Advertisement

Take It Outside Planner: Paddle through magical mangroves (w/video), pier fishing and lobster season

 
Published July 29, 2015

PADDLE BY: MANGROVE TUNNELS

Looking for a great half-day trip? Check out the Lido Key Canoe/Kayak Trail in Sarasota. This well-marked waterway can be as short or as long as you like. Paddling through these tree-covered corridors, it is easy to imagine yourself in another time and place.

Five minutes from the boat ramp, you turn and follow the signs into what looks like an enchanted mangrove forest. The trees have grown over the water and formed a canopy just large enough for a canoe or kayak to navigate. Inside the darkened tunnels, you will see raccoons hunting among the "walking trees" as mangrove crabs scurry for cover. Wading birds prowl the dimly lit corridor, feeding on fingerlings illuminated by the shafts of sunlight filtering through the treetops.

The water clarity is so good you can even see sponges in some of the deeper areas. Don't be alarmed if you surprise a silver-sided snook resting in the shallows. To get there, head south to Sarasota and follow the signs to St. Armands Circle on Lido Key. Go around the circle, exiting south on the Boulevard of the Presidents to Taft Drive and South Lido County Park. Get there early — the parking lot fills up fast.

SUMMER NIGHTS: PIER LOGIC

As the sun sets over the Gulf of Mexico, dozens of anglers line the railing of Clearwater's Pier 60. It's a typical summer evening, with reels screaming as big fish run for open water. The action is fast and furious and fish fly over the rail on to the pavement.

You don't need an expert to land a big one. All it takes is a rod, reel and, of course, some bait. This scene is played out again and again, all over Florida, at the state's great fishing piers. Many of these public fishing platforms have shallow artificial reefs within casting reach. These man-made structures support diverse communities of marine organisms, so it is not unusual for anglers to land "game" fish such as tarpon, cobia and king mackerel. From time to time, these shore-bound anglers even hook fish far too big to land, including sharks and even the stray sailfish. Other great piers can be found at the Skyway Fishing Pier State Park, located at the mouth of Tampa Bay, and Fort DeSoto.

BUG HUNTIN': Florida lobsters

Divers and snorkelers crowd the Keys this week for the two-day mini season which always runs the last Wednesday and Thursday in July. If you missed it, don't worry. The regular lobster season opens Aug. 6 and runs through March 31. You won't find as many people on the water, and some folks might argue, not as many lobster. But the good news is these critters can't stay put. Caribbean spiny lobsters love to move around. So if the reefs are picked clean this week, it won't be long before another pack of crustaceans move in and make themselves at home.

Be forewarned — Florida lobster look nothing like their cousins from New England. Don't expect meaty claws. The local variety look more like crawfish. The meat, however, is just as good. We recommend grilled over an open fire.

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

SWEET SOLITUDE: BOCA CHITA KEY

A few miles south of downtown Miami, you will find an island oasis. On weekends, Biscayne National Park gets overrun by pleasure boaters trying to escape the hustle and bustle of one of Florida's largest cities. But if you venture out there on a weekday, you might have Boca Chita Key all to yourself.

You can't miss it — just look for the 65-foot ornamental lighthouse, built in the 1930s by Mark Honeywell, one of the island's former owners. The lighthouse is open intermittently whenever park staff or volunteers are on the island. The observation deck provides a view of the islands, bay, ocean, and the Miami, Key Biscayne and Miami Beach skylines.

The water in Biscayne Bay, while not deep, is clear. On a sunny day, you can see sponges and a variety of subtropical fish as they dart among the sea grasses. If the weather is good, paddlers can even venture offshore on the Atlantic side of the islands to one of the park's shallow coral reefs.