Weekend Trips - The Florida Keys
The Florida Keys
Hunt tarpon with a fly rod

From the March 26, 2001 Issue of New York

There are few fly-roddable fish more challenging or rewarding than the bonefish, permit, and tarpon that cruise the white-coral flats of the Florida Keys. Allan Finkelman, formerly one of New York's most successful commercial photographers, took his string of tournament championships and turned them into a career as one of the most knowledgeable guides in the Upper Keys. Is this a good place to be? Look at it this way: Ted Williams retired here so that he could be in on the best fishing in the world. Finkelman has a broad knowledge of flats, tides, and winds so that you fish the right spots at the right time. Unlike many other Keys guides, he rarely eviscerates his clients for character flaws or angling imperfections. He also knows Bordeaux wines and will fill in fishless moments with passionate descriptions of fine old reds.
-- PETER KAMINSKY




Details
Allan Finkelman, 305-852-5233 or [email protected] ($375 per day). Stay at Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada, 800-327-2888 (doubles start at $475). Make a reservation at Pierre's Restaurant at Morada Bay, 305-664-3225. Prime time for tarpon is late April to July; for bones and permit, all year.