Heading to the Florida Keys(Marathon)

cheech

Hero Member
May 6, 2012
930
935
FL
Detector(s) used
white's BeachHunter 300/DFX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Heading down there for Labor Day weekend for lobster hunting and Metal detecting try to research on the rules of Metal detecting in the shallows down there but can’t find much information can anyone give me some advice on what I can do and what I can’t or point me in the right direction to read up on it thank you
 

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Blak bart is your man
 

Cheech... might wana "keep your eye to the sky".

We have some major weather issues potentially headed our way... currently not sure how it will play out... but your vacation might be "in the wind".

Hope not... more for our sake. heh
 

well cheech....weather permitting you might want to hit the Sombrero beach park.....its a pretty nice and popular beach in marathon. I hunt in the water there and over the years its given up some nice gold. Be prepared for the traffic, and crowds. Bahia Honda is on down the keys not to far from marathon. Its a state park and you must ask permission. Most of the time its a yes....no water hunting at this park...but the beach is a good one. Modern drops here, and if your lucky old Spanish stuff can be got....even an occasional Cobb. Rules are vague at different parks here and in the water....I treat it like any other south Florida location...I hunt dry sand all the way out to head deep. The state parks all need permission, and usually they say stay on the beach at the state parks. Stay on the beach down here means like waist deep. Basically I go and hunt and if someone has an issue with that then I deal with those people when I need to. Rarely been shutdown by the law but it has happened. whether there right or not I move on. Stay off the ballast mounds of the 1733 fleet with a detector.....but I do hunt inshore of them in the shallows. Lobsters are on fire this year and everyone is crushing it. Big number being caught by all !! There a lot of pressure though with everyone out there getting them now. Good luck and be careful.....labor day is one of the craziest weekends in the keys...it will be busy beyond your dreams on and off the water...the good thing is its usually a great time so enjoy !! Shoot me a pm....I'll probably be busy but you never know....I'd love to hit Sombrero beach !!
 

Funny - early 2000's - they told me just the opposite - i could do the water but stay off the sand - they said holes dont show in the water and were
worried bout TH'ers leaving holes on the beach instead :tongue3:

well cheech....weather permitting you might want to hit the Sombrero beach park.....its a pretty nice and popular beach in marathon. I hunt in the water there and over the years its given up some nice gold. Be prepared for the traffic, and crowds. Bahia Honda is on down the keys not to far from marathon. Its a state park and you must ask permission. Most of the time its a yes....no water hunting at this park...but the beach is a good one. Modern drops here, and if your lucky old Spanish stuff can be got....even an occasional Cobb. Rules are vague at different parks here and in the water....I treat it like any other south Florida location...I hunt dry sand all the way out to head deep. The state parks all need permission, and usually they say stay on the beach at the state parks. Stay on the beach down here means like waist deep. Basically I go and hunt and if someone has an issue with that then I deal with those people when I need to. Rarely been shutdown by the law but it has happened. whether there right or not I move on. Stay off the ballast mounds of the 1733 fleet with a detector.....but I do hunt inshore of them in the shallows. Lobsters are on fire this year and everyone is crushing it. Big number being caught by all !! There a lot of pressure though with everyone out there getting them now. Good luck and be careful.....labor day is one of the craziest weekends in the keys...it will be busy beyond your dreams on and off the water...the good thing is its usually a great time so enjoy !! Shoot me a pm....I'll probably be busy but you never know....I'd love to hit Sombrero beach !!
 

and back then i had tons of fresh water experience (was using pi pro) but little saltwater experience then and wanted to hit the sand instead
would kill now to hit the waters there
 

well cheech....weather permitting you might want to hit the Sombrero beach park.....its a pretty nice and popular beach in marathon. I hunt in the water there and over the years its given up some nice gold. Be prepared for the traffic, and crowds. Bahia Honda is on down the keys not to far from marathon. Its a state park and you must ask permission. Most of the time its a yes....no water hunting at this park...but the beach is a good one. Modern drops here, and if your lucky old Spanish stuff can be got....even an occasional Cobb. Rules are vague at different parks here and in the water....I treat it like any other south Florida location...I hunt dry sand all the way out to head deep. The state parks all need permission, and usually they say stay on the beach at the state parks. Stay on the beach down here means like waist deep. Basically I go and hunt and if someone has an issue with that then I deal with those people when I need to. Rarely been shutdown by the law but it has happened. whether there right or not I move on. Stay off the ballast mounds of the 1733 fleet with a detector.....but I do hunt inshore of them in the shallows. Lobsters are on fire this year and everyone is crushing it. Big number being caught by all !! There a lot of pressure though with everyone out there getting them now. Good luck and be careful.....labor day is one of the craziest weekends in the keys...it will be busy beyond your dreams on and off the water...the good thing is its usually a great time so enjoy !! Shoot me a pm....I'll probably be busy but you never know....I'd love to hit Sombrero beach !!

Thank you for the information if everything works out as planned I’ll PM you just waiting on my equinox 800 to get back from the repair shop for the second time for leaking I have my Excalibar but it really needs to go in for service so hopefully I get my other one back before then really looking forward to getting some lobster to
 

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Funny - early 2000's - they told me just the opposite - i could do the water but stay off the sand - they said holes dont show in the water and were
worried bout TH'ers leaving holes on the beach instead :tongue3:
Yes Casper.....they sometimes still do that ??? I've been told I can only hunt the water sometimes too....woooo hoooo....no problem sir !! I just roll with the punches and do what I'm told. Its the crazies that get me....had a lady call the police on me for stealing turtle eggs !! They all laughed and told the crazy turtle lady to leave me alone. She still screams at me on the beach sometimes....she's not all there !!
 

I think every beach has a crazy turtle lady down here !! :BangHead:
 

taunt her - bring some golf balls and tell her" its what s for dinner"

Yes Casper.....they sometimes still do that ??? I've been told I can only hunt the water sometimes too....woooo hoooo....no problem sir !! I just roll with the punches and do what I'm told. Its the crazies that get me....had a lady call the police on me for stealing turtle eggs !! They all laughed and told the crazy turtle lady to leave me alone. She still screams at me on the beach sometimes....she's not all there !!
 

Even though my vacation was nice and relaxing only got a chance to hunt for a couple hours one day did mostly lobster hunting with no luck all shorts I guess it pays to have a boat but I did manage to find two earrings(junk)and two pennies had some other family members so wasn’t really able to separate for a full day of metal detecting next time I’m down there I will message Blak bart thank you for the offer
IMG_2510.jpg
 

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Next time buddy !!
 

I havnt seen it in years....washed out in one or another hurricane probably !!
 

I havnt seen it in years....washed out in one or another hurricane probably !!
they had the best grouper sandwich around - one year i picked up a couple to go - major delays on the plane
i pulled one out and started a riot - everyone was starving and they had no food service on plane and they had nerve to complain to
the crew that i had food - people around me were being a-holes - they really went berserk when couple hours latter i pulled out the second one hehehe
 

Oh yes....in front of schooners warf.....my bad..i eat at peppes across the street alot when im fishing there. Haven't had that fish sandwich in a long time. Ill have to stop in there next time I go down island !!
 

Oh yes....in front of schooners warf.....my bad..i eat at peppes across the street alot when im fishing there. Haven't had that fish sandwich in a long time. Ill have to stop in there next time I go down island !!
conch fritters are great too
 

God i miss Key West

and they serve it on cuban rolls which are awesome
 

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