Lower Keys Fishing Report
Brought
to you By
Captain
Andrew Tipler
The Lower Keys Fishing Report is brought to you by
Capt.
Andrew Tipler.
Lastcastcharters.net
To fish with Captain Andrew you can call him at 305-744-9796
or you can reach him via email at
scarpa1@bellsouth.net
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: March 18, 2009
The winds came down
a bit this week but it was not calm by any standards.
I did get a chance to do a little bit of everything this
past week. We found a few things that worked and a few
that did not. Just about everything started off strong
but got slower throughout the week. Look for
everything to pick up again as we get away from the full
moon.
Offshore fishing resulted in a few dolphin this
week. I would expect to see more showing up over the next
week. Blackfin made a showing but the numbers were not
enough to make targeting them a good plan. If you had
enough pilchards in the live well then it was possible to
chum a few up. The big winner of the week was jumbo wahoo.
There were quite a few big fish boated by a few anglers. If
you come across a live bonito then try bump tolling it
outside the reef, there still could be a few around. Capt.
Charley on the Squid Roe saw sailfish on the reef on Sunday
and got a bait in front of one only to have a big cuda beat
the sailfish to the punch.
Activity on the reef was very good early in the
week. We had big schools of yellowtail pop up in the chum
slick. The tails were more than willing to gobble up bonito
chunks floated back in the slick. There was enough of a
bottom bite to warrant keeping a close eye on your bottom
rods. Live pinfish, yellowtails and whole squid all got
eaten. If you covered the mid water column it was possible
to pull on a few kingfish. By the end of the week the clear
water had pushed its way up on the reef slowing things
down. It was still possible to put some fish in the box but
it required dropping down to 12lb fluorocarbon and very
small hooks. If we get a little dirty water on the reef I
would expect the reef bite to take off.
Gulf fishing was hit or miss. We found good
numbers of cobia on Monday but reports were poor by the end
of the week. These fish jump around from one wreck to
another so often they are only up for a short period of
time. I like to keep one live bait on the bottom and one on
the surface for any passing fish. I also keep on hand a
buck tail or other lure that you can throw a long way. It
is common to se the cobia pop up a good distance off the
wreck and circle it. If you can reach them and hook up
other fish will often follow the hooked fish to the boat.
Flats fishing was very good if you were able to cast
in the wind. The plus to a little wind is that it makes the
fish less skittish. Having a little surface chop allows you
to get the boat and your baits a little closer to the fish.
Tarpon made a good showing on ocean side flats and the
numbers will continue to increase over the next few months.
Permit were just about everywhere last week, we stumbled
across fish in areas where I have never seen them before.
As always live crabs will get you numbers. On the low tide
there were fish on just about every coral head out back.
These fish will be around on the flats for the next few
weeks before moving into the gulf to spawn. With all the
boats out on the water right now I have run across a lack of
etiquette. I had a few waverunners burn the flat I had
spent time working. If you see a boat fishing a flat give
them plenty of room. While working the edge of a flat I had
two boats blast past me and anchor up only a few hundred
feet in front of me. There is plenty of room out there,
give everyone some space and we will all catch a few. Good
luck and good fishing.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: March 11, 2009
It looks like the winds
are finally coming down. We have very few days with winds
below 20. There are still options when the wind is up but
it limits your choices substantially. Now that the winds
are dropping and temperatures are warming we should be in
for a good week of fishing.
Flats fishing is picking
up due to warming water temperatures and good tides. Nice
numbers of permit were moving onto the flats on Sunday.
Look for permit fishing to remain strong through the week.
Live crabs on 12lb spinning outfits rigged with 10-20lb
fluorocarbon leader is the go to rig with fly being the
method of choice for those looking for the ultimate
challenge. Don’t plan on boating a bunch of fish on fly, 1
fish makes for a great day. There were also lots of big
cudas on the flats this past week. They were a little slow
to follow the tube lure but with some coaxing we got them to
eat. Jointed Sebile lures are also fantastic at getting
barracudas to eat. Sharks and jacks rounded out the flats
fishing. Look for tarpon to show up more and more over the
coming weeks.
Reef fishing was very
good last week if you could stomach the seas. If you could
find good current, not running up the anchor line, then a
box full of flag yellowtails was only moments away. We had
some action on the bottom but not what I was expecting.
