Virginia Key Fishing Charters & Guides

Virginia Key Fishing Charters

You have heard of a long and winding road. Virginia Key, an island about 2 miles out in the Atlantic from Miami, actually has a road named Long And Winding Road. Most people come to this island for the wildlife attractions on the south end, the nature trails and the amazing fishing that the inshore and Atlantic offer. The west side of the island is shallows and mangrove swamps. The east side, on the ocean, is a strip of white sand beach. The Miami Seaquarium, the Invertebrate Museum and more places to see are mostly on the south end. The natural trails on the north end look like a maze when viewed on a satellite map. Immediate access to Miami means lodging, great food and plenty of other sites to see and things to do are at hand for family members not interested in fishing.

Virginia Key Inshore Fishing

Anglers who fish mangroves know that Virginia Key is one of the best places to get mangrove snappers. Snook and redfish also hang out in these root-thick estuary systems. Anglers here can take a page from largemouth bass fishermen and try their hand at flipping and pitching. These two techniques let your lure hit the water much softer v. a long cast. Flipping also gives you extreme precision so you can drop a lure right between some mangrove roots. Jigs and shrimp-imitating lures are the top artificials for mangrove snapper and redfish. Live shrimp, small crabs and baitfish like fingerling mullet also work well. Some anglers like to throw soft and hardbody jerkbaits. Upsize your lures a bit for tarpon. If you are fishing live bait, whole blue crabs and bigger live bait, like large pinfish and medium mullet work best. If you think your heart can take it, get some explosive action by throwing topwater plugs around the edges and up between the trees. Just wait until you feel the fish to set the hook. Fair warning: watching a monster snook or tarpon home in on your topwater lure is known to make some people so nervous they cannot set the hook. Speckled trout are found all over, but when the tide is out, hit the grass flats and look for the sandy patches. These are ambush points for the specks. The same sandy areas hold flounder. Flounder sit on the bottom and use their fins to spread sand across their bodies to hide. You have to get your offering close to the flounder to catch one. If the water is murky, fish a live or artificial shrimp under a popping cork to give your desired fish something else to target.

Virginia Key Offshore Fishing

Big sharks lurk offshore, including giant hammerheads, mako, and bull. Big live and cut bait are the best ways to connect with one of these brutes. Other pelagic species like king mackerel, mahi mahi, wahoo, tuna, sailfish, and the occasional marlin are found offshore. These fish are chasing prey species. Anything at the surface like weed lines, debris and above-water structures will draw the baitfish. The other surefire way to find these fish is to watch for birds diving at the surface. Predators drive prey to the surface and birds show up for the buffet. Livewire Tackle has some additional tips to help you find these fish. Regardless of where the fish are, trolling is the preferred way to connect with them at first. Some fish like the mahi mahi, also known as dorado and dolphin, swim in schools. When you find them, cast big bucktails into the school. Keep one on the line at all times until you land the biggest in the school. Keeping one on the line while others are around is another tactic for cobia. As long as one is in the water, the others will stay close. Cobia are also incredibly curious and will come to the boat when hooked. Big pinfish, live crabs and big swimbaits will catch them. Deep trolling with a downrigger and with a planer will get these fish when they are deep. Deep trolling will also connect with reef fish like amberjack, snapper and grouper. The hogfish is not well known outside of Florida, but is equal to snapper for table fare. Most Virginia Key fishing charters are going to set you over the bottom structure and drop lines straight down. Live bait is great here. You can even catch bait on the reef with a Sabiki rig. Some people like more action and prefer jigging for fish.

Book A Virginia Key Fishing Charter

Virginia Key fishing charters specialize in catching fish. Some captains are better at it than others. FishAnywhere has the line, pardon the pun, on the best captains at the best rates. When you are ready to spend your time catching fish, let us help you find the right guide.