Florida Keys Vacation info

[WhoDey64]

Visiting Bahia Honda state park 36 miles from Key West is a must if you want to snorkel out to some great patch reefs just 100 yards offshore. It is hands down the best easy access point in for snorkeling in the keys, truly beautiful on a day with good visibility. The park rents all the snorkel gear as well, but I think collection is restricted due to it being a state park. A second option is John Pennekamp state park in Key Largo, nothing like Bahia honda, but diving the grass flats is interesting enough.

If you are looking to collect you must have the proper state license which can be obtained at any sporting goods, bait and tackle or better yet online. You can set the date you wish the license to be active and only need a printed copy of your authorization page. Slurp gun rentals are tough to find but slurp guns really are not that expensive (at least the ones I have seen). I have caught just about every tropical that the keys has to offer on hook and line, just get a small POS rod and real combo, a box of chum, a couple of 1oz sinkers and a couple of packs of sabiki bait rigs. You will be amazed with the variety of reef fish you can pull up on hook and line (and the hooks are hair fine and can be made barbless so that you do not damage the fish).

 

[Jboulerice]

this is wrong. you now need a SW license even to fish from shore.

http://forums.floridasportsman.com/node/113932
this is a link to lots of great keys info.


here is the rules regarding collecting fish. you will need to get a saltwater fishing license to do so.http://myfwc.com/RULESANDREGS/Saltwater_Regulations_recharvestmls.htm

Darn, "You are a resident who is saltwater fishing from land or a structure fixed to land who has been determined eligible for the food stamp, temporary cash assistance, or Medicaid Program by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Proof of identification and a benefit issuance or program identification card issued by DCFS or the Agency for Health Care Administration must be on your person when fishing.
NOTE: Effective Aug. 1, 2009 - Residents and nonresidents fishing for a saltwater species (other than mullet in fresh water) from land or from a structure fixed to the land are required to purchase a saltwater fishing license.

Looks like they're cracking down... Learn something new everyday. Some people locally had slurp guns, you'd probably be better off flying into miami and picking some fish up from the LFS than risk killing a fish in the trip home who's gonna be super stressed rather fish store fish which are always stressed from transport or poor care.

 

[ashrem]

Ditto on Bahia Honda, great park. Trip to Ft. Jefferson in the Dry Tortuga was also very interesting, little expensive but worth the trip out. Great snorkling around the fort.

 

[ReeferChris]

In the summer when my family and i go down to our place down there we usually just head out the cut, which is where mallory square is located (It's were you go to see the sunset and all the street performers, of which there is only a few places left in the U.S. were it is still legal to do street performance) we head straight out which would be south and you will see some buoys about 2 miles off the shore, this is were the dive boats go. This is the reef (basically if you are on the outside of this it is were the water starts to get deeper. We usually just tie up on one of the bouys after we have done our fishing/spearfishing for the day so that my sister and mom can swim around and stuff. I do not think that collecting is allowed in these areas since they are protected. You need to really make sure about were it is legal and were it is not because it still confuses me and this does not include just key west it even includes miami were I live, basically everyone you ask including Florida Fish and wildlife will give you a different answer, sometimes I don't even think they know there own rules, and they don't have a map that clearly says were it is allowed and were it is not allowed to do fishing/spearfishing/collecting. The reefs that I am talking about are about 20-30 feet deep maybe 40 at some parts, but the top of the reef is about 10-15 feet so you don't really need to scuba, I don't scuba I just free dive it because I never got certified even though I have all the equipment that my uncle gave me of his. So if you can free dive that deep you can maybe get away with not needing to get scuba equipment, and you wont need to worry about flying since I know there is a time period that you have to wait before flying do to all the decompression stuff. which is why I tend to prefer free diving. There are some nice artificial wrecks though, but at that point you will need too scuba. At the wrecks you will see some huge "goliath groupers" which is what they are called know.

Definitely drive down, it is a unique place, which I sometimes take for granted having been there so much. The people are one of a kind and anything you never thought of seeing you will most definitely experience and will laugh. Hope you do decide to go down and visit Key West.

-Chris

 

[Treeman]

Try kayak.com for your flight info. I just saw non-stops from STL to MIA for about $240-$250.

Pennekamp (mile marker 104 aprox)has some great snorkel/dive boats, so that is a great stop.

Tiki bar in Islamorada (mm 85 ?) great drinking and beach, has some zoos etc along the bridge etc.

Robbies (mm 79) feed the Tarpon, take a boat over to Indian key - see an old settlement and take your snorkel gear and go along the ocean side to see a great soft coral reef in 8-10 feet of water- lots of urchins too. Backside is grass flats that are great also.

Bahia Honda (mm ?) great snorkeling too

Key West (mm 0) Enough said already - you could spend a week down here. Got to go see Fort Jefferson and snorkel. The planes are more $$ but was worth it as far as I was concerned. Got to see everything from up top (could see sharks and rays) and plenty of time to see the fort, go to the beach and snorkel.

 

[michealprater]

http://www.ccritters.com/id23.html

is in Islamorada.

 

[bawla47]

This thread is very informative for even us locals! good stuff Havent been down there in forever, would like to plan a trip very soon. cant wait!

anyone know where to go once you get to bahia honda for the good snorkeling? any landmarks and the direction i need to head) my boss told me its a great place to go camping , like to do that down there.

 

[michealprater]

I am glad everyone can benefit from it! I came to the right place for help!

 

[WhoDey64]

anyone know where to go once you get to bahia honda for the good snorkeling? any landmarks and the direction i need to head) like to do that down there.

Go to the south end of the island and head straight out away from the train bridge, the normal current runs north along the beach so you can let it carry you up the beach for several hundred yards, just swim back in and walk the beach back to the south to repeat.

 

[Lifes A Beach]

Looe Key

Looe Key

An excellent site to snorkel or dive is Looe Key at mile marker 27 (about 1/2 hour north of Key West). It's not shallow and you can't collect there since it's a sanctuary but it is absolutely beautiful. A dive boat takes you out to the reef.

My favorite place to eat in Key West is El Siboney. They serve excellent cuban food and prices are really good. They just opened another restaurant in Marathon. You can google it to get directions since it's off the beaten path in Key West.

--Barbara

 

[ReeferChris]

Yes El Siboney is a great place to eat, we try to at least go there once when we are down. It's were the locals go, good food at good prices. Obviously you will need to do the Duval scene, since its basically the Bourbon Street in New Orleans equivalent.

 

[Treeman]

I forgot, you cannot collect at Indian key as it is a state park or preserve. I think it 100 yards out from the island. But worth the trip.

 

[bawla47]

Go to the south end of the island and head straight out away from the train bridge, the normal current runs north along the beach so you can let it carry you up the beach for several hundred yards, just swim back in and walk the beach back to the south to repeat.

Thanks

 

[keywestcoralboy]

OK i found one of the only threads where i am the resident expert,,,, i was born, live,dive,charter and collect here in kw, lets get started last i checked fishing from shore no fishing liscence ness. collecting, no hard coral,but zoos and mushrooms are ok as well as liverock but they must be seperate.

 

[WhoDey64]

As of this year Florida residents require a shore fishing license.

 

[keywestcoralboy]

kinda benefits everybody.