Live yellowtail and whole squid got most of the action.
Hopefully the full moon will not hamper the reef fishing.
As the water clears a little the fish should remain on the
feed despite the moon.
I spent a good bit of
time fishing the patch reefs this last week. This time of
year the patches can give great action without venturing too
far out into rough seas. There is even a chance for some
fairly large grouper to come up. Giant schools of ballyhoo
were all over the place and had the predators up and
feeding. We were throwing artificials to hungry Spanish
mackerel only to be interrupted by big jacks. This is fun
fishing and when the action is hot you can even get them on
fly. Pick any baitfish pattern and rig with a trace of
wire. Get the fly back into the chum slick whatever way
possible. I often have my anglers make a cast and then let
out more slack. Once the fly is a good ways out strip as
fast as you can and hang on, cero have as good a strike as
you could ask for.
Wreck fishing produced
some very nice fish early last week but tapered off by the
weekend. We had big amberjacks keeping us busy between
grouper bites. On Saturday we had a tough time even getting
a strike. Good luck and good fishing.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: March 04, 2009
Sunday’s fishing was better than the weather. The
morning started out fairly nice but conditions deteriorated
rapidly as the front came through. My sympathy to
anyone else who did not make it in before the front hit.
Of course this had to be the day that I forgot the foul
weather gear.
Offshore fishing was good this week with quite a few
dolphin hitting the dock. Most fish were found in close to
the reef preventing a long run. It is nice when the fish
are in close saving you a little gas money. Birds were
marking fish in the 100-200ft depts. 160-180 seemed to be
the magic numbers. There will often be one depth that holds
the majority of the fish, keep an eye on the sonar every
time you get a bite and it will help to put pieces of the
puzzle together. Sometimes there are no signs like color
changes, weed lines or temperature breaks. The good thing
is that with the fish close to the reef you can put lines in
as you are coming across the edge. Look for this to
continue through the next week. There have been a few nice
blackfin tuna around so keep a feather way back on the
center.
We had great luck with the yellowtails this week.
On Sunday the bite got better and better as the weather got
worse; flat lining bonito chunks was by far the way to go.
We were getting bit on the bonito chunks two to one over
ballyhoo. I like to carry squid, bonito, ballyhoo and even
shrimp and keep switching up until I find what their
preference is for the day. The dirty water kept the tails
from being very leader shy allowing us to use 6ft 30lb
fluorocarbon. We had a few fish come off the bottom this
week but not red hot. The highlight of the bottom was the
BIG goliath that came up.
Patch reef fishing was a great bet this past
week. This time of year offers great action very close to
shore. I spent a ½ day on a patch early in the week and we
had steady action along with some quality fish. Small live
pinfish and big shrimp yielded some very nice mangroves and
loads of throw-back grouper. The big jacks have been
roaming around in Hawk’s Channel and love to crush a top
water plug. For something a little bit different, try
dragging diving plugs around the patches; just be sure to
lock down the drag. Some very nice grouper fall victim to
lipped plugs. When you get bit, be sure keep the boat
moving until you have drug the fish away from the hole.
Saturday was my only day on the flats and I have
to say it was a little slow. We caught one very nice permit
and I have to give my angler credit, he made the best casts
on the few shots he had. I talked to Capt. Bob of Double
Haul charters who was fishing west of me and he reported
finding some decent numbers of fish. Capt. Bob also gave
reports of lots of big cudas all over the backcountry.
Capt. Scott and Capt. Tom both mentioned finding big schools
of ladyfish north of Big Pine. The big tarpon have started
showing up little by little. Find them on warm days
cruising ocean side flats and tucked into warmed up areas.
The permit fishing, as well as the tarpon fishing, should
get better and better over the coming weeks. Let’s hope the
cold front does not hurt the flats too bad. Good luck and
good fishing. Till next week, Capt. Andrew Tipler.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: February 18, 2009
What a great week we just had here in the Lower Keys. The
weather had been less than favorable for a few weeks and
it finally broke. This week brought great boating and
fishing. If you did not get out on the water then you
missed out.
