We have a trip planned for mid August and we rented a house that sits back in the mangroves just north of Largo Sound around MM 104-105. We will also the use of a 21' Grady White for the whole week. Although we are from Pennsylvania, I grew up in So Florida so i'm familiar with the upper keys and the fishing but its been 25 yrs since i've been there. We will have my son(12), my niece(14) and nephew(13) and looking for some ideas of good spots to take them fishing. On my boys bucket list is a big shark, tarpon and a dolphin, he set the bar high I guess. Other then that, we are just looking at having fun and catching a variety of fish and few big ones for them to remember. Also, any tips on what baits, live and or artificial we should get. Thank you in advance for any info!

I was there for a month last August and will be there again this August, but south of you in Summerland Key. If you want to get kids on fish, one of the easiest methods is cut squid on a Carolina rig type setup with a barrel weight and circle hook. Being that your son is 12, you might want to start with a smaller shark so he can handle catching it. If you are fishing for mangrove snapper with cut squid, you will also catch some sharks.

If you want to target tarpon, cast net some live bait and do some freelining. Try to get off the beaten path and you will find more cooperative tarpon.

As for dolphin, I'm not sure I would take a 21' Grady White that is not my boat and I am not familiar with out to where the dolphin roam, especially with kids. If you do give it a try, pick a calm day. Get out to 400-600 feet and troll ballyhoo with and without skirts. If you find a group, have some cut bait ready so you can chum the water and keep them around.

That's the very short version. There are 1000s of articles on the net about how to catch tarpon, dolphin and sharks.

Good luck!

How did your trip go, 1710? I always wanted to rent a house in the Keys and spend a good 2-3 weeks there. I'd love to hear your experiences.