Sugarloaf Key Fishing Charters & Guides

Sugarloaf Key Fishing Charters

In the middle of the last stretch of Florida Keys sits Sugarloaf Key. This island is a giant curve, giving it the illusion of being several islands. As with the rest of the Keys in this part of Florida, it does have plenty of nearby small uninhabited islands. The majority of Sugarloaf Key is undeveloped, making it a prime place to see nature. It does have the beaches many expect from the keys, but it has far more marshy areas and shallow sandy flats. The area is packed with channels. Shark Channel to the south and Bow Channel-Pirates Cove on the northside connect the Gulf of Mexico waters to the Atlantic Ocean here.

Sugarloaf Key Inshore Fishing

The sandy flats on the north side of the island are what most people think of when it comes to inshore fishing. It is possible to spend a whole day wading in the shallows looking for fish, coming out only to take a break. Tarpon, permit, and bonefish cruise these waters looking for smaller animals to eat. These three fish bring fly fishermen from around the world in search of the saltwater fly rod trifecta. This grand slam is one of the hardest to achieve in the fishing world. The difficulty lies in getting a bone and permit to bite to begin with. Both fish are super wary, with the bonefish apparently having the nerves of a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. Tarpon are harder to spook, but much harder to land because of their hard mouths which prevent hooks from sinking in and their line-stripping runs. If you choose to chase these fish, a seven-weight to nine-weight rod is good for bones and permit. Big tarpon need an 11-weight or 12-weight rod and a reel with 200 or more yards of backing. Top flies are streamers, crab and shrimp patterns. Many Sugarloaf Key fishing charters specialize in helping anglers achieve this slam. If you don't throw flies, you can still chase the grand slam with conventional tackle. Live shrimp and shrimp-imitating lures are the best way to connect with permit and bonefish. For tarpon, throw blue crabs, live mullet or big artificial lures. If you are after the slam, listen carefully to your guide. He knows what it takes to put these fish in the boat. The mangrove snapper is one of the most common and most pursued fish in the Keys and South Florida. These fish like to hang out in the mangroves, hence the name, but can be found in deep water too. Mangroves hit live and cut bait best, but will fall victim to jigs and shrimp-imitating lures. The shallows are also home to several species of shark. The two most targeted by anglers are the blacktip and the bull shark. Blacktips are prized because of how they fight when on the line. Bull sharks, which have one of the highest levels of testosterone of any animal, are prized because of the fight they put up. Bull sharks are true bulls of the ocean. They are also one of the top man-eater sharks. Both will readily take big pieces of cut bait and live fish like mullet. Blackip also hammer topwater plugs making this shark one of the most exciting to catch. If you plan to chase sharks, be aware of the Sunshine State's shark fishing regs. How you can fish for shark from the beach is different than from a boat. Some species must also be released immediately.

Sugarloaf Key Offshore Fishing

Several species of grouper, sailfish, tuna, amberjack, mahi mahi, three species of mackerel and many different snapper call the deeper waters off Sugarloaf Key home. Nearly all of these can be caught trolling. Depth will determine a lot of what you catch. Grouper, snapper and AJs will run deep so use planers and downriggers to get where they are. Sailfish, tuna and king mackerel can hit at just about any depth. Mahi mahi stay near the surface so you need to pull something that runs shallow or stays at the surface. Skirted lures tipped with live or frozen ballyhoo are irresistible to these fish. Dropping live and cut baits and jigging over reefs and wrecks will also bring fish up. When offshore in the Keys, The Humps are almost a mandatory stop. These underwater seamounts provide a fish habitat that is hard to find anywhere else in the world. What makes The Humps so special is the Gulf Stream that passes over these underwater mountains.

Book A Sugarloaf Key Fishing Charter

It is time to fish. FishAnywhere has the Sugarloaf Key fishing charters who know where the fish are. They will make sure you have the best time possible.