Marathon Fishing Report

Brought to you by Captain Nick Borraccino

If you would like to fish Captain Nick with visit: www.noreastersportfishing.com   Call: 508/769-4189 or Email: www.bestbetsportfishing.com   305/359-1376

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: March 18, 2009

       I’m not quite sure if the phrase “in like a lion and out like a lamb” is supposed to apply only to the north, but regardless, I think it fits here.  The beginning of March usually brings typical winter like conditions in the Keys, and by the end we’re seeing mostly signs of spring.  It’s almost like cold fronts are a thing of the past.  With changing weather patterns come changing fishing patterns. 

        Winds and temperatures have been pretty constant this week; east to southeast winds 10-15 knots, with pleasant temperatures in the 70’s.  The Gulf Stream has been holding tight to shore, a mere few miles south off Sombrero Light, bringing in even warmer water.  Naturally, with the gulf steam comes dolphin.  Many boats are finding an enjoyable run of mahi in 150- 400 feet for this time of year.  The majority are nice size school dolphin, but there have been a few larger fish mixed in.  Capt. Pete Testa of Native Sun Sportfishing (7 mile marina) found and caught a 40 pound cow (wow), and 25 pound bull dolphin this Thursday in 400 feet under a frigate bird and amongst schoolies.  That’s a great pair of fish for March.  Usually the dolphin this time of year are chasing flying fish and thus moving pretty quickly.  Skipping a rigged ballyhoo in from of their path will usually draw a strike.

         Inshore of that, the cobia seem to be moving through Hawks Cannel and the reef edge while migrating north.  This is the best time of year to catch cobia here in the Keys, so keep yours eyes out for that brown target cruising the surface of the green water.  They usually are not fussy eaters once you fin them, but make sure your tackle is up the challenge, as some of them are bruisers.  We found this out on Wednesday aboard the Best Bet, when we hooked a nice cobia on the surface at mid day.  After a 45 minute battle we landed the fifty pounder and  realized why it took so long to get the fish up off the bottom on light tackle.  The channel has been great all week not only for cobia, but also for big kingfish, cero and Spanish mackerel, yellowtails, mangrove snapper, and grouper.  When the current on the reef is running east into the wind, you can often find more fishable conditions in the channel, and you can end up with some impressive results.   Have plenty of chum, and plenty of wire rigs for those mackerel.

         On the reef, the yellowtail bite is picking up, but we’ve had a lot of wind against current conditions making chumming difficult, and when we did get the big tails to bite, the sharks robbed us of most of them.  Just can’t win I guess!

         I have one report of a great tuna bite offshore this week.  Capt. Fuzzy Francious put his customers on a great catch of blackfin tuna (one of my favorites) in the 20 pound range.  It was a rough ride going all the way across the Gulf Stream to get there, but it was worth it.  The tunas can be caught trolling and jigging, and make excellent sushi for the nights feast.

         Things are good all around right now, including the forecast!  So get out there and enjoy the Keys!

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: March 11, 2009

       Even though the wind seems to persist more than we would like, we at least can appreciate the change in temperature.   Cold fronts came and went as we would expect them to this week, seeing as it is March, and we endured a few short days of cool weather but it is now pleasantly back into the 70’s, and the fishing conditions are just fine.

        The gulf stream has pushed in nice and tight, bringing with it some dolphin.  Boats braving the rough the rough seas this week found a hard current edge with some nice size school dolphin.  Though they can be hard to stop from traveling westward, positioning your boat in front in front of the traveling school and pitching out some live baits will get you the bite.  After catching one or two, you’ll have to run back into the current to repeat the process, so don’t lose sight of the birds.

        Sailfishing has been on the slow side, especially given that there have been two major tournaments this week with the top boats boasting a few fish over a two days.  But at least there is bit, right?  There seems to be plenty of ballyhoo all along the reef just begging for packs of sails come in and chase them.  But we all think that any day now just hat will happen.

       Folks looking to get out and bend a rod have found great success on our shallow patch reefs.  Reefs in 20-40 of water have been offering mutton, mangrove, and yellowtail snapper alike.  Not only are these fish fun to catch, but are great to eat.  Mix that with some nice size kingfish, cero mackerel, and stray cobia, and you‘ve had quit day.

       The Gulf has also been hot lately.  In shore mangrove snapper have been biting on the banks, wrecks, and bridges, and cobia, kingfish, and grouper have been cooperating for boat outs a little deeper.  Call your local charter boat captain or guide to get in on the action this week!