Flats
fishing took off during the warm weather. Big tarpon have
started to move into the area. Look for the big tarpon to
be working Oceanside flats and willing to eat a well
presented fly. Out back produced shots at good numbers of
big permit. Live crabs will get the job done but for the
ultimate challenge break out the fly rod. Bonefish
rounded out your possibility for a grand slam. The last
few weeks made for tough flats fishing but this week more
than made up for it. We have a little bit of a front
moving back in but I doubt that it will do much to harm
the fishing.
Reef fishing
was good this week with dirty water making the fish less
wary than they have been. A mixed bag catch was the name
of the game. The grouper bite was good with live pinfish,
grunts and yellowtails all getting good attention.
Kingfish have not been red hot this year but there were a
few around this past week. We had a few big kings nail
live blue runners while on the reef. Snapper rounded out
the reef bite and put some tasty fish in the box.
Yellowtails were quick to pop up in the chum slick. If
you were lucky then you might have come across a mutton or
two, there were a few around.
Offshore was
very good over the past week. There were a lot of dolphin
roaming the reef line early in the week. It was still a
little rough but the fishing definitely made it worth
getting out. As the week progressed the fish scattered a
little bit. Sailfish were few and far between. Typically
this time of year brings good sail fishing but this year
has been a little hit or miss. We have had a few days of
good sail fishing and then a slow week. Capt. Charley of
the Squid Roe had a great day on Sunday with a bunch of
dolphin up to 28lbs while headed out to do some sword
fishing. He pulled most of his fish out from under debris
in 750 but reported getting scattered bites all the way
out. The Gulf Stream was running in the 300 ft depths
making for a good place to start. I rarely get out much
further than the mid 300 ft depths during the winter time,
unless sword fishing. If you do get out in deeper water
then look for floaters to make your day.
I made one
trip to the gulf I hopes of a banner day of cobia fishing
unfortunately this was not the case. We did find good
action with fun fish but no cobia. There were plenty of
grouper, snapper, jacks, mackerel, goliaths and sharks to
keep us busy. I had reports of another boat that made a
long run out to the towers in hopes of cobia. They gave
me similar reports of fun fish with an absence of cobia.
Good luck and good fishing.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: February 11, 2009
In fairness to the readers I have to start things off by
saying my report this week will be a bit limited. I had a
couple of days out on the water but for the most part I was
not able to get out. There were days that were doable but
sometimes it is best to stay home and get a few chores
done. The weather threw us for another loop this week and a
full moon did not help the weekends fishing.
Offshore brought reports of a few dolphin and an
occasional sailfish but the action was pretty slow.
Generally a passing front brings excellent sail fishing but
this week was not the case. There were ballyhoo up on the
reef with a few showers of bait here and there but not a
whole lot came out to play. Let’s hope that as we get away
from the full moon the offshore bite will take off. Plan on
a mixed bag of dolphin and tuna with the occasional sailfish
thrown in.
Reef fishing was ok if you could stomach the seas.
There was a reasonable yellowtail bite. Grouper fishing was
by far the best option, although hanging on to the boat was
often more difficult than hooking a fish. The patch reefs
offered a little more protection but smaller fish.
One thing I rarely touch on is the excellent bridge
fishing we have here in the lower keys. There are plenty of
nice sized mangrove snapper to be found around the deeper
channels and bridges, but if you are like me getting out on
the water to bend a rod beats anything offered on land.
Live pinfish and shrimp will keep you busy. Plan on using
light tackle to add to the sport of catching fairly small
fish.
Flats fishing was pretty much a bust this week. It
will likely be a few days before the flats conditions
improve. It looks like the weather is warming up so let’s
keep our fingers crossed that the winds subside. Like many
of you I am absolutely stir crazy sitting on land so let’s
get out and do some fishing, to hell with the weather. Good
luck and good fishing.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: February 04, 2009
Cold front after cold front has been keeping Keys’ anglers
on their toes. The patterns change with each passing front,
making it hard to pick a game plan more than a few days
ahead. The offshore fishing remains strong throughout the
fronts but the flats take a hit. Flats species just can’t
handle the sudden drop in temperatures and things had just
started picking back up.
