End Of The Road

Historic Highway Leads Anglers to a Winter Wonderland.

- Captain Steve Dougherty

IT’S A TYPICAL WINTER IN FORT KENT, MAINE where the streets are salted and outside air temp reads a bone chilling 37 degrees. While this small town in Aroostook County is known for winter recreation and sees annual snowfall averaging 97 inches, it’s also home to America’s first mile. U.S. Route 1 begins here and if you follow this historic highway south for nearly 2,500 miles you’ll run out of road at MILE MARKER ZERO on Whitehead St. where the mercury currently rests at 83 degrees. Though the advancing of cooler air masses can greatly influence weekly weather patterns in the Keys, the variety of species available during the winter months makes for some of the best angling opportunities of the entire year.

The feeling that a Jimmy Buffett chorus has come to life is overwhelming once arriving in Key West. It’s a wild and colorful island escape that symbolizes the carefree Caribbean lifestyle. But as much as I enjoy laying in the shade, playing the part of tourist and watching the sunset at Mallory Square, there’s more to this eccentric little island than meets the eye.

Avid anglers from around the world are well aware the surrounding waters provide some of the most extensive angling options and available species found anywhere. When it comes to ranking the world’s top destinations and must-visit escapes, Key West is always high on the list because fish-of a-lifetime can be caught nearly any day of the year. In fact, as of press date there are more than 280 active IGFA world records from Key West.