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  Marathon Fishing Report Update: March 04, 2009

       Well it’s March...already.  This means locals and charter boat captains in the middle keys fall asleep with visions of powder blue water being cut sharply by deep dark blue water just beyond the reef dotted with black and brown figures moving steadily along.  Yes this is what we call tailing conditions;  east current, east wind, and often a color change.  Find this is in March and April, and you’ll often find sailfish and cobia on the surface, surfing the waves.  Both will usually take a live bait accurately placed in their path.  That’s what we’re looking forward to.

        Aside from the change in calendar month, this week of fishing changed little from last week.  For those of you that missed last week’s issue, allow me to recap...

         Even though the beginning of March is usually a great time for sailfish, it seems still a bit early this year.  There are a few fish around, and with a bit of luck those in search of spindlepeaks can usually find a few over the course of the day.  Getting them to eat is sometimes a different story.  Why some sailfish light up and eat any bait you throw at them while others turn their nose to everything under the sun is a mystery to me, but one thing is certain, the more fish you find the better your chances of a hookup are.  So again, while it may not be red hot just yet, it’s still worth doing.  Many boats this week targeting sailfish stumbled across some nice dolphin all the way in on the reef, and out to 250 feet, which is always a nice treat.

         The deep wrecks have largely disappointed this week again, with most captains agreeing that the bottom bite has been slow.  Luckily for us we have a lot of options here in the keys.   They yellowtail bite has picked up as water temps have come back up into the 70’s, and the shallow reefs and Hawks channel humps have been very active still with red groupers, small black and gag groupers, yellowtail and mangrove snapper, and some hefty kingfish up to 30 pounds.  Having good current is the difference in good fishing. 

         I am still hearing of some impressive cobia catches in the gulf in the 20+ mile range, while the nearshore Gulf fishing as well as the bridges continue to produce mangrove snapper, jacks, hogfish and still plenty of Spanish mackerel.  Don’t forget that in a stiff easterly wind, the bay will be much calmer than the ocean side, and the fishing is still great, so instead of canceling a trip, try fishing in the Gulf for a day.

       Spring is right around the corner, so try for those sailfish and cobia before it gets too late!

      

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: February 25, 2009

        What a week.  For the first time in recent memory weather conditions in the Keys allowed boaters and anglers to get out on just about any given day.  That’s not to say it was perfectly calm every day, but definitely doable.  Warming air and water temperatures coupled with relatively light wind and a waning moon provided for some great fishing around Marathon.  Just about every type of fishing was productive this week, as reported by Marathon Charter captains and private boat owners alike.

            Even Gulf fishing was good this week.  The water temp has raised enough to wake up all your favorite bay species.  Many fishermen targeting mangrove snapper this week had great success on bay structures, banks, and bridges.  Live shrimp  is always a winner in the bay and around bridges for all types of snapper, jacks, hogfish, and Spanish mackerel.  Along with plenty of live shrimp, make sure you have some decent current to complete the recipe for success.  Farther out in the Gulf, the cobia seem to be on the move as well.  Capt. Mike Biffel of Big Dawg Charters in Key Colony reported putting his customers on numerous large schools of cobia, catching more than 20 fish with some in the 30 pound range!  That’s a heck of a day of fishing.  Plan on running 20 miles or better to find them though, and if you’re not sure where to go for hot cobia action in the bay, call a local guide in Marathon to put you on the fish.

            Just about everything oceanside seemed to be biting this week.  Patch reefs and channel humps in Hawk Channel were especially active with many boats putting together nice catches of yellowtail and mangrove snapper, black and gag grouper, and cero and king mackerel; all within earshot of the beach!  These areas are great places to investigate when it gets a little rough on the reef in a northerly or northeasterly wind.  There is some great fishing right now in the channel that can be had while not having to deal with rough seas.  Captain Jimmy Gagliardini of High Caliber Charters had his customers into some kingfish in the 30 pound range on light tackle in Hawk Channel this week, so be ready for those smokers with a 20 pound spin outfit with a live bait and a trace of wire.