I
do not touch on gulf fishing often enough. It is a little
tougher to get out to gulf waters in our area. Key West
makes it a little easier for the bigger boats to make it out
back. There are only a few channels where deep draft and
taller boats can make it through. If you have not been out
back before then it is about time to break out a chart and
find a path to some of the most productive waters around.
The cobia have been showing up in good numbers this
past week. Capt. Charley of Squid Roe made two gulf trips
this past week. Cobia are strong fighters and great on the
table - just make sure you bring enough pinfish. They
often follow each other to the boat so keep an extra rod or
two at the ready. A lot of the fish were throwbacks but
there were plenty of big fish out there to warrant the long
run. Lower fuel prices are another reason to make the
trip. Keep an eye on the weather and pick your days, the
gulf can be deceptively rough making long runs unpleasant.
Offshore fishing was fair this week. There were a
few sailfish around chasing live bait along the reef line.
If all the variables come together, this coming week could
produce good numbers of sailfish. A passing cold front
usually makes for good sail fishing particularly if there is
a strong current just outside the reef. It looks like both
these things might come together for the upcoming week.
There have also been a few tuna out there making for tasty
by-catch.
The reef was fishing very well this past week.
There were good numbers of yellowtail snapper hanging out in
most boats chum slicks. Flat lining cut bait produced a
limit for lots of anglers. The yellowtail fishing should
remain strong through the front particularly if the water on
the reef clouds up a little bit. Mutton snapper were also
on the hunt this week. I like live small pinfish and
pilchards floated back in the slick with just enough weight
to get it down as it drifts back. Use long leaders to fool
these wary fish. Large live baits on the bottom produced
some big grouper. As I always say rig heavy and be ready to
work the fish in a hurry. The first few seconds of a
grouper fight are the most crucial, keep them out of the
structure.
Flats fishing will be tough with the cold and cloudy water.
If you end up out back look for the jacks, sharks, cudas and
perhaps a few sea trout to be the primary target. I rarely
fish trout here in the lower keys but some anglers produce
good numbers; this week should be a good week for trout.
Look for the jacks to be along most channels, blind cast
jigs or plugs across the channels and along the edges for
steady action. Size your tackle to the fish you are
catching and you are in for a fun day. Good luck and good
fishing.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: January 30, 2009
The weather threw everyone for a loop this past week. The
major drop in temperature, accompanied by strong North/
North East winds helped some areas of the fishery while
hurting others. There was a lot going on offshore while the
flats ended up devoid of life. With the weather warming
back up it will not be long before the flats rebound to
pre-front conditions.
On the way offshore we found lots of action. There
have been GIANT schools of Jacks roaming Hawk channel.
These are not small jacks but big bruisers willing to give
you a work out. They are a lot of fun but not good for much
else, unless you are keeping one for shark chum. The jacks
are chasing schools of ballyhoo and moving fast, try and get
ahead of them before throwing into the school. Buck tail
jigs will get the job done but for a challenge try throwing
a fly.
Offshore produced decent numbers of sailfish over
the past week. We found pilchards and put them to use
drifting from the reef line out. The kings and cero
mackerel kept us busy tying on new hooks but once we got out
further the targeted species showed up. The sailfish were a
little scattered, moving through the green water. Saturday
brought cleaner water into the reef but did not improve the
fishing as much as I expected. A few boats came across a
sail while trolling but the weekend proved to be a little
slow. If we had good current it would have really fired
things up. There were good numbers of blackfin caught on
Saturday, after the water cleared up. Boats trolling
ballyhoo or tuna feathers did well in the 150 to 300 ft
depths. A few dolphin were caught but nothing worth
mentioning. Look for the tuna fishing to remain strong
through the next week.
Reef fishing was good with yellowtails being
moderately cooperative. The fish were not that big but the
numbers were there. Chum heavily and flat line bonito
strips or ballyhoo plugs back to the fish. They were not
overly eager to pop up in the slick so focus on the bottom
rods through your first block of chum. Grouper fishing was
very good this past week and a live pinfish did not last
long. Rig heavy and work fast to keep them from getting
back to their home. There was a by catch of various jacks
coming from the grouper rods. I did not find any but heard
reports of a few cobia coming off the reef. The cobia
numbers should increase through the coming months.
