An Overview of the Florida Keys:

The Florida Keys is full of flowering jungles, shimmering seas, and mangrove fringed islands that surround this tropical paradise. However, amongst all the beautiful land masses there is a growing population and a booming tourist center. In the begining the keys were sparsely populated until Henry Flagler began building the extension of his Florida railroad south from Homestead to Key West. He did this so he could link his steamships that sailed between Key West and Havana which is 90 miles across the Straits of Florida. Then in 1935 a hurricane washed the railroad away and instead of building another railroad, they built the Overseas Highway so cars could travel down to the Keys. This is also called U.S. 1 which separates the Atlantic on your left, and the Gulf of Mexico on your right. In some places the Gulf and Atlantic are 10 miles apart, but in others they are only separated by the bridge. The first key you come to is Key Largo which serves as a weekend escape for mainland residents. At the bottom of the Keys 106 miles southwest lies Key West, which has become one of the greatest tourist spots in the United States. People enjoy coming to the keys for its crystal clear water, pleantiful marine and wildlife, and very laid back lifestyle. In 1990 Congress passed the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to protect the area's ecosystem. This covers 2,800 square nautical miles of coastal waters which include, but are not limited, to sea grass beds, mangrove islands, and extensive coral reefs. These fragile enviroments support rich and diversified biological communities. For more information on the reef structures themeselves and the laws that go along click here: NOAA for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Keys is an unadulterated spectacle that attracts thousands of visitors and locals to the waterfront throughout the Keys. The Florida Keys is a wonderful, mystical place that everyone should experience at least once in their life time. We invite you to come and visit our tropical paradise and see for yourself. We garanttee that you have a magical time. Hope to see you soon!

The establishment is located just off US hwy #1= Between Big Pine Key and Little Torch Key. When you pass through Marathon Key you will start to head over the Seven Mile Bridge. Continue the whole way accross the bridge, but be careful because we are located right passed the bridge-first place on the right. There is a giant boat located out front, and a huge sign saying Bert's Shanty so you shouldn't be able to miss it. When you pull into the parking lot make a left,and the office is located just on your left. The address in 561 US hwy #1 Big Pine Key, Florida 33503.

Here are just some of the things that our wonderful Efficiencies-Houses offer!

1. All of our efficiciencies/houses are two bedroom-two bathroom, with a full running kichen that includes: microwave, oven, dishwasher, washer, dryer, refrigerator, coffee pot, table, and too many other accesories to mention.
2. One of the most important things for summer in the Florida Keys is Air Conditioning, which is included in every room.
3. We have some of the cleanest Efficiencies that you will find in the entire world. We pride ourselves on our cleanliness.
4. Every room has a Verandah with an excptional view.
5. If you want to bring your own boat we have all new equipment such as Boat Basins, Brand New Docks, and a freshly concreted Boat Ramp
6. Our outside activities include Heated Pool, Jacuzzi, Tennis Court, Sauna, and we are located within a mile of a championship golf course.
7. Each house has there own private Beach and Barbeque Areas
8. Our Company has some of the most Affordable Rates in the entire keys.
9. All of our houses come equiped with Stereo, Cable Television and DVD Players.
10. We are located close enough to the highway to have easy access but are far enough off that you wil never see a car.

What you need to know about Keys fishing and boating:

We encourage visiters to bring their own personal water-craft, but if you do not have any we have only the highest quality fishing boats, jet skies, and wave runners. Our jet skies and wave runners are all Yamaha 600cc and there is always someone out to help you with renting one. Our rental fee is 30 dollars an hour. Anyone that is under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult and every rider must take a 15 minute safety course before leaving the dock. We have a great fleet of boats that range from 13 foot flats boats that you rent yourself to drive for 250 dollars a day all the way up to our 50 foot Luhrs boats equiped with a 750 horse power Yanmar motors,that are captained by Cpt. Robert Crook. This vessel runs 8 hour trips, that cost 400 dollars per trip. If you want to take a look at the Luhrs boat or you want any information on Luhrs or Yanmar click here:Luhrs

	This species of fish is known as a grouper and is one of the best eating fish on the planet. These fish are known to be plentiful in the waters surrounding the Keys. These fish are found in all different depths, but they love to have some sort of structure such as sunk boats or any kind of rock piles. These fish are hard fighters and since they are found near this structure you want to use heavy tackle and some sort of heavy leader. Your best baits are going to be some sort of live bait or a fresh dead bait on 7/0 hooks. You also want to use a sinker to help your bait get to the bottom quickly. Once on the bottom you want to get ready for the bite. Once you feel the bite, set up on the fish and begin reeling right away. This way the fish does not take you into the rocks. Thes fish must be 20 inches so be sure to measure the fish. If it is a keeper enjoy your dinner.
	This species of fish is known as a dolphin, Mahi Mahi, or Dorado. This is one of the most exciting offshore game fish to catch out in the open ocean. The dolphin is found in almost all tropical warm tempered climates making the Keys one of the best places on Earth to find them. They can grow up to 80 pounds in their short five year lifetime. Their colors are dark blue on thier back and a range of bright neon green and yellow down their lateral lines. These fish are commonly found next to objects floating in the ocean such as seaweed or driftwood. They are found in waters as shallow as 100 feet to 600 feet. We have found that trolling is the best way to catch these fish. Using heavier tackle and 20-30 pound mono line is the recomended way to harvest these fish. The baits that are prefered are artificial lures, spoons, feathers, ballyhoo, squid, cut bait, and glass minnows.
	This fish is known as a Snook. Snook have a silvery green color with fins that are bright yellow. These fish grow very rapid and can get up to 48 inches and have been known to get to 50 pounds. These fish can tolerate a wide range of water salinity from fresh water to off shore saltwater. These fish however need to be in water temperature that is above 60 degrees. They normally tend to gather near shorelines, inlets, and estuaries and prefer structures for shelter such as mangroves, rock formations, and reefs. Once these fish are hooked it's strength and speed is hard to compare to any other game fish. The best baits are live shrimp, live bait fish such as: Mullet, Menhaden, and Pinfish. You can also use a wide variety of lures and jigs such as Mirrolures. The best time to catch these fish is one hour before high tide through the first three hours of the falling tide.
	This silver colored fish is known as a Tarpon and is a very large and hard fighting fish. Once it is hooked it displays frequent twisting, acrobatic leaps into the air to try and free itself from the hook. Most of these fish range from 25-80 pounds, but they have been known to be up to 300 pounds. They prefer water temperatures between 74-88 degrees ferenheit. They are found the most in the Keys between January and June along coastal beaches and inlets. These fish can be caught with artificial lures and natural baits by casting, drifting, trolling and still fishing. Since these fish are so big you are going to want to use heavy rods with 30-50 pound reels and line.
	This fish is known as a Pompano and is a fiesty fish and puts up a great fight on light tackle.This fish is not only a great fighter but is one of the best eating fish. These fish can be found in very shallow waters on beaches, around piers, jetties, and bridges. Most Pompano are about 2 pounds and are found in warm temperate and tropical waters. Their favorite tempreture is between 82-89 degrees. The best way to catch these fish is with surf casting, flyfishing, or spin casting. For best results you can use light tackle with 6-12 pound line. Natural baits include crabs, clams, sand fleas, and shrimp work well. Artificial lures which produce results are jigs with yellow and a combination nylon hair, bucktails, and plastic tailed jigs.