            We are finally starting to see some good catches of yellowtail snapper on the deep reefs!  Reports out of Duck Key of some nice tails in 40-60 foot keep coming in, and we had a great catch of yellowtail aboard the Best Bet on Saturday at the West end of town in 70 feet.  As always, it’s about having the right conditions, and we had them on Saturday.  The water had warmed slightly, and we had decent current going with the wind.  Chumming heavy brings them to the boat, and from there it’s a test of your angling skills.  Large yellowtail snapper are very smart and very weary.  You have to find the right combination of line, hook, leader, and bait to number one, get the bite, and number two, land the fish.  And let’s not forget about the predators!  Sharks, Goliath Grouper, and Bottlenose Dolphin may all wait to take your hooked fish, making it even more of a challenge.  But if it were too easy it wouldn’t be fun right?   Catching big yellowtails and mangrove snapper on light tackle is one the most fun and challenging types of fishing we have, and is one of my personal favorites.  And at the end of the day, having a box full of big snappers is a great reward. 

            Up until the end of the week there was minimal and varying current beyond the reef, making deep wreck fishing less than spectacular.  But you never know when you might find that one spot that is loaded with hungry fish, so it never hurts to try!

            Despite still having good numbers of ballyhoo on the reef, there seems to be a bit of a drought as far as sailfish goes.  Granted, on any given day you could run over a pack and catch four, but for the most part catches are low for the past week or so.  This is not good news for those fishing the Annual Leon Shell sailfish tournament out of Key Colony Next week.  But I suppose that it could be good news for some... having fewer fish around could level the playing field for some boats making pure luck a bit more of a factor!  Well, good luck to everyone fishing the tournament next week, and good luck to all of you doing your own fishing this week!

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: February 18, 2009

            Isn’t it great when Florida feels like Florida?  Extreme wintry conditions gave way this week to calm seas, sunny skies, and warm air.  It was just what the doctor ordered.  Fish that had been for the most part inactive suddenly awoke, and decided it was time to eat.  Usually the first few warm days after a stretch of cold weather prove to be active fishing days, as was the case this week.

            For starters, bay waters warmed back into the apparent comfort zone of mangrove snappers by Wednesday.   Numerous reports from fisherman in the bay, on the banks, and around the bridges confirmed that the mangrove snappers were biting good, as were just about everything else you would usually encounter in these areas.  On a half day trip Wednesday morning aboard the Best Bet we found a great snapper bite on shallow bay structures, with fish up to 4 pounds!  So long as the water temp doesn’t suddenly plummet, I would expect a good week of fishing in the Bay and around the bridges.  Mangrove snapper, yellow jacks, Spanish mackerel, yellowtail snapper, lane snapper, hogfish and more can be taken on live shrimp on a jig head or with a small weight and 1/0 or 2/0 hook.  If you find yourself with little or no current, wait it out.  Once the tide starts running things usually pick up.

            The reef activity has picked up as well.  Mangrove and yellowtail snapper are biting well on reefs in 20 to 40 feet of water.  Finding current is the key.  We have had inconsistent currents on the reef making the fishing just that.  One day the current was moving at a steady pace to the east, and we had an excellent morning catching mangrove and yellowtail snapper, red and gag grouper, and plenty of mackerel.  A day later, however, the current switching and barely moving, the fishing was not as good.  There were plenty of cero mackerel and kingfish up to 30 pounds patrolling the shallow reefs though, so have your wire ready.  A live pilchard, small blue runner or ballyhoo will always do the trick, and when they’re reel thick, try throwing a popper plug or spoon to have some fun.  It can be difficult to get a bait to the bottom when the macks are in the chum... so catch them till your arms get tired, or till they seem to leave, then go for the snappers again!  The lack of current off the reef edge has made fishing deep wrecks this week a bit lack luster.  The fish jut don’t seem to e very active out there when there is no current.  The better choice for most of the week was in hunting sailfish and dolphin.

            There seems to be a good number of sailfish still chasing live ballyhoo on the reef.  Showering bait and frigate birds are the tell tail signs.  If you’re not seeing them in shallow, try off the reef edge with some live baits or trolling rigged ballyhoo.  Some boats this week in Marathon reported seeing 10 or more sails in a morning, and catching up to six. 

            The warm weather has also seemed to fire up some wintertime dolphin for us.  Over the past few days there have been packs of birds working small bunches of schoolie dolphin between 150 and 300 feet on weed lines and color changes.  Troll your favorite small skirts or lures in the zone and you should run across them.  There have also been a few bigger fish sighted, so have your 20 pound pitch rod with a live bait at the ready in case the slammer decides to swim up to your transom.

            I have limited reports from offshore this week, but the one boat I know of that went to the humps for blackfin tuna did well, catching good size fish and in good numbers.  I’m still a little hesitant to make the long run offshore, given that last time I went there the place was devoid of life!  But everyday is different, and that’s what makes it fun.