Flats fishing took a nose dive after the cold front
came through. Water temps dropped to the low 60’s making it
unpleasant for most flats species. There were some sharks
around but even they were slow to eat. We found a few
redfish and a couple of snook but the numbers were hardly
worth targeting. The barracuda were around in good numbers
but it took some convincing to get them to eat. They were
not even willing to give chase to a cuda tube. Throwing
plugs was the way to go and you had to work hard to convince
them to eat. Put the plug in front of the cuda and give it
a few twitches, to get his attention, then gradually
increase the action until he tracks the plug, only then do
you bump up the speed of the retrieve. As water temps
continue to climb the permit will move back onto the flats
followed by the bonefish. Good luck and good fishing.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: January 16, 2009
Sunday brought light winds and
warm weather, not bad for January. A bright full moon left
me wishing I had gone sword fishing. This moon slowed down
the fishing a little bit but there was still plenty going
on.
Reef fishing gave us good
action on Saturday. Earlier this week we had a few slow
days but as the current picked up so did the fishing. The
grouper bite was on this weekend with pinfish and whole
squid both working well. We managed a few muttons as well.
The muttons were hitting baits flat lined in 35-40ft of
water. Yellowtails were running on the large side this
week. They were a little tough to get but all the fish were
quality. We found some big tails on the edge of the reef in
70ft and pulled some off the hump. Bonito and ballyhoo
strips worked well but we had to drop down to 12lb
fluorocarbon in order to get them to feed. We found a
couple of kingfish willing to eat live blue runners.
Wreck fishing picked up
through the weekend. There were big amberjacks moving into
the area. Aj’s are a lot of fun to pull on but not great
eating and can get in the way of fishing muttons and
grouper. Keep your baits tight to the structure to find the
grouper. Muttons will often hang out on the sand around the
wreck. Lock down your drags and hang on, big fish will do
there best to head straight back into the structure. You
will either catch them or loose them in the first few
seconds of the fight.
Offshore was pretty slow this
week. There were a few boats that stumbled across a
sailfish or a few dolphin. Most boats did not find much and
spent a lot of time trolling barren water. If you got in
close to the reef there were some mackerel and bonito. If
you get into the bonito it’s a good idea to box one or two
for yellowtail bait. Bonito strips are very useful and
versatile baits. The cero mackerel were running pretty
thick and were on the chunky side. If you get them in good
numbers it is a blast to fish light spinning rods. A few
kingfish were also working the reef line.
The flats warmed up over the
end of the week making for some pretty good fishing.
Bonefish were around in good numbers and I heard reports of
some big schools. Permit were out in good numbers and
spread out all over the place. There were some large fish
found floating around the coral heads. Live crabs are the
go-to bait for permit and often the only thing “floaters”
will eat. It looks like we could get a cold front coming
through this week which might slow things down. If the
water temps stay up the permit fishing will remain strong.
Tarpon fishing was good this week rounding out the
possibility of the coveted grand slam. Baby and mid sized
tarpon are the most consistent this time of year. You can
sometimes find a laid up adult but it is rare to find big
resident fish in this area. Look for the baby tarpon and
toss live shrimp on supper sharp hooks. I like a 12lb
spinning outfit loaded with braid and 30lb leader. For
those who prefer fly rods toss shrimp or small baitfish
patterns. Good luck and good fishing
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: January 09, 2009
I hope everyone out there had a
safe and happy new year. What a crazy week it has been. As I
write this report I already feel like drifting off to sleep.
It takes a little while to get back into the swing of full
time season. Being out on the water EVERY day leaves little
time for getting much else done, including sleep. I am not
complaining it is good to be out on the water.
I have been out on the water every day and each day has been
different. The week started a little slow and gradually got
better. Offshore fishing was spotty at best with a little bit
of everything showing up. There were some dolphin caught but
most boats did not find very many. Capt. Jim on the Sea Boots
had a great day Friday with lots of nice fishing coming from
one group and then a few stragglers from there on. Trolling
rigged ballyhoo in 50-300 ft of water would be a good bet if
you are looking for a few wintertime dolphin. The only tuna I
heard of came from around the wrecks. Troll tuna feathers of
drift live baits if you feel like you might be in the zone.
This week showed some kingfish moving in. It was the first
time this year that we found consistent king fish action.
