5 Places You Can Take a Shallow Draft Boat You Can’t Take a Motor Boat

Popular motorized fishing boats like a center-console or sport fishing boat can get you a lot of places quickly, especially if you’re going offshore.

On the flip side of this coin though, there are many out of the way places that you can’t even take the smallest jon boat. A motorized flats boat may not have that much “draft” itself, but an outboard motor adds at least a foot or two to how much water you need to safely navigate.

Simply defined, the draft of a boat is “…the depth that the hull protrudes into the water.”

How Florida’s 10,000 Islands Provide a Unique Fishing Experience

Just by itself, the Ten Thousand Islands on the southern tip of Florida is one-of-a-kind place. Despite the fact that Florida has literally thousands of miles of coastline, the Ten Thousand Islands provide a unique blend of both fresh- and saltwater. It consists of a chain of islands and mangrove mini-islands or “keys” located along Florida’s southwest coast between the towns of Goodland and Chokoloskee.

Image courtesy of University of South Florida

Although limited access to this area makes you feel like you’re in the middle of a wilderness, the 10,000 Islands chain is only about a 40 minute drive from Naples and 90 minutes from the metro-Miami area.

The actual number of “islands” in this region of the western Everglades is much less than 10,000 to be sure, but there are enough that you will lose count before too long.

Continue reading to learn more about this area rich in marine life, history and opportunities for snagging a nice tarpon, snook, redfish, or even a bass.