By Terry Gibson
A few weeks ago, I went with some friends offshore out of the Boynton Beach Inlet, caught a box full of mahi, and made it back to Lantana's Old Key Lime House in time to watch the Gator game on the big screen over the water.
I grew up just a few miles north and hadn't been "home" in a while, so the trip reminded me just how much there is do in the area and how many fishing adventures are available.
Though the Boynton Beach Inlet is one of the state's hairiest to navigate, at least when it's rough, it offers almost direct access to some of Palm Beach County's most beautiful coral and artificial reefs. Divers and anglers love this area because it is teeming with marine life, just a short run from the inlet.
For shore-based anglers, there's excellent beach access on both sides of the Boynton inlet, and both jetties are popular and productive fishing spots for just about anything you catch in the surf, including snook, pompano, Spanish mackerel, whiting, bluefish, croaker and redfish. Ocean Inlet Park, among its many amenities, affords anglers a place to wet a line in the Lake Worth Lagoon.
Just a few miles north, just north of the Lake Worth Bridge, inshore anglers catch snook, redfish, trout and many other species on what is regarded as one of the most effective habitat restoration projects ever undertaken in the region -- the Snook Islands Natural Area.
You can access these areas easily by launching at the Lantana Sportsman's Park boat ramp 150 yards east of the Old Key Lime House on Ocean Boulevard. This is also a great place to hop on a party boat or hire a private charter if you're itching to get offshore and into the fish.
And in the center of it all stands the iconic Old Key Lime House, a waterfront restaurant founded in 1889. It's been a favorite local hangout for generation upon generation of boaters, anglers and divers. If you go by boat, you'll ride past the mansions of Manalapan, Palm Beach and South Palm Beach. It's a beautiful boat ride.
Though the water gets a little skinny for really big boats, most inshore vessels and reasonably sized center consoles can tie off right at the Old Key Lime House restaurant dock.
There are two bars, a great vibe and some of the best food in the area, just a few steps away. Check it out!
