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im sick of winter!!! i usually take a fishing trip to the keys every spring. here is my question, is it a good idea to trailer my boat down there for a couple of weeks, camp, and fish? has anybody done it? from how far away? i know its expensive on fuel. but when i factor what i spend on airfare and charters its really not all that bad. im fairly experienced about where and what to fish down there and im sure i could come up with some local knowledge. i dont think its all that insane of an idea but maybe it is.
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
Finding an open campground this time of year can be tough. The two biggest park in the Keys are John Pennekamp State Park on Key Largo and Bahia Honda State Park on Bahia Honda Key (just south of Marathon.
To find some other options, I'd Google "Monroe County, FL" and you'll come up with more options.
Where or not it's worth trailering you boat down 1,800 miles from MA is your call. I always find it more rewarding to do things on my boat. Finding a rental can be hit or miss.
im sure i can find a place in march at key largo campground or at boyds in key west and many places in between. im more concerned with boat ramp quality and location, ease of navigation, potential for fishing success
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
I just recently (dec 9th-15th) towed my 20ft CC down to sugarloaf key from NY. I left Sunday at 10am and pulled into the campground at 4:30pm monday. I towed it down with an RV and cost about $600 in diesel 1 way. As my luck would have it the forecast went from sunny to a windy, cloudy and then rainny week. I went out 2 days but with gusts up to 25 knots I called it early. We wound up going up to orlando and went to disney for 2 days. I left everything down there in an Orlando storage facility and plan to do another trip in Feb and April. Even though this first try was a wash I was happy to be running my boat in December.
There are campgrounds, they just get filled up fast as they're the most economical option.
As far as boat ramps go, the ramp at John Pennekamp is excellent. You won't find a lot of good public access ramps in the keys -- just a fact of life. Just about all are fee launch & load -- figure $10-15. Some ramps are in really bad shape -- just be aware and check them out BEFORE you try and launch .
The KOA Campground on Fiesta Key has a pretty good ramp, but it's for folks staying there. Mile Marker 70. Probably the most centrally located campground for fishing and doing things. Decent resturants on Upper Matacumbe Key (Outback, Lazy Days, ...) and Worldwide Angler. Get your bait & ice at Caloosa Cove Marina at MM 74 (on left/southside).
There's a fee ramp at Sunbird Marina a half mile past the KOA Campground -- it's ok, one boat at a time.
I understand there are several good ones on Marathon, but I don't go that far south.
There are a few decent boat rental places, I have gone that route. That is a long haul from MA.
Try the kOA in islamorada. Good marina, super convenient fishing wise.
I have towed my 21' Sea Pro down one time from upstate SC, not a bad trip and I really had a ball but we are planning to go back next summer and
I am going to rent a boat instead of towing mine down. It was a 700 mile trip and not a bad trip but in my old Suburban it cost me about an extra $500
round trip for fuel and that was when it was right a $2 per gallon.
My wife's sister and my brother in law will be making the trip with us and we will split cost renting a boat so I figure it will be a lot easier, plus we can make a lot
better time. Seems like it took us around 14 hours, we left one afternoon and stopped in Jacksonville for the night and left the next am and rolled into Islamorada
at 3 pm that afternoon plus we had 4 teenagers with us.
We are also going to rent a larger boat, last time we had too many people for my boat and I have found a couple of places that rent 26' boats with twins and I figure that
will be worth the etrxa money also
I was surprised that the fuel was not anymore expensive in the Keys than on the mainland. In fact just before we hit the keys I stopped at a local raghead gas station and filled the boat and
suburban up and was shocked that when we hit keys the gas was about $.25 cheaper
Plus we do not have to worry about other problems with pulling a boat like flat tires or bearings. Even though I keep mine in top shape it was still a concern on such a long trip, we did
not have a problem but I was prepared but we did see 2 or 3 others along the way with trailer problems
__________________ 210 CC Sea Pro
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Andy, in the lower keys the SugarLoaf KOA just re-did thier marina area and has a great setup (ramp and docks). Bahia Honda State Park (ramp and boat basin) is also a good option. As was mentioned, reserve well in advance.
Are you crazy to tow your boat down here? Well, you might be able to pay for a charter or two with the gas money you'll save, or rent a boat for a few days, but if you enjoy the freedom and fun of DIY then hell, why not? Just remember that you are at the end of the winter weather pattern down here and the winds may affect how much boating fun you may have. On the other hand, weather is a crapshoot anytime you committ to a date in the future for any vacation.
Expect the wind. You can go weeks and never get out in the ocean. With that in mind I would rent a boat. I go down for 3 weeks at a time if I get out 3 times in that period I'm happy. Don't stop at Largo fish' gets better a little further down. Islamorada or Marathon. There's a rental on left at the bridge at Snake Creek mile marker 89 or there about's.
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Does not sound insane to me. People telling you to rent a boat sounds insane. Would you rather fish from your 1996 albemarle 262 or some POS rental that may or may not bring you back to the dock? Boat rentals in the keys is a tough business and many horror stories to prove it. Be careful if you do decide to rent......
Every year is different as far as the winds go. There will be windy days but with a 26' Albemarle you will be able to get out plenty.
__________________ "Key West...Where the weird turn pro"
I towed my boat from Connecticut to the Keys for a two week vacation, it was the best vacation i've ever had. It was a very long drive(30 hours) and was worth every minute. I bought a guide book and found it very helpful with the ramps, dining, recreation, etc. I missed two days from the water on my boat, one to the weather and one to a trip to the Dry Tortugas(charter boat). The worst part of the trip was heading North off the Keys on a bright sunny day on the way home , it was the first time after a two week vacation that I was'nt ready to come home. The snorkeling, open water sunrises and sunsets, dinner on Little Palm Island, and the trip to the Tortugas were the highlights of the trip. Give it a shot, you wont regret it.
what was the name of the guide that you bought bms? sounds like you had a great time. did you stay in a hotel? if so where? what ramp did you find to be the best as far as quality and location. how big is your boat and what did you haul it with?
__________________ 1988 Wellcraft V 20
Evinrude 225 looper
The book was "The Insider's Guide to The Florida Keys". I rented a house on the water that had a boat lift and dock, it was on a canal and had ocean frontage with a private beach. There was a ramp across the canal from the house that was very easy to launch, also launched at Bahia Honda state park. The boat was a 21' CC and I towed it with a 4WD 3/4 ton high top conversion van. There were a lot of bigger boats that were using the ramps that didnt seem to have a problem. It took a little getting used to running near land in 4' of water but once you got a little ways out it was no problem. I made sure the trailer was in tip top shape before I left and did'nt have one issue there and back. It was two long days driving each way but as I said before it was worth it. If you can only get a week or ten days it might be better to rent a boat, I had two full weeks in the house and felt that wasnt enough.
florida keys vacation 
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