Quick Tips:

We like staying somewhere in the middle....from Marathon to Islamorada.

Best Way To Get Around:

* On a side note for drivers--there are small green reflective signs along the roadway with a mile marker number on it. Numbers go from the highest in the north to "1" in Key West. Most places will advertise their mile marker address.

You can rent boats at many marinas, but you'll need to be confident in navigation, chart reading, and boat safety. This isn't the shipwreck capital of the world for no reason!

This is traditional Keys cuisine with a twist of the Caribbean. The mouthwatering and slightly fiery Conch Chowder borders on being a Chili and the Jerk Chicken sells for $ 8.95 and comes with a side salad. The " Specials" board announces the fresh fish catch of the day, and often has 12 items or more in amazing combinations for under $ 15.00. The Key lime Pie is wonderful, but not as good as my # 1 homemade recipe! Sorry...I make the best....but this is second in line!

I was attracted by the carefully placed Keyzz style I wrote about in the story above. Add to this my disappointment that the Raw Shell Bar in the Krawls has bent to yuppie pressure and CONFORMED!!! I was spun into deep mourning as I wandered in psychological pain when I tripped onto Bo's. We ordered 2 fish lunch baskets with fries,1/2 dozen conch fritters( that were all fritter and no conch!), and a fish salad with soda pops. Our bill was a little over $ 46.00 and the word "SUCKER" was written across my forehead ! Send these folks a note that we are on strike until they offer value and good food for the money!

One thing I really appreciate when I eat out.... hot steaming food that is fresh and cooked with skill! Great Job Bentley's!!!!

I did bypass the other cold items, like slaw and potato salad so I could concentrate on those crab legs better! But the cold table has about 20 other choice salads.

There are several soup choices, and I had the Conch Chowder that wasn't packed with goodies, but had a good spicy flavor.

The next table is hot stuff...including roast beef, ribs, several kinds of chicken, broiled and breaded fish fillets, fried shrimp, conch fritters, little butter drenched boiled potatoes, and several other fried selections which I don't tend to indulge in very often. On the other hand, the next table had a special cook who took whatever you wanted stir-fried (scallops, shrimp, peapods...yummy!) and whipped up a super fresh meal for you. Ok.... are you ready to flounder like a beached whale over to the dessert table? Chocolate frosted brownies, little key lime pies, cheesecake, ice cream with toppings to go over freshly made waffles !

You will swear that you will never be hungry or need to eat again in your lifetime!

This is a nice way to go if you have a family, or want to introduce someone to the world of fishing. If you are uncomfortable baiting your own hook.... don’t worry...the mate will take good care of you!

The only difficulty from a REAL FISHERMANS point of view is that this boat mainly allows bottom fishing only, because if there are more than 25 patrons (boat takes 50), you can guarantee that lines will be tangled! There are 4 coveted and staked out special spots at the very back of the boat, where the die-hards fight for space to cast.... and you will find me there!!!!

This boat didn't use "chumbags", and on this trip there were 4 of us girls who caught fish.... and a few guys. The party boats are " hunting" for the smaller good eating fish, such as grouper and snapper, so it would be unusual for you to catch big game fish this way. In our experience, we always take a party boat for a fun day at a cheaper cost, which usually provides a fresh dinner!

These guys are serious as they wander around in a fevered pitch adjusting weights and setting treble hooks. Anticipation and excitement fairly crackle off the deck!

I was the only woman on board that day with 12 guys.

And they didn't use me for bait or throw me overboard!

In fact, they were all very pleasant to me once they knew that I was not a high maintenance fishing gal and could bait my own hooks!

I must confess that I did not use the bathroom the whole trip though. It might have been ok, but there were far too many men on this boat for me to take a chance! I know that the woman readers out there will understand totally what I am saying!

Ritchy is the best mate I've ever taken a trip with and his knowledge of the sea is just amazing. He fishes off-season professionally in Alaska where 1 in 7 men never return home. He and Jim worked really hard chumming, and looking on sonar for good " hit" spots for us, and I'd like to say " Thanks guys.... for a really fun day!"

We had the MOST AMAZING day with him , after he found a school of Jacks and yellowtail in 75 ft. of water so clear that you could see all the way to the bottom as fish danced and swayed below the boat! I mean HUNDREDS OF FISH ! It was a magical thing that I have never experienced before! We switched to a flashy lure and caught and released the 10-15 lb Jacks as fast as you can breathe in and out! The 3 surface lines kept catching small Yellowtail for dinner! We had such a busy afternoon, and all 5 of us groaned when Gary said that we had to head back to shore!

These boats are driven from high above, so the driver can see into the water better. Gary let me ride back to port from that vantage point where the wind whipped thru my hair and the sea glittered like diamonds as the sun was begining to set.....

There are several places that you can work with a metal detector or the naked eye at low tide. Annie’s beach is one spot, where 3 boys recently found a barnacle-encrusted dagger and a fusion of silver coins. There are 3 other shipwrecks off this reef too that could feed this beach. You can search in the water from about mile marker 76 south on the Indian Key fill that isn't private or state property! If you need advise on where it is acceptable to do this activity you can stop at the tourist information spots and have the volunteers there direct you . It is always better to ask for permission and help instead of getting into trouble by trespassing!