Cormorant key
This key is the only key on the
east side which sets out side of the other keys "islands".
This key also has had a lot of names over the years, Carmen key I believe is
the correct name but was
mispronounced
to Cormorant, For several years before Hurricane Charley it was a lush
island with huge mangroves
perfect nesting grounds for birds like Pelicans, So many birds nested there you
could smell the island 1/2 mile away
So "Bird Shimdt" key it was for a long time", finally the Mangroves started
to die out from too many birds So when the
Birds left the Key the out side Mangroves grew much faster then the center ones,
forming two perfectly round mounds of trees
with a cleavage in the center. "two tits" was it's name for about 8 years before
Charley destroyed it. Now it is back to Cormorant key.
Cormorant Key is just about midway between Alligator creek & Pirate Harbor. As showmen below.
Some great fishing can be found
around this key.
To the north the bottom has several big dips and rolls where the Snook like to
lay.
This show unless it is a very high
tide you have to cross the sand bar to get to the key, almost impossible during
the winter
Low tides. the flats north & east of the Cormorant Key hold a lot of Trout when
you get closer to the bar.
In the photo below I show you how
to get there from the South coming in at the end of the channel for Pirate
Harbor.
Go slow at an idle until you know how much water you are going to need, It takes
less than 10 minutes to idle from Pirate harbor
To the key. If you are going slow you can see if there are Trout on the flat.
Some of the best Spotted Sea Trout fishing you will ever find is along this
route form the channel north to the key.
Here I have high lighted the
best areas for Reds & Snook
Why didn't I show the Trout spots, because it is all good. Sorry too easy.
The dark areas are deep than the
light color and hold a lot of fish this is pot hole Fishin at it's finest.
It is sad to see this once lush island covered in birds and with hundreds of
fish hiding under the Mangrove
branches is such a sad state. The last few Arial's give you an idea of what the
island looks like now.
Here you can see the pot holes /
troughs which surround this key, they are the dark spots.
and make it a fish holding paradise for more than half the year.
Yes the dark spots are what I am referring to.