Florida fly fishing is a saltwater sight-fishing game. In the Keys, tarpon, bonefish and permit all peak May through September, and tarpon and bonefish are catch-and-release only. Redfish and snook fill the backcountry and both coasts year-round. Fly into Miami for Islamorada, about 90 minutes away, or Tampa for the Gulf coast.

Florida is where a lot of trout anglers find out their cast isn't ready for saltwater, and I say that with love because I was one of them. The fish are right there. The problem is delivering a fly at fifty feet in two seconds, into wind, without looking behind you.

This page is the Florida map: the water worth planning around, when each species peaks, the captain we certify in Islamorada, and the tips our Florida guides have shared on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. For the deep version of the Keys, read our Islamorada and Florida Keys guide.

The best tarpon advice in our archive came from Capt. Joel Dickey on Episode 59, which we published to YouTube on December 15, 2021. Distance is the wrong goal, he argued; beyond sixty feet simply isn't needed. What matters is hitting forty to fifty-five feet in two or three back casts from the ready position, without turning your head to watch the loop. His drill is one I've never heard from anyone else: cut a piece of artificial turf into squares, paint a circle on each, and set them out at roughly forty, fifty-five and sixty feet in the yard. Practice until the middle one is automatic. Then keep the rod tip in the water while you strip, so there's no slack when the fish eats.

Where to Fly Fish in Florida

• Islamorada and the Upper Keys: mile markers 90 to 63, where the Atlantic flats and Florida Bay sit minutes apart. Ocean-side for bonefish and permit on hard sand and coral; bay-side for tarpon, snook and redfish. Full breakdown in our Islamorada guide.
• Florida Bay and the Everglades backcountry: nearly all powerboat operators in Everglades National Park marine waters need a free boater education permit, and pole-and-troll zones apply. See the Everglades boater education program.
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: fishing is prohibited inside its Sanctuary Preservation Areas, including Alligator Reef, Cheeca Rocks, Davis Reef and Conch Reef near Islamorada. A good guide knows the lines; a DIY angler needs the NOAA sanctuary zone maps.
• Tampa Bay and the Gulf coast: inshore tarpon, snook and redfish water. Will Korte covered what to realistically expect on our episode Florida Tarpon and All the Other Species Available.
• Atlantic and Gulf redfish flats: redfish on both coasts, with presentation mattering more than pattern. Lucas Largel compared the two on East to West Coast Fly Fishing for Redfish in Florida.

When to Go Fly Fishing in Florida

May through September is peak for all three Keys flats species, with March, April and October as real shoulder months rather than write-offs. No government agency publishes a Keys month-by-month table; the intensity below maps an Islamorada outfitter's published excellent, good and fair calendar.

Intensity:LightModerateHeavy

Within the tarpon season, Capt. Joel Dickey breaks the year into phases: backcountry laid-up fish after early cold fronts, ocean-side groups in late March and April, daisy chains in May, and resident fish of twenty to sixty pounds late in the season. Permit harvest is closed April 1 through July 31 in the Special Permit Zone, which doesn't affect catch-and-release fly fishing.

Book a Local Pro in Florida

Dinsmore Fishing Charters is the FFIP Certified captain in the Florida Keys. You book direct, and FFIP takes no commission.

See all Florida pros in the FFIP Certified directory, or browse every certified guide, lodge and outfitter by region.

Custom Flies and Rods from Florida

Florida Tips from Podcast Guests

• Strip tight before you strike to avoid trout-setting a tarpon
  When a tarpon eats, don't lift the rod. Strip until you're tight, then set. The trout set is the most common way Florida tarpon get lost.
  Bruce Chard, Florida Keys tarpon and saltwater guide
• Prioritize casting speed over casting distance
  Forty feet will catch anything in saltwater, but only if you can deliver it fast. Practice quick deliveries, not lawn distance.
  David Mangum, Florida tarpon guide, on Guided Episode 7
• Land the fly on the fish's outside eye and match its energy
  Presentation is the number one factor on Florida redfish. Put the fly where the fish can see it, and move it the way the fish is moving.
  Lucas Largel, Florida redfish flats guide
• Tie your own leaders instead of trusting old shop-bought ones
  A leader sitting under a shop window can be UV-weakened before you ever open it. Build fresh ones before a Keys trip.
  Capt. Joel Dickey, Florida Keys tarpon guide
• Fight a hooked tarpon hard and fast
  Don't baby the fight. Put the pressure on and get the fish released while it still has energy to recover.
  Will Korte, Tampa Bay inshore angler, on Florida Tarpon and All the Other Species Available

Want more? Browse all 647 tips in the Fly Fishing Tips Library, sorted by region, water type, species and skill.

Hear Florida on the Podcast

Shop the Water: Flies and Gear for Florida

A Keys box carries tarpon toads and roaches, crabs for permit, and shrimp for bonefish. These are in stock in the FFIP shop. Leading off: gear from Moonlit Fly Fishing and NIRVANA, our featured supplier.

Florida Fly Fishing Questions, Answered

Fly Fishing Insider Podcast has a referral partnership with Frontiers International Travel. If you book after being introduced through us, we may receive compensation at no additional cost to you.

Tight lines, everyone!

By Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. Last reviewed October 2026.

Prices, availability, flight routing and entry requirements change. Every figure on this page is the starting rate published by the lodge or by Frontiers International Travel at the time of writing, per angler, and is a starting point for a quote, not a quote. Seasons, lodge capacity, charter schedules, visa and passport rules and licence requirements can all change without notice. Confirm current pricing, availability and entry requirements with your Frontiers specialist before you book anything.

Sources: Tarpon, bonefish and permit rules, licence fees and the charter exemption: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (tarpon, bonefish, permit, charter licence). No-fishing zones: NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Boater education: Everglades National Park. Guide rates: Dinsmore Fishing Charters. Season phases and casting drill: Capt. Joel Dickey on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast.