About Lignumvitae Basin, FL

Lignumvitae Basin is a saltwater bay located in Monroe County, Florida, near Islamorada. It is located just above the Lignumvitae Key, where you can find the Key Botanical State Park and the Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve.

Lignumvitae Basin got its name from the tree lignum vitae, which grows in abundance in Lignumvitae Key. The 300-acre key was bought by an owner of a chemical company back in 1919, who built a coral rock home that is now used as the park’s visitor center. There were talks of developing the island in the 1960s, but citizens protested and the government ended up buying it to convert it into a state botanical park. Notable activities are available in the preserve, such as boating, snorkeling, diving, marine life collecting, commercial fishing, charter sport fishing, and recreational fishing for lobster and finfish.

All About Fishing in Lignumvitae Basin, FL

The Lignumvitae Basin’s seagrass meadows, coral flats, scattered sandy potholes, and deep water channels are fed not just by the waters of the aquatic preserve, but also directly by Florida Bay. This environment allows diverse water species to thrive within the basin, such as the great barracuda, crevalle jack, permit, goliath grouper, redfish, and even bonnethead shark. Being armed with live bait such as shrimp guarantees a good bite.

Fishing these waters has a couple of considerations. For one, the water depth of Lignumvitae Basin requires anglers to travel using a private boat or tour, after which they have to set their paddle boats off from the Indian Key Boat Ramp, near Mile Marker 79 along the Overseas Highway. Tides and wind are also other key things to think about, since it’s most accessible during the higher tides, and is generally not a good area to fish in when the wind is coming in strongly from the north. 

The flats of Lignumvitae Basin limit the accessibility of motorized boats, so kayak fishing is the way to go. Since fish species here are quite big, anglers may opt for heavy tackle fishing. The nearby botanical preserve is also a great location to go surf casting should staying in the waters feel a bit intimidating. Anglers can enjoy catching grey snapper, Spanish mackerel, common snook, bonefish, and tarpon in the area. Anglers can even encourage their young ones to take up an interest in fishing by allowing them to participate in hand feeding the tarpon in the key.

For those looking for more action, Florida Bay is easily accessible and offers more diverse options for offshore and deep sea fishing. Just remember to hop on an appropriate water vehicle and bring in the right tools for the catch.

Fishing Seasonality 

There is never a dry season for fishing in the Lignumvitae Basin. Fish are always plentiful thanks to its diverse ecosystem. Though barracuda are available all year round, very sizable ones can be reeled in during the winter season of late December to mid-March. During the warmer months fish are abundant, especially around the channel edges. Come February and March, anglers can expect permit to be swimming in the waters. Tarpon peak between April to June, but are also biting around September. Once tarpon activity slows down, mangrove snapper’s start to pick up and last until August. Even bonefish, which is hard to come by in the Keys, is very active around January. 

No matter what the weather conditions are, there is always a spot for anglers to enjoy their love of fishing in Islamorada. 

Fishing Seasonality 

There is never a dry season for fishing in the Lignumvitae Basin. Fish are always plentiful thanks to its diverse ecosystem. Though barracuda are available all year round, very sizable ones can be reeled in during the winter season of late December to mid-March. During the warmer months fish are abundant, especially around the channel edges. Come February and March, anglers can expect permit to be swimming in the waters. Tarpon peak between April to June, but are also biting around September. Once tarpon activity slows down, mangrove snapper’s start to pick up and last until August. Even bonefish, which is hard to come by in the Keys, is very active around January. 

No matter what the weather conditions are, there is always a spot for anglers to enjoy their love of fishing in Islamorada. 

All About Fishing in Lignumvitae Basin, FL

The Lignumvitae Basin’s seagrass meadows, coral flats, scattered sandy potholes, and deep water channels are fed not just by the waters of the aquatic preserve, but also directly by Florida Bay. This environment allows diverse water species to thrive within the basin, such as the great barracuda, crevalle jack, permit, goliath grouper, redfish, and even bonnethead shark. Being armed with live bait such as shrimp guarantees a good bite.

Fishing these waters has a couple of considerations. For one, the water depth of Lignumvitae Basin requires anglers to travel using a private boat or tour, after which they have to set their paddle boats off from the Indian Key Boat Ramp, near Mile Marker 79 along the Overseas Highway. Tides and wind are also other key things to think about, since it’s most accessible during the higher tides, and is generally not a good area to fish in when the wind is coming in strongly from the north. 

The flats of Lignumvitae Basin limit the accessibility of motorized boats, so kayak fishing is the way to go. Since fish species here are quite big, anglers may opt for heavy tackle fishing. The nearby botanical preserve is also a great location to go surf casting should staying in the waters feel a bit intimidating. Anglers can enjoy catching grey snapper, Spanish mackerel, common snook, bonefish, and tarpon in the area. Anglers can even encourage their young ones to take up an interest in fishing by allowing them to participate in hand feeding the tarpon in the key.

For those looking for more action, Florida Bay is easily accessible and offers more diverse options for offshore and deep sea fishing. Just remember to hop on an appropriate water vehicle and bring in the right tools for the catch.