I got yelled at by a guide the first time I fished Cudjoe. It was quite the educational experience. So I suggested he publish a book with all their local rules. A couple years later I found that they did, and had even proposed pole & troll zones to NOAA.
https://lkga.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/lkga-code-of-conduct-.pdf
https://lkga.org/lkga-letter-and-maps-sent-to-noaa/
HINT: Follow your shadow.
Thanks for sharing that Mike. They should band jet skiers all together in those zones too.
I wish we had those set of rules where it was mandatory is you were going to fish or run a boat in areas like Boca Grande, you'd need to follow and adhere to such rules set forth.
For those reading.....
Any good tarpon fly fisherman, that is seasoned to follow the ropes of good setup etiquette, if unfamiliar to an area and how it is properly fished, should be able to ease into an area, sit back from a distance and observe what the other boats are doing. If boats are already staged up in a certain area, then follow suit, spacing yourself evenly and in line among with the other boats, being patient and awaiting your turn to cast as the fish swim by. Most migrating tarpon will follow in a string, smelling the fish in front of them and following their scent trail and coming almost within feet of the same line the previous fish came thru. Setting up allow you to cast on the on-coming fish a few times and allow them to push on by without you chasing them and disturbing their tempo, while giving the next boat the opportunity to throw on them as well, as you did. Then the next string coming will give you more shots as you had on the previous fish. This whole behavior pattern down there in the Middle Keys happens from 1st of April (occasionally late March) and ends around the 1st of June (occasionally ending around late May).
Laid up fish in the basins are more of a pole and troll targeted fish and likewise, if guides or anglers are working those areas, proper etiquette and distances need to be observed.
Remember guys, success does not always add up to how many fish you land on a fly rod, but how much you learn about the fish and their behavior, when and where they will be, what they are doing and how you effectively move into position without spooking them. Ideally then, and eventually, it's about the techniques you have learned and figure out on your own, to get their attention, again, without spooking them and cause them to eat. Of course, fighting landing and release techniques, which may take years to hone down, even for very savvy fly anglers on DIY trips.
Best of luck (but mostly, the best of your skills).
Ted Haas