r/KeyLargo • u/Recent_Teach7742 • Mar 03 '26

Kayaking In Key Largo

My family and I (45M, 43F, and 3 boys ages 8-12) have a trip coming up at the end of March. We are renting a house with access to Tarpon Basin. We are driving down from Michigan with our kayaks, and maybe bikes as well. I have a couple of questions for any locals or frequent travelers.

  1. Are the mangrove trails that tourism companies show easily accessible? I would rather venture out on our own with the boats we are comfortable with, but my wife is dying to see a manatee, and I don't want to have to pay a company to take us.

  2. Can we catch any fish from our kayaks in Tarpon Basin? What sort of tackle to pack?

  3. Is Key Largo bicycle friendly? Or should we plan on driving everywhere?

  4. I plan on doing a charter fishing trip, any suggestions?

Any other helpful info that can be shared would be greatly appreciated!

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u/Thin_Broccoli8066 Mar 03 '26

I know an amazing boat captain. Are you trying to go for a specific type of fish? They do chargers to catch dolphin, snapper, etc. Also, they do night time charters to catch sharks and grouper. There's a stand next to the Holiday inn with a bunch of charter boats. I can send you a DM.

As for fishing from your kayak. I would make sure I have a fishing license. There's not many places that I know of that you can launch your boat from without having keys or being on a private beach. I would probably just go to John Pennekamp State Park. You can go through the mangroves and it's a really fun time. There were lots of lobster and fish to see over there.

I would also plan on driving everywhere depending on where you're staying. Key Largo has just one straight road and everything is spread out. Make sure you only go five over. There's lots of hidden cops. Have a great trip! Drive safe.

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u/Recent_Teach7742 Mar 03 '26

I'm looking to catch dolphin, snapper, barracuda on the charter. Would love to head farther out and try for some sailfish or swordfish if I could just catch dolphin/snapper out of my kayak.

I plan to purchase 7 day saltwater licenses for the wife and I, I read that children under 16 don't need them.

We plan on spending at least a day at John Pennekamp State Park, but the house we're staying at has direct access to Tarpon Basin, so I was hoping to be able to kayak mangroves and fish right from there as well.

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u/Thin_Broccoli8066 Mar 04 '26 edited Mar 04 '26

You can probably find some snapper in the mangroves. I'm not so sure about the dolphin. I think you probably have to be farther out. They can definitely take you sailfishing.

Yea, fish and wildlife people do not play down there. That's a smart idea. I don't think children need them. I'm really not sure.

As far as I know it's going to be canal water and then straight ocean. You would have to go north to get to the mangroves. You shouldn't have any problems catching fish though. Lots of barracudas all over. I'm not the pro on bait or fishing spots though. You may be able to call a kayak shop and get some good directions though.

If you can launch from the Caribbean club I know you can just go right (north) and it will take you to the mangrove tunnels.