishing for marlin and sailfish popular through his writings. The fight these fish put up is what keeps them popular. Trolling is the best way to catch these fish. Trolling also connects anglers with mahi mahi, king mackerel, wahoo, tuna and other cruising fish. Pulling these rigs deep behind a planer or a downrigger reaches grouper, snapper, amberjack and other reef-dwelling fish. To get to the reef fish another way, get live and cut bait and drop your line right over the structure. Grouper, in particular, won't move very far to chase your bait. You can also try your hand at vertical jigging. This method draws strikes from reluctant fish.

Book A Tavernier Fishing Charter

If you dream of hitting the blue water and bringing a marlin to the boat, Tavernier fishing charters can make it happen. If you want the ultimate saltwater slam on a fly rod, Tavernier fishing charters are the place to go. When you are ready for the trip, FishAnywhere has the charters and the captains to make your dream a reality.