Spearfishing in the Keys

[Hunt4PinkOctobr]

I have 2-3 days around Xmas to dive the Keys, and I need to stay within 2-3 hours of Miami.
What is the best area to stay & spearfish given those guidelines?
Can anyone recommend a good charter captain to hook up with?

Thanks for the input!

[keyspearfisher]

2-3 hours from Miami puts you in the heart of down town Key West.

[Trojan Man]

I am from Key West, and if you are looking to spearfish in the Keys I'd recommend either going with someone from this site or going it alone, I'd offer to take you and show you areound but I now live in Miami where I go to school, as you can guess spearfishing has kind of been put on hold. You can rent a boat from almost any marina and charts are fairly accurate when it comes to navigation. In my experience almost any place that looks good can produce some fish, if you do get out there don't forget the mangrove islands, people are skiddish as to looking there for fish but they ususally hold some very nice mangrove snapper and the occasional hogfish near the islands that sit on deeper water. Good luck...

[keezdiver]

come down to Marathon, rent a boat from "capn pips" and run 5 miles out to the wreck of the Thunderbolt (120' at the sand) and shoot away...

nice yellowtails everywhere, more mangroves than you can shake a speargun at, the occasional grouper (they bail pretty quick when divers decend) and you can permit fish during your surface interval.

and after that just move into the reef line in 60-85' and shoot some hogs or some muttons (should be around in winter) till your "band pulling arm" is sore...

oh and invite me along!!:D

refer to sig

[rmo8jlt69]

there is a place called Strink Zone Charters in Big Pine Key, they are an excellent charter and can do it all, if you call in advance i am shure someone can hook you up with some awsome dives, i am very fimailar with the waters down there and can guarantee fish. good luck to you and be safe.

[jfg]

Hey keezdiver,
ball park figure, what will it cost to rent a boat there?

[Denny]

At Vaca Cut, Captain Hook's marina has a boat rental place that gets $175/day for a new 23'Cobia. This is the cut closest to the Thunderbolt, which has two submerged tie-off buoys attached directly to it. Get a chart and go killin'.
AVOID QUALITY BOAT RENTALS. Dude named Bob Moder. Baaaad news.

[kitefisherman]

jfg: Captain Pip's rental schedule: http://www.captainpips.com/boats.htm

I'm going to be in Marathon 10/25-27 and am looking at the same thing.

[keezdiver]

yeah the bolt is a great place to shoot if you are unfamiliar

as for renting the boat...Pips has good deals...as the link shows.

and if i'm not mistaken, rent for a few days they let you keep it at your dock...so youcould keep it at the house you rented if it has a dock

i may be able to do a quick trip out...not sure of exactly what my day schedule is gonna be like...but i know my nites will be in key west due to fantasy fest

[Denny]

I've had two good experiences with the Vaca Cut operation. As I recall, they just let you keep the boat at your dock, no extra deposit. They were nice people.

[fernandezh]

Island Ventures. Captain Brian (866) 293-5006 (305)451-4957. On US 1 Mile Marker 104 on W. side next to Sundowners Restaurant www.islandventure.com


The Island Ventures IS the best boat to go out on in Key Largo. It has a max of 10 divers but usually runs with 6 or less. That is a drastic improvement over the Cattle boats that often hold 30 or more. The price for a 2 tank dive is $55 and the price includes tanks. If you dive NITROX, CAPT Brian also has NITROX tanks usually for no extra charge. If you run 3 trips with him he usually gives a great discount.
His boat is definitely the way to go if you want to see the Spiegel Grove (largest intentionally underwater wreck there is). When I went, my friend and I were the only ones on the boat and he accomidated us in every respect. You can't go wrong with this guy, trust me. He is very Spearing friendly and will put you on the fish.

Brian also has his own compressor and O2 fill station for NITROX right at the dock. You could do 2 dives in the morning, come back in for an hour, grab lunch while he is filling your tanks and go out for an afternoon trip. Furthermore, he also has freshwater dunk tanks to clean off your gear at the end of the trip.

Try diving the Bibb and Duane wrecks. I speared 2x 20 lb hogs in one dive and Sharpshooter speared a 15 lb black on those wrecks. just keep a close hold of your fish on the way up because you'll have to run the gauntlet of 200 barracuda that live on the wrecks. if you keep an eye on your fish during the ascent then you shouldn't have a problem.

Hector

[richhermes]

I think Hector gets a referral fee for pushing Island Ventures, :D:D

[fernandezh]

Yeah,
Capt Brian gives me free parking when I go. :D

[WreckDiver]

Hector, the add says they are on the bay side, where do they dock the boat? or is there a cut leading to the other side

[junior]

Bugged,

That boat is kept just to the north of the cut in Key Largo. If you know Key Largo very well, it is really close to the Caribbean Club on the bayside. Senor Frijoles mexican restaurant and Sundowners are right next door to where the boat is kept. It is a good little ride out to the oceanside (~20 minutes) since you have to idle through the cut and parts of the south creek around pennekamp park, but it is a nice ride and good to chill and take in the scenery. That's my old stomping grounds:cool:

[WreckDiver]

We put are boat in right there in the park (nice Ramp) that is a nice area to ride around in, never went through that cut though. Hey how do they get around the NO spearguns in the Park rules?

[junior]

I'm not too sure on the technical details of spearguns in the park but we never had a problem. Our house was actually inside the park boundaries and we ran around all the time with guns in the boat. We just never stopped to fish in the park when we were carrying guns.

[Denny]

It's a long-assed (25+ minute) ride from the bay side to the ocean in Key Largo. If you put in at Pennekamp park, you cut out a little time. Screw the cattle boats. Rent a boat, grab a chart and have a great day.

[WreckDiver]

Psycho, I have been there several times a year for the last twelve years. its just that sometimes I like to let someone else handle all the boating chores. I usually just trailer my boat down there, and use my electronic charts. my kids love to snorkel around the reefs down there:) I have always been concerned about having spearguns on the boat inside the park, because there is no clear answer on that even from the park managers.

[Hunt4PinkOctobr]

Thanks for all the tips guys...I'll be sure to hit some of those spots when I get down there. The weekend I planned on fell through....now I have to go to BFE Mississippi instead....I'll get down to the Keys sooner than later though.
I appreciate the help.

[ScubaNewsGuy]

Check out Dawn and Joe at DiveIn at Mandalay Bay. They have a fast 3 pack cat and they run spearfishing trips on the Bibb and Duane and some bridge rubble that if I told you where it was they would ban me from the boat. But they will put you on fish. Some really great people. Call 877.435.6179 and web is www.diveinflkeys.com.

I dove with them after DEMA and had a blast.

[ScubaNewsGuy]

DiveIn @ Mandalay Bay Marina
Check out Dawn and Joe at DiveIn at Mandalay Bay. They have a fast 3 pack cat and they run spearfishing trips on the Bibb and Duane and some bridge rubble that if I told you where it was they would ban me from the boat. But they will put you on fish. Some really great people. Call 877.435.6179 and web is www.diveinflkeys.com.

I dove with them after DEMA and had a blast.