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Have you ever been somewhere that just makes you feel
exceptional? A place that gives you a feeling of
satisfaction, a natural place that seems to welcome you
every time you return with something new you did not see
before. I have; my special place, the Marquesas Keys.
Located about twenty-five miles to the west of Key West,
this circular group of islands has captured the
attention of many who have visited them and the dreams
of those that have not but heard the stories. What is it
about the Marquesas that draws so much attention over
other areas of the Keys? Is it the amazingly vast,
pristine grass flats that spread all throughout offering
world class grand slam fishing? I bet for some it would
be the great wreck fishing close to shore offering the
light tackle angler a full day’s adventure. For others
it would be enough to just sit there and take it all in,
quiet, calm, full of life and beautiful. For me, it
would be all of it. The Marquesas has held that special
place in my heart since I was old enough to pronounce it
correctly. What I love most is that it still looks about
like it did when I was a kid.
As technology and marine product reliability keep
improving, getting out to the Marquesas these days is
very easy. Anyone with a sixteen-plus foot boat, a
recent chart, basic electronics, and some common sense
has got it made to plan out a great day’s adventure or
overnight stay on their boat out in this vast fishing
utopia. With a bit of planning and some local knowledge
it can be a wonderful fishing adventure for anglers of
any skill level. However, if you don’t pay attention to
details it could be a very uncomfortable experience for
you and your crew.
Depending on the type of boat used, there are a few ways
to track your way out to the Marquesas. The most
efficient “all weather” route to use is through the
Lakes Passage. This is easiest for the outboard powered
crowd, drawing less than twenty-four inches on plane, to
have a smooth ride for most of the trip. The Lakes
Passage starts west of Key West just on the other side
of North West Channel. This route is a cut that is
marked by regular aides to navigation and is easily
tracked by visual aide or very apparent on any chart
plotter. The passage is shown very clearly on the local
charts for this area as well, cutting its way through a
small chain of islands that falls short of reaching the
Marquesas by about six miles, ending at Boca Grand Key.
The passage then opens up to Boca Grand Channel, making
visible the island chain of the Marquesas on your
western horizon. Keep in mind that the aides to
navigation in the Lakes Passage are not just a
suggestion, understand them and make sure you are
passing on the correct side of a marker, otherwise your
trip may be cut short and damage to the resource will
occur.
Crossing Boca Grand Channel can offer any boat a run for
its money on some of the nicest days let alone when the
winds are up. There is much caution to be taken here if
a small flats boat is being utilized. To put it into
perspective, Boca Grand Channel is the first direct link
between the Atlantic Ocean and The Gulf of Mexico; it
can be six miles of bad road. With a very impressive
current during a tide change the channel is no place for
bad judgment. Pay attention to your weather reports
before leaving the dock and take a look at the tides.
Key West Harbor tide is very close to the same times as
Boca Grand Channel. If you see that Key West is a
falling tide with a good flow, Boca Grand Channel is
screaming. Now let’s add a ten to fifteen mph south wind
component to that, and there you have it, a two to three
foot chop for six miles until reaching the protection of
the Marquesas.
Once approaching the islands of the Marquesas from the
east there are a few things to note. If you intend to go
inside the circular chain of islands, also called Mooney
Harbor, try and use the entrance on the southeast side.
Wear a good pair of polarized glasses and take your
time, paying particular attention to your depth. A few
minutes of carelessness here can cause years of damage
to this pristine natural resource. All the way inside
the channels there is about five feet of depth
available. For your first time, idle speed is not
required but may be a good idea. Also note that there
are other entrances to the south and the west of the
Marquesas as well. Careful navigation and extreme
consideration of fishing guides working these flats is
suggested to utilize these entrances, most of which have
very shallow entrances. Once inside Mooney Harbor you
will realize why you came. In an instant everything will
be calm with the soothing sensation of nature wrapping
itself around your boat. A lot of times when I enter
Mooney Harbor with my clients I drop off a plane and
shut my motor down just so they can soak it all in
before we begin to fish. The most common remark I get
is, “Wow! This place is amazing.”
As you can see, a trip to the Marquesas in a smaller
boat takes a bit of planning and common sense. I have
mentioned tides, winds and currents, so let’s take just
a minute and talk about storms. Summer time here is like
anywhere in Florida; we get some nasty thunderstorms
with lots of lightning and water spouts. Most boaters
are able to seek shelter during a bad storm where they
do their boating; this is where I think that the
Marquesas offers a false sense of security. Where else
in the state can a guy go thirty miles offshore in a
sixteen foot flats boat? In perspective that’s how far a
boat is from decent shelter when in the Marquesas. While
enjoying your day out there look up and over the islands
on occasion to search for dark skies, especially ones
coming from the east; they are between you and Key West.
See some heavy weather, move to a better vantage point
for viewing. See how long you have and which way the
storm is moving. If it’s too late to run for it, seeking
shelter around the islands out there is easy on a high
tide, but difficult on a low tide. Before you chose this
option be sure your boat is equipped with ample amounts
of mosquito repellent.
Fishing in and around the islands and the flats of the
Marquesas is a great way to spend the day. Like anywhere
else most of the fish here are tide oriented and rely on
the tidal flow to bring them food while higher waters
allow them to get up on the flats to forage. The
Marquesas are known the world over for Permit fishing on
the flats. Here I have seen as many as ten tailing fish
within 100 square yards of flats around my boat.