            With all this good news and all these options I hope you all are excited about fishing this week as I am.  Good luck this week.

 

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: February 11, 2009

       We were stuck in the deep freeze all week here in the Keys.  Granted we should not be complaining too much after looking at the weather map of the rest of the country, but this was definitely the coldest week of the year with temperatures dropping into the 40’s!  We appear to be over the hump though, as it is getting a little warmer each day, and it seems unlikely we will see such drastic cold fronts again. Well, at least we hope. 

       The windy and cold weather coupled with this weeks full moon made things tough across the board.  No one I know ventured offshore this week, and the frigid waters close to the beach made inshore fishing largely unproductive.  Most catches this week came between Hawk Channel and about 200 ft of water.  The ballyhoo schools in front of Marathon have stayed put for an unusually long time, making at least one thing this week easier; where to go for bait.  There are still a few packs of sails mixed in with mackerel chasing ballyhoo in 25-40 feet right on top of the reef.  These fish are also being found out to about 120 foot.  We tried slow trolling live hoos in the vicinity twice this week with no results, but we admittedly lost patience after an hour or two.  Those that stuck with it longer were rewarded with 2-4 bites and 1-2 landed fish each day.... patience pays.  We did manage to find some dolphin chasing flying fish in about 200 feet one day however.  The 28 pound cow and 10 pound bull couldn’t resist frisky live ballyhoo!  A search the next day revealed nothing in that same area, however.  I wouldn’t COUNT on finding dolphin this week, but it never hurts to take a ride and look for frigate birds and bait sprays, especially when everything else seems slow.

Reef fishing remains most productive in the 20-40 depths.  After losing patience looking for sailfish on Sunday, we managed to boat a dozen or so nice mangrove snappers, 2 keeper red grouper (along with 5 or 6 throw backs) and a pile of cero mackerel.  Yellowtail fishing on deep reefs continues to be very slow, as the flags are very sensitive to the cold water temps.   Wreck fishing in 100-200 feet is a good bet as long as conditions allow for it, which they didn’t most of the week.  I expect reefs and wrecks the latter half of this week and this weekend to be very active, as there has been relatively little pressure lately, and the current seems to be cooperating, moving just fast enough to the west ( with the wind). 

Good luck this week, and feel free to call with questions about fishing charters!

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  Marathon Fishing Report Update: February 04, 2009

       Winterish conditions persist here in the Keys, along with the rest of the country.  The pattern over the last week or two is consistent with the upcoming forecast I just saw.  There have been few warm calm days between cold fronts, and that’s what we’re predicted to get more of.  The pattern seems to be as follows; A cold front comes through delivering North to Northeast winds around 20 knots and temperatures in the low 60’s.  Following two to three days of this, we’ll see a slight warming into maybe the low 70’s with still a stiff Easterly blow.  Then we might get a day, or even two, of relatively light east to southeast winds and temps pleasantly in the 70’s.  This has proven to inevitably be the calm before the next front, however, which arrives in a hurry bringing those almost un-fishable conditions for the next two days.  Oh well, it’s winter right?  Take comfort though in the fact that we are well over a month past the winter solstice of December 21, the shortest day the year for us in the northern hemisphere.  Everyday since then has been just a little longer, and a little brighter.  And the further we get from this date to the equinox in March, the more change per day we will experience (ask Kepler for more details).  The point here is that it is possible the worst is behind us.  Even if this is not the case, the news certainly isn’t all bad.  On the one hand, we should consider ourselves lucky to have the opportunity to experience such a variety of fishing conditions, and therefore a variety of fishing techniques and experiences all in one place and all in a short amount of time.  This is because although a stretch of cold weather may be detrimental to one fishery, it may at the same time beneficial to another.  Good captains and anglers will always find something to fish for.

            We all know that sailfish prefer cool and windy conditions, and they’re getting plenty of it. The sailfish action seems to have picked up a bit since last week from the reports I’m getting.  There have been huge schools of ballyhoo on the reef right out in front of Marathon in the 25 foot depth range, and some sailfish have taken notice.  Boats are having no trouble catching bait with a cast net once a chum bag is hung.  From there you have two options; stay in and around the bait and look for sails spraying the ballyhoo, or take your baits out deeper and blind troll.  Both have been effective this week, and which method you choose will depend on the day, and your preferred style of fishing.  Having a tower makes sight fishing a much more attractive option, where as without a tower you might be better off fishing off the reef edge.  Anglers such as Bob Brown of Sundace Sport Fishing (7-mile Marina) prefer this type fishing from his center console boat.  Bob will often slow troll live baits from his outriggers, or drift with a kite bait downwind, and two flat lines trailing behind.  This method seems to be effective, as Mr. Brown usually returns the dock with a release flag flying.  One thing you have to do if strictly targeting sailfish this way is keep clear of the mackerel and kingfish.  If you’re constantly getting cut off, move out deeper.  You’ll find less kings and plenty of sails out in 150 foot and deeper.  Staying on the reef edge and out to 120 foot and you’re in mackerel territory.

