An Insider’s Guide to Sailfishing in the FLORIDA KEYS

HAVING WORKED AS A CAPTAIN IN NORTH KEY LARGO FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS, I HAVE BEEN UP AND DOWN THESE FABULOUS FLORIDA KEYS BOTH FISHING AND SHOWING MY BOSS AND HIS GUESTS THE SIGHTS AND TASTES ALONG THE WAY. AND WHEN THIS WEEK’S COLD FRONT MAKES WAY FOR THE NEXT WAVE OF SAILFISH TO PUSH INTO THE AREA, THERE ARE PLENTY OF WHAT-TO-DO-WHEN-IT’S BLOWING ACTIVITIES TO PASS THE TIME. SO WHETHER YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR OWN BOAT DOWN, CHARTER YOUR WAY THROUGH OR TOW A CENTER-CONSOLE FOR A SERIOUS ROAD TRIP, SPENDING A WINTER SEASON IN THE KEYS IS A GREAT WAY TO GAIN SOME MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES, ON AND OFF THE WATER.

NORTH KEY LARGO

25° 18' 42" N, 80° 16' 46" W

At 33 miles long, Key Largo is the largest section of the Keys archipelago. Its claim to fame started in 1948, when the movie , starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, came to town to film setting and background shots, even though the actual movie was shot in Hollywood, California. The hype caused the town, from the northern part of Rock Harbor down to Tavernier, to change the name