The Florida Keys are the benchmark for flats fly fishing: tarpon, bonefish and permit all peak May through September, with March, April and October as shoulder months. Tarpon and bonefish are catch-and-release only, and any tarpon over 40 inches must stay in the water. Islamorada, about 90 minutes from Miami, is the central base.

The Florida Keys are where flats fly fishing got its reputation, and they are still the test most saltwater anglers measure themselves against. The fish are right there. The hard part is that three species carry three different sets of rules, the water you are poling may sit inside a marine sanctuary zone or a national park, and the shot you get is usually forty to fifty-five feet, fast, into wind.

This page is the Keys-level view: where to fish from Islamorada, when tarpon, bonefish and permit peak, the rules that change your day on the water, and the captain we certify. For the state-wide picture, start with Fly Fishing Florida, and for the deep version, read our Islamorada and Florida Keys guide.

The Keys detail I keep coming back to is about flies, not casting. On Episode 59 of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast, published to YouTube on December 15, 2021, Capt. Joel Dickey explained that he ties to the tarpon calendar: shrimp, baitfish and toad patterns in March and April; the palolo worm with smaller shrimp and crab patterns in May and early June; then back to shrimp, crab and baitfish from late June into July. He mentioned that some biologists think the worm is part of why tarpon come to the Keys at all. Captain James Johnson, who now runs Katmai Trophy Lodge in Alaska, told us on Episode 39 that he spent childhood winters in the Keys and still remembers watching big tarpon feed in the worm hatch. Two guests from very different corners of the sport, pointing at the same few weeks. If you can only book one Keys tarpon trip, that is the window I would ask a captain about first.

Where to Fly Fish the Florida Keys

• Islamorada and the Upper Keys: mile markers 90 to 63, across Plantation, Windley, Upper Matecumbe and Lower Matecumbe keys, where the Atlantic flats and Florida Bay sit minutes apart. That is why one base supports all three flats species.
• Atlantic-side flats: hard sand and coral for bonefish and permit. Permit are the fish serious flats anglers keep coming back for, and the reason some leave empty-handed.
• Florida Bay and the Everglades backcountry: tarpon, snook and redfish water. Nearly all powerboat operators in Everglades National Park marine waters need a free boater education permit, and pole-and-troll zones apply, including the 9,400-acre Snake Bight zone.
• Sanctuary Preservation Areas: fishing is prohibited inside them. Near Islamorada that means Alligator Reef, Cheeca Rocks, Davis Reef and Conch Reef. A DIY angler needs the NOAA sanctuary zone maps; a good guide already knows the lines.

When to Go Fly Fishing the Florida Keys

May through September for all three species, with March, April and October as real shoulder months. 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: laid-up backcountry 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 that includes Islamorada, which does not affect catch-and-release fly fishing.

Book a Local Pro in the Florida Keys

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

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

Custom Flies and Rods from the Florida Keys

Florida Keys Tips from Podcast Guests

• Strip-set tarpon instead of trout-setting to keep them hooked
  Keep the rod tip down, strip long and slow until the line comes tight, then hold steady pressure rather than yanking.
  Bruce Chard, Florida Keys flats guide and fly line designer
• Drill your strip-set with a surprise tug before you fish saltwater
  Have a partner yank your line without warning while you practice strip-sets with the rod tip at the water.
  Lucas Largel, Florida redfish flats guide
• Test-cast every rod with the same line before buying
  Cast every candidate tarpon rod with the same line and reel, and trust your own cast over a salesperson's favorite.
  Capt. Joel Dickey, Florida Keys tarpon guide
• Buy a saltwater reel with a reliable, tight drag system
  Choose a sealed saltwater reel with a smooth drag, and test the maximum drag by hand-pulling line before the trip.
  Capt. Joel Dickey, Florida Keys tarpon guide
• Ask your guide specific questions from that day's fishing
  Bring two specific questions from each day back to your captain, then apply the answers the next morning.
  Bruce Chard, bonefish, permit and tarpon flats guide

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

Hear the Florida Keys on the Podcast

Shop the Water: Flies and Gear for the Florida Keys

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

Florida Keys 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, the charter exemption and licence rules: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (tarpon, permit, charter licence). No-fishing zones: NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Boater education: Everglades National Park. Month-by-month calendar: Florida Keys Outfitters. Guide rates: Dinsmore Fishing Charters. Season phases and fly calendar: Capt. Joel Dickey; worm-hatch memory: Capt. James Johnson; permit mechanics: Bruce Chard; all on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast.