What is fishing in the Lower Keys like?
The Lower Keys, from the Seven Mile Bridge down to Key West, offer tarpon on the flats, sailfish offshore and less crowded water, according to the Keys tourism council. Big Pine, Cudjoe and Sugarloaf have a handful of charters, Looe Key reef is closed to fishing, and seven bridges are open to anglers.
What the Lower Keys are known for
The Keys tourism council sums the Lower Keys up as tarpon on the flats, sailfish offshore and less crowded water. They run from the south end of the Seven Mile Bridge at Mile Marker 40 to the edge of Key West around MM 4, through Big Pine, the Torches, Ramrod, Summerland, Cudjoe and Sugarloaf.
Many visitors here fish out of Key West, a short drive away, where twenty operators book online: see the Key West operators, charter prices and Charter Boat Row.
Lower Keys charters you can book online
Operators with a Google listing and online booking, from the roster of 4 October 2026. Ratings are Google’s, read that day.
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Above & Below Adventures
4.9 Google · 154 reviews · read 4 October 2026
Reef and wreck, offshore, swordfish and night fishing, plus spearfishing, lobster and a Fort Jefferson and Dry Tortugas trip. Departs from Cudjoe Key or Oceans Edge on Stock Island.
Departs: Venture Out at Cudjoe Cay, 701 Spanish Main Drive, Cudjoe Key
Check availability -
Lower Keys Offshore Adventures
lowerkeysoffshoreadventures.com
5.0 Google · 83 reviews · read 4 October 2026
Half (4 hours), three-quarter (6 hours) and full-day (8 hours) fishing, lobster, reef snorkeling, and an eight-hour fishing and snorkeling combo. No dates were open in the following 30 days when the roster was read on 4 October 2026.
Departs: 29740 Overseas Hwy, Big Pine Key
Check availability -
Key West Fly Fishing (Capt. Dexter Simmons)
5.0 Google · 4 reviews · read 4 October 2026
Two-angler flats and fly trips of 4, 6 or 8 hours. No fixed marina: the captain arranges a Key West or Lower Keys meeting point in advance. Four Google reviews so far.
Check availability
Google · 154 reviews · read 4 October 2026 Looe Key and Newfound Harbor: no fishing
Two Sanctuary Preservation Areas in the Lower Keys ban fishing of any kind; diving and snorkeling are allowed.
- Looe Key, about 6.3 miles south of Ramrod Key and a little over 9 miles southwest of Bahia Honda State Park. Spearfishing is also banned in the wider Looe Key management area.
- Newfound Harbor Key, off Little Palm Island, the only inshore patch-reef zone in the Lower Keys.
Bridges open and closed to fishing
From the Keys tourism council’s list. Off a charter you need your own Florida saltwater licence; do you need a fishing license explains.
| Bridge | Mile marker | Fishing |
|---|---|---|
| Seven Mile Bridge (south end only) | 40 | Open |
| Little Duck Key–Missouri (historic) | 39.5 | Closed |
| Missouri–Ohio (historic) | 39 | Closed |
| Ohio–Bahia Honda (historic) | 38.5 | Closed |
| Spanish Harbor | 34 | Open |
| South Pine Channel Historic Bridge | 30 | Open |
| Kemp Channel | 23 | Open |
| Bow Channel | 20 | Open |
| Park Channel | 18.5 | Open |
| Lower Sugarloaf Channel | 15.8 | Closed |
| Shark Channel | 11 | Open |
Read for this page on 6 October 2026: Florida Keys & Key West: Lower Keys ; Florida Keys & Key West: getting here ; Florida Keys & Key West: fishing information (bridges) ; NOAA sanctuary: Sanctuary Preservation Areas ; NOAA sanctuary: existing management areas .
Check it at the source
- Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Sanctuary zones, marked areas and restrictions that overlay the entire Keys fishery. Link checked 6 September 2026
- Florida Keys & Key West tourism council: fishing The Monroe County Tourist Development Council’s fishing pages and its Fishing Opportunity Calendar. Link checked 6 October 2026
Lower Keys: questions
Is the Lower Keys good for fishing?
Yes, and quieter than Key West or Islamorada. The Keys tourism council lists tarpon on the flats, sailfish offshore and less crowded water. A few charters run from Big Pine, Cudjoe and Sugarloaf, and Key West’s twenty online-bookable operators are a short drive away.
Can you fish at Looe Key?
Not inside the Looe Key Sanctuary Preservation Area, about 6.3 miles south of Ramrod Key, where the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary bans all fishing; spearfishing is banned in the wider Looe Key management area too. It is a snorkeling and diving reef; captains fish elsewhere.
Which Lower Keys bridges can you fish from?
The tourism council lists seven as open: the south end of the Seven Mile Bridge, Spanish Harbor, the South Pine Channel historic bridge, Kemp Channel, Bow Channel, Park Channel and Shark Channel. The three historic bridges by Bahia Honda and Lower Sugarloaf Channel are closed to fishing. You need your own licence on a bridge.
Should I stay in the Lower Keys and fish from Key West?
Many visitors do: the Lower Keys run right up to Key West, and Key West has the widest choice of boats in the Keys. Charter Boat Row shows where Key West boats leave from, including Stock Island, the nearest dock area to the Lower Keys.
Next step
Looking for fishing trips in the Florida Keys?
Fishing Trips Florida Keys is an independent guide — no boats, no bookings, nothing to sell. It exists so you can ask better questions before you hand an operator a deposit.
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