Reef fishing was great on Sunday. We found good action all
through the water column. Look for this to continue as long as
the water stays slightly cloudy. The yellowtails were quick to
pop up in the chum slick but a bit tough to feed. Make sure to
keep your baits moving in the current if you want to fool the
big tails. Keep a rod on hand with a lure in case the cero
mackerel move in. They have been big and will peel off some
line. I have become a big fan of the Seabile lures, they get
lots of attention. Keep a close eye on your bottom rod because
the grouper have been biting steadily. There were plenty of
throw backs but we did find some quality fish. Live pinfish
were my bait of choice. Bring plenty with you and swap them
out every so often. Live bait is only good when it is very
alive and active.
Flats fishing was a little slow during the early week. Cool
water kept most of the glamour species from being too active.
The fun fish did not mind the cooer temperatures. Jacks and
sea trout were out in good numbers. I heard some reports of
some big groups of very nice sea trout out back from Key West
all the way up to big pine. By the weekend water temperatures
came up a bit bringing some better action from the big three.
My friend Mark, an outfitter from Montana, spent a day fishing
with Capt. Scott and Capt. Tom. They got into good numbers of
bonefish and managed a few on fly.
Good luck and good fishing.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: December 30, 2009
I hope everyone is
enjoying there holiday season. It is currently 8 degrees
outside with a light snow falling. The only fish within a few
miles of me are likely sitting under a blanket of ice in the
frozen over deep holes of the Snake River. Wyoming winter is
quite a contrast to the Lower Keys tropical climate. Even as
the snow falls my mind wanders to tailing permit and sailfish
balling bait.
Fortunately I was able to get
a few days on the water before leaving town. The fishing was
fantastic. I try to keep a finger on the pulse of fishing in
the keys even when away. There are numerous, fantastic,
captains that I talk to in order to paint the best picture
possible. I would like to thank Capt. Charley of Squid Roe,
Capt. Jim of Sea Boots, and Capt. Bob of Double Haul Charters
for information this week. The reports have all pointed
towards great fishing.
Sailfishing along the reef
line has been great. The reports of multiple hookups seem to
be common. The waters off Looe Key and American Shoal are
always a great place to start your search. Saturdays report
was of good numbers of sails and a variety of by catch for
anyone trolling or live baiting off Looe. When you get in
close to the reef the kings and bonito would keep you very
busy. The blackfin tuna have been a little scattered but most
boats out there managed a few. Some nice sized wahoo were
also roaming the waters just past the reef. A scattering of
dolphin rounded out the offshore game.
Reef fishing has been great
for the last few weeks. The grouper and mutton bite has been
the most consistent. Live baits are the preferred method with
jigs being a good backup. Two pinfish traps, each with half a
block of chum, should give you enough live baits to spend a
day bottom fishing. Go fairly long on your leader to increase
your odds of connecting with a big mutton. The yellowtails
have been on and off but when they are on they have been big
and numerous. Try using a long shank hook if the cero get to
be a problem. If they get thick enough they make great
targets for fly rod. It would also be a good idea to keep a
bait suspended mid water for any kings that happen by.
Flats fishing is a blast this
time of year with plenty of fun fish out there if the big
three turn out to be a problem. There have been big groups of
permit floating on just about every coral head out back.
These “floaters” are notoriously hard to feed. I did not hear
any bonefish reports this week and with the upcoming front
they are not likely to show up. Baby tarpon have been the
star of the shallow water show. These fish are a blast on an
8-9wt fly rod and are very willing to eat shrimp patterns or
small Toad flies. The sharks and jacks round out the day on
the flats. If conditions permit look on the edge of the gulf
for birds to mark big schools of jacks and spanish mackerel.
Good luck and good fishing.
Lower
Keys Fishing Report Update: December 10, 2009
There has been a lot
going on out on the water and I hope you have had a chance to
get in on the action. It has been a while since my last article
and it is good to be back talking fishing. From offshore to out
back it is one of my favorite times of year to get out on the
water.
Gulf fishing has been
very busy with variety being the key. Lots of Spanish mackerel
have been roaming the gulf side edge. Look for birds and you
have found the fish. Work your way past the fish and then cast
jigs, lures or better yet, flies to get in on the action. There
have been some big schools of jacks mixed in with the mackerel.