Everything that an angler has read in a book about flats
fishing works out here. The Tarpon can be found in many
places varying in size and number. Most of the bigger
fish are found outside around the Gulf and Atlantic
facing flats and the babies (fifteen to fifty pounders)
are found inside seeking shelter among the mangrove
edges and deeper inside channels. Bonefish frequent the
waters as well. Found mostly in the super shallows and
lighter sandy bottoms, most of these fish are five to
eight pounds and very skittish. For even more sport
fishing, the Mangrove Snapper, like many species of fish
out there, run larger than normal; it is very easy to
catch a nice limit of legal fish in a short while by
working the channels in between the islands. With this
vast population of fish it is no wonder there is also a
huge population of sharks, jacks and Barracudas on the
flats ready to pounce on a plug or live bait, offering a
well rounded angling experience for anglers of all skill
levels. Close to shore to the south and the west there
are patch reefs and small wrecks holding large numbers
of big Barracudas, some Permit and great light tackle
bottom fishing. Some of the charts available at local
tackle shops here in Key West offer GPS numbers to some
of the more popular wrecks to get you started. Last
winter, my company organized several species hunts for
corporations that came in to fish Key West with myself
and several other guides we refer trips to. The object
of the species hunt is to offer a great day of fishing
no matter the skill level of the angler. Fishing the
Marquesas, my anglers and I boated fourteen different
species of fish, eight of which were caught on
artificial, without ever fishing deeper than ten feet of
water.
My suggestions on loading the boat for a day in the
Marquesas: bring some casting spinning rods in the eight
to twelve pound range with one rod in the fifteen to
twenty pound size for sharks. I generally stick with 1/0
Owner hooks for my live baiting for most all occasions
with the exception of sharks. For artificial I am a big
fan of Yozuri plugs lipped and non-lipped, all colors.
Carry with you also some buck tail Jigs, chartreuse,
white and yellow. You may want to carry some D.O.A.
shrimp as well for the baby tarpon should you run into
them. I never leave the dock without a small medium and
large top water popping plug. A must in my box is also
Triple Fish fluorocarbon leader material ranging in size
from twelve pound for Bones and Permit, fifteen to
twenty pound for snappers and jacks, to thirty to sixty
pound for Tarpon. Don’t forget to bring a good steel
leader for sharks and Barracudas as you well know they
have unforgiving teeth. Tube Lures are a favorite for
the Cudas on the flats and a good top water popping plug
will certainly get the attention of any Blacktip and
Lemon sharks prowling the area. Trolling a plug or tube
lure on one of the shallow wrecks around the islands can
be rewarded with a trophy size Barracuda. One other
note, have a buck tail jig ready for the jacks, they are
a blast and can show up at any time, ranging in size
from five to thirty-five pounds.
Live baiting in the Marquesas is like anywhere else.
Crabs, shrimp, Pinfish, Pilchards, and whatever else is
available can be utilized. Your flats species will
appreciate the crabs and shrimp. The channel fish will
respond very well to shrimp and baitfish. It may be a
good idea to bring along a bait-net just in case you see
some local baits wondering about.
Tides are critical when fishing the flats and inshore
areas of the Marquesas. Here are a couple of tide
secrets to get you started. The tides on the Atlantic
facing side of the Marquesas are about the same as Key
West Harbor tide. The Gulf facing side can be two and a
half hours behind the Key West Harbor tide in some
places. Inside the north rim I have noticed almost a
three hour difference. These times are a rule of thumb
only and they do spread differently during different
parts of the moon phase.
A great chart reference for the routes I have explained
is the one from Standard Mapping Services Charts # F
110. This chart is a color photographic chart that
covers from the East end of the Lakes Passage all the
way to the West side of the Marquesas revealing shallow
areas to avoid, with all aides to navigation overlaid on
it for reference. I find it to be a great tool to learn
more about an area quickly before I leave the dock.
If you are trailering your boat down to Key West then
heading out I recommend two boat ramps that offer some
security, Oceanside Marina on Stock Island at the end of
Maloney Ave. and City Marina at Charter boat row on the
corner of North Roosevelt and Palm ave. Both of these
places you will find parking for truck and trailer
attached. Stop by the tackle shops, Local knowledge is
always helpful in finding your way around an area that
you have never visited. When I go to a new area to fish
for a few days I generally stop by one of the more
popular tackle shops near the area where I am putting my
boat in. Here I make certain to buy the last minutes
supplies like ice, chum, live baits, and some of the
things that the store clerk says I will need in the area
I plan to fish. This is also a great place to pick up
info. Ocean Side Marina has a great tackle store with
all the supplies you will need. Near the City Marina
Location you will find Conchy Joes on the corner of
North Roosevelt blvd and McMillan Drive about one block
from Charter boat row here you will find a complete
tackle and bait center with a friendly staff. Stop by
and see what’s happening oh, and don’t forget to pick up
a tide chart.
There is no doubt that the Marquesas Keys are a
wonderful place to visit. I have been going out there
since I was very young. Currently forty-five percent of
my charters are to the Marquesas and every day that I
fish out there it becomes more evident this area is
unspoiled and possibly the last frontier of how it used
to be. With that in mind I ask that when you plan a trip
to the Marquesas, look at this area not as a place to
conquer but as a place to enjoy. Practice proper “catch
and release” techniques with our fish so that they can
be here for many generations to come. Use the ample
amount of channels going in and out of the islands, not
the flats to get around with your boat. Prop scars are
so ugly, especially in pristine clear water. Also have
some courtesy for fellow fishermen. When you see a flats
boat polling a flat give him plenty of clearance;
chances are that flats fisherman is a working fishing
guide who helped you with all the information to get out
there in the first place.
There you have it, the Keys to The Marquesas. Take care
of her, she’s beautiful………
Capt Steven Lamp 05/04 |
