Visiting Islamorada / Florida Keys and need some fishing tips and a first time basic lesson for fishing Yellowtail Snapper?  This guide will provide you with enough information to head out for a day on a rental or your own boat.

Family on board with nice catch of Yellowtail and Spanish Mackerel

A popular way to fish is to anchor vs. trolling.  Trolling targets the bigger game fish and can take all day to find a fish - but is extremely exciting.  We prefer to anchor and work for the Yellowtail Snapper - while sometimes you may have to move a few times, once you find a great spot, you can fish & enjoy the day for quite some time!  If you are a first time for trolling, perhaps you'd be better off hiring a charter to ensure you have a successful day .. plus you will learn a lot!

Equipment / Bait / Tackle to buy for 1st time Fishing the Islamorada Reef for Yellowtail and for great eating fish?  It is a bit of an investment to get out there, but once you get into the fish, you'll want to continue with this fabulous keys sport!

Get up early as live bait shrimp will be sold out quickly on the weekend / and nice calm days!

1. Buy or find a Florida Keys "fish identifier" chart.  VERY important.  If you have not fished here before, you most likely will catch a dozen or more variety of fish you've never seen.  Knowing what is legal to take - as well as what is good to eat will save you a lot of money if Florida Fish & Game catches up with you and checks your cooler.  And buy a license of course!!  Fish & Game is very active in the Florida Keys Islamorada area.  Licenses can be purchased online the day of fishing at Go Outdoors Florida.
2. We personally fish where the reef drops off in 60-90' of water.  If you are looking for some large bottom fish or hope to catch plenty of Yellow Tail Snapper, this style is quite a lot of fun.
3. Equipment needed?  A medium - lighter weight rod & reel set... children's rods won't bring in a large fish but can be used at the dock for smaller mangrove snappers to get the kids started.  We use 15 pound test line & Ugly Stiks which have successfully brought in fish up to 28" while bottom fishing.  Too light and you won't be able to land an 18" fish!  Too heavy and the snapper will see your line.  A lighter rod is a bit easier to feel the fish working your bait.
   1. Chum Bag & short line to float off back of boat (see image above)
   2. 5 Gallon Bucket filled 1/3 with Oats (adding Menhaden Oil or a specialty Snapper Mix which you can purchase from local bait store) - DON'T FORGET a large spoon to toss out oats
   3. 3-4 Blocks of Chum for a 1/2 day fishing.... more if you want a huge rush of fish!
   4. Steel "egg" sinkers ... if a lot of current, you'll need some fairly heavy ones
   5. Plain hooks to use with sinkers.... then you'll need some jig head lures for the Yellowtail (we buy a variety of chartreuse weights which you'll need to switch up once you get out there depending on the current) - don't forget the nail clippers to cut your line as you'll be experimenting with different rig set ups depending on the current today. 
   6. Fishing net - Let's catch a big one!
   7. Live shrimp.  If you do not have a live well, you can purchase a bucket with an aerator to keep the shrimp alive.  Live shrimp has worked the best for us, however, if you get a large school with competition, we've caught fish on "fake" plastic shrimp!  This has only worked however when there is a feeding frenzy - live shrimp has resulted in the fastest results with keepers in the cooler.  In a pinch many say frozen shrimp and silver sides (image below) are the only way to go!  BUY a small net to scoop the shrimp out of well.  If you want to avoid live shrimp altogether, we have also purchased frozen ballyhoo and then cut them into chunks in place of shrimp which works well if the fish are really biting.
      
   8. Filet knife, fishing gloves, tool to safely remove hooks from fish you are not harvesting
   9. Measuring stick to verify legal length
   10. Anchor line of 150 feet so you can fish in 100' of water
   11. Large cooler with LOTS of ice (we usually freeze some juice jugs to have blocks plus a bag of loose ice to maintain the cold).

Fishing is a huge subject by itself so if you are a one and done with your own boat, 'coming soon' are a few fishing spots off the reef you may want to try along with some basic techniques.  Generally, just head out and anchor in 70-80', put the chum out, and start fishing!

Learning where the fish are and how to actually catch them takes practice.  We've learned a lot of "tricks of the trade" by sitting at the bar and talking to deck hands over the years.  Now we can fish a few hours after lunch and can come home with dinner for 8 quite easily.

ANCHORING in the Atlantic & GETTING THE CHUM OUT:

1. Finding the right spot to anchor is a key to success!  (Map areas below).  As we get to the edge of the reef in 70-80' of water I start looking for a darker spot which appears to be a bit more rocky grass covered.... a pure white spot is sand and we've not found much fish hanging out over sand.  A GREAT way to really understand where fish like to hang out is to go snorkeling Hens & Chickens!  You see fish in their natural habitat and will see who schools together - and who swims alone along with depths where they roam.
2. IF you find a dark spot and can toss your anchor into the sand it will be a lot easier to pull the anchor (anchor can get caught up in the rocky bottom!).
3. Once successfully anchored, put out the chum bag.  We usually just put out one and then every few casts will drop a small scoop of the oat / Snapper mixture out.
4. While the chum is thawing a flowing into the current - start fishing for "bottom" fish only.  We have learned to wait at least 1/2 hour before starting to fish for Yellowtail.  Let the Yellowtail Snapper get grouped together in your chum line and so they feel safe and comfortable before spooking them with your bait.
5. One day there was no live shrimp available... we still chummed the water then used frozen shrimp and frozen Silver Sides which resemble minnows for the northern fishermen.  In a couple of hours, we successfully had 17 Yellowtail in the cooler - while tossing several back for being a bit too small.  While bottom fishing we caught Porgy and Grunts.  This day we fished in 50-60' of water.
6. Silver Sides:
   

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START YOUR FISHING!

1.  We always tie our lines with the initial "bottom" fishing set up before we leave the dock.  This ensures when you are betting "who get's the first fish" you'll be ready!  The first fish is typically landed on the first cast!!
2. Getting your rig set up in advance at the dock is a coin toss.  I have not found any reports online of the water "current" conditions.  You will find some days is a really fast current which will require a heavy egg weight... slow or no current a "light" weight.  Really fast currents are quite difficult to bottom fish as you line won't go straight down and is pulled away from you causing a lot of snags for bottom fishing.... it's good however for Yellowtail but give your chum bag some time.  So always hope for something in between!
3.  
4. Bottom fishing technique?
   1. Hook up your live shrimp, open your bail and let your line flow freely out.  WATCH your line and as soon as it "stops" coming out, set your reel, then crank just a couple of times to bring your live shrimp just off the bottom.  Watch the tip of your rod and keep your hand on the reel to be ready to catch that fish nibbling on your shrimp!
   2. A variety of fish are at the bottom - one of our favorites are Porgy - so don't forget your fish identification chart along with the latest Florida Keys Fishing Regulations Guide!  We have also caught a lot of Hog Fish over the years however check the current size limits as some months Hog Fish are not legal ocean side of the Keys.  We have caught huge fish at the bottom fishing with shrimp, including Grouper!  So if you are having trouble landing a fish, take it slow and let them tire out before bringing up too fast and breaking the line - have someone with the net ready!

1. Yellowtail fishing technique?
   1. After waiting at least the 1/2 hour with your continuing scooping out the oat mixture with every cast you are ready!
   2. When we have 4 of us on your boat, two will typically continue to bottom fish and then two will take the rear of the boat and start fishing "the chum line."
   3. The decision of what size jig depends on the current.  Typically one of us will try the lightest possible staying near the surface and one will tie on a medium/heavier to go deeper.
   4. Sometimes there are a lot of fish that "you don't want" are now hanging around the chum bag - this is a good sign you have a good spot to fish however you don't want a bunch of bait steelers.  So cast out of the chum line a good distance and your lure will naturally float back into it as you let the line out.  You can be lazy and let the line flow out naturally - or I prefer to slowly hand feed the line out.  Yellowtail typically are farther back from the boat so take your time to maintain the "natural" flow of the current letting your shrimp fall into their site then SNAP, fish on!  WHEN CRUISING OUT TO YOUR FISHING SPOT... please be aware to not drive "behind" other boats anchored that may have a lot of line out as they are also looking for Yellowtail Snapper.  You do not want to cruise through someone's chum line or live fishing lines or you will hear a lot of cursing!
   5. Close the bail and begin reeling as fast as you can!  If the Yellowtail has a moment of slack line, they are very clever and steeling your shrimp and not getting hooked.

Bring your fish in fast!  Sometimes there are predators out there who are just waiting for your Yellowtail Snapper!  YES!  We have seen some smart Barracuda hanging out behind the boat who will only eat your Yellowtail and will leave anything else on your line for you to unhook and toss back.

There are multiple sources on land and a few via boat, where you can stop to purchase live shrimp and popular baits.

When is the best time for fishing Islamorada in the Florida Keys?  Anytime you feel like it of course!!  But some think early morning, some are at sunset... we just fish whenever we feel like it!

We have found however, as the sun is lowering in the sky with late afternoon, the bite does pick up.  The water is the Keys is very clear and on a calm day, we can see the bottom at 50'... so the fish can see us too!  We have also found once you are in a school of Yellowtail, it can be 2pm with full sun and they keep biting.

We have also had many arguments about calm days... of course for a smaller boat, it is much easier to get out 5 miles to the reef, however, our experience is the flattest of water days is usually better spent for a snorkel trip, as the bite was not as good for fishing.  We could still catch fish, however, a bit of waves made it easier - perhaps you get a natural "jigging" as the boat is going up and down with the waves and it might be a bit more difficult for a fish to see you?

Best time to fish CHART with Moon forecast Islamorada @

Where to fish?  And if it is calm, where to snorkel / swim instead?

Honestly, we have found so many spots around 6 miles out.  In a recent trip with only a 16' boat in 10mph winds (1.6' waves), it took us under 30 minutes to get out there and start fishing... we were not too far south from Davis Reef which you can find on your charts.  We didn't know how long we were going to fish, so we only took one chum bag - BIG MISTAKE!  Should have had at least two this day as the bite was great and immediate!  We went through 3 dozen shrimp with two of us fishing.

Last trip we headed right straight out from the Whale Harbor Islamorada Sandbar to 70' of water.  2nd drop straight down I caught a keeper Porgy.  By the end of 3 hours I caught Mutton, Lane, and Yellowtail Snapper, Porgy, Grunts, Hogfish, a Speckled Hind, and a Parrot Fish.  Was fun day coming home with enough large Porgy for a wonderful dinner.. and some for later... and a bonus, on the way back in 25' of water we stopped an enjoyed watching a pod of Dolphins feeding.  What another great day!

There are numerous charter services in the area for ocean or bay fishing.  I was fortunate to fish once with Islamorada local legend of 50+ years "Captain Skip" Bradeen!  In a few short hours, we caught Yellowtail Snapper and some Tuna for a wonderful "hook n cook" dinner that evening at Lazy Days.

You'll see some large predators while fishing!  Here is a hammerhead shark circling our chum bag!  Not a wise idea to swim while chumming......