If you get out a little further there have been some cobia
willing to go for a boat ride.
Spotting fish has not
been a problem this past week but getting them to eat is a whole
different story. We found good numbers of permit that had no
problem passing up live crabs. The cudas and, recently
consistent, redfish were also a little tough. Sharks seemed to
be the most consistent thing out there. If you have never tried
to land a big shark on fly then this is your chance. Chum them
up and tease them in to fly range. Life jacket orange is the go
to color for fly rod sharking.
Reef and patch reef
fishing has been very good over the last week. Lots of action on
the bottom took most of my focus. There have been some nice
grouper moving into the shallow water. This could be you last
chance to put a grouper on the table for some months to come so
load up with pinfish and bring your heavy bottom rods. Cero
mackerel have been showing up in the chum slick more often then
not. Try using a long spanked hook instead of a wire leader. You
will get bit off a few times but you will not detour the snapper
from biting.
Offshore fishing has
produced a little bit of everything. Dolphin, tuna, kingfish,
sailfish and wahoo have all been possible catches this past
week. Troll a ballyhoo off your downrigger will get the wahoo
and kings attention. For the tuna it is hard to beat a small
feather way back in the spread. Once I find tuna busting the
surface I like to throw speed jigs into the foray for instant
hookups. Move up from the school and cast across there path and
work the jigs with a side arm motion, keep it fast.
The Islamorada Sailfish
tournament took place this past weekend with great catch numbers
coming in. We have not had quite as many fish in our region but
there are still enough around to make keeping a few live baits
on board worth while. Try making a drift or two with live
pilchards or ballyhoo. If you find a defined color change just
past the reef you have found your starting point. Good luck and
good fishing.
September 06, 2007- Lower Keys Fishing Report
It seems that the dolphin made
a liar out of me, the fall run might have started. There have
been some nice fish caught early and late. Most of the fish
have been in the 5-15lb class with a few larger fish mixed in.
The dolphin were grouped under floating debris and some schools
numbered in the dozens. Capt John of Fun Yet Charters loaded
the boat on Monday. There have also been lots of tuna out in
600-800ft. Keep an eye out for marlin while working around the
schools of tuna.
Reef fishing was
fairly good this week. If you get in current and chum heavy the
fish are coming up in good numbers. A little weight will help
get the bait to the fish. The hank brown jig heads and calcutta
models both work great. Strip ballyhoo and bonito strips both
worked well. The fish were good sized and willing to eat. I
had multiple reports of nice sized grouper being caught in the
evenings. A live pinfish or grunt will get the attention of any
grouper in the area.
Wreck fishing was tough with
the current we had this past week. We repeatedly found over
2kts of current and getting to the bottom was tough. There were
some nice mutton snapper if you worked hard to get them. Some
rock ledges on the deep edge of the reef are holding muttons as
well. Live pinfish and butterfly style jigs are both good for
targeting them.
We saw marlin on most trips
this week and managed one on Sunday. The fish ate a lure tolled
off the short corner. When working around schools of tuna I
like to keep one or two marlin lures in the spread. I like
trolling one on the second wave and one on the third. Rig the
lures with 200-400lb mono for these guys and hang on. There is
not much out there that puts on a show like a marlin crashing
the spread. I will run my tuna lures right off the rod. It
seems like the hook up ratio is better than out of the riggers.
Set your tuna baits way back and don’t be afraid to troll fast.
Small blue/white/silver Billybaits worked well. The tuna seemed
to be targeting small flying fish so this lure choice is a dead
on match.
Flats fishing for bonefish
continued to be red hot. Fish were moving over the flats on the
strongest flow of the tides. Chumming with cut shrimp is a
great option for those not willing to pole a skiff through the
shallows. Both ocean side and gulf side flats had good numbers
of fish. They are more than willing to chow down on a live
shrimp but will also eat a well placed fly.
I got a call shortly after last
weeks report hit stands. Turns out my pinfish traps were picked
in a prop and taken in to untangle. They were kind enough to
give me a call once they saw the report and I have gotten them
back. Now I feel bad for the venting my frustrations in print
but had I not the call have never come in. Good luck and good
fishing.