            Things were a bit eerie one day this week offshore for myself, Capt. Jason Long, and the customers aboard the Best Bet.  We picked the nicest day, and headed to the Marathon Hump in search of Blackfin tuna.  This was the first time I can remember going to the hump and never seeing a tuna.  We tried deep jigging, trolling, and even live chumming with pilchards and saw zero evidence that there was a tuna within miles.  There seemed to be current... the typical 3 or so knots to the East, but no birds and no fish.  Once again, you really just never know what you’re going to get out of a day of fishing.  The trip was more than worth it, however, as we found a few large mats of sargasm weed just before the hump that was loaded with dolphin.  I must admit I was confused for a short while about what time of year it was... sunny...warm.... fairly calm... lots of dolphin willing to bite.  But hey, you take what you get out there, and we managed to box a handful of gaffers, one nice 25 pounder, and all the schoolies we wanted in about 20 minutes.  It was quite a gift, considering we didn’t catch any tuna!  It never hurts to be lucky, as we knew that had we left the dock 15 minutes earlier or 15 minutes later we would have never seen that mat of grass, and would have never seen a dolphin.  On the way in we investigated two or three other very nice looking weed lines that were barren of fish.  The surface temp out there seems a bit on the chilly side to hold lots of dolphin, so I certainly would not bet on heading out in search of them.  As they say, I’d rather be lucky than... well, it’s nice to have luck.

            The other offshore destination continues to be the swordfish grounds.  Both Snapper Charters and Big Dawg out of Key Colony reported having many bites in a single day and catching at least one fish each per day.  Although no monsters were brought to the dock, any one of those missed bites could have been the big one.

            Back inshore the cold snaps have certainly not had a negative impact on the bottom fishing.  The deep wrecks have been great all week with loads of amberjacks and kingfish, as well as plenty of big mutton snappers, tasty vermillion snappers, and your occasional African Pompano, big grouper, and who knows what else.  Feel free to call if you’re interested in bottom fishing with me or another of Marathons excellent charter captains for a great experience.

            Fishing on the reef remains pretty consistent, even though the current may be unpredictable.  All week the current trickled west, which is great for fishing on anchor in an easterly wind, but as of Friday, it switched and started running east.  This may help create some tailing conditions for sailfish, but may prove less than ideal when the wind blows east and you want to anchor on the reef.  Regardless, stick with the 20-40 depth range, which has been active with red grouper, mangrove and yellowtail snapper, and plenty of cero mackerel.  The deep reef yellowtail spots are still inconsistent and may be a waste of time. 

            Stay warm this week and good luck!

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: January 28, 2009

       Let’s just put it this way; on more than one occasion this week I had all the doors and windows of my house shut with the oven on and the door open.  Obviously my place doesn’t have heat.  I’m sure everyone is aware by now of the weather conditions last week... near record cold and windy.  That being said, you should not be surprised that the fish were affected by the extreme water temperatures.

       Near shore and bay water temperatures dropped into the 50’s, something that rarely happens in the keys.  Any and all fish in water in this temperature range basically shut down.  This means that for a week or so there has been very little activity to speak of in the gulf, and in shallow waters oceanside.  I had friends and family in town this week who were eager to fish everyday, and ended up pretty disappointed that we were only able to squeeze in a day and half of fishing over their 7 day stay.  The good news is that when we did get out, the fishing was good.

       When the air temperature drops quickly and drastically, look to deeper water to maintain a more steady temperature, and therefore a more reliable zone to fish.  I thought, along with many others, that the cold front would help the sailfish bite improve.  It didn’t quite have the desired effect.  There still appears to be limited numbers of sails around the middle keys, even when conditions seem ideal.  There still are some fish on top of the reef chasing schools of ballyhoo (which there seem to be plenty of), and as usual stray singles and small packs out beyond the reef in 100 -200 feet.  Boats targeting sailfish and dedicating the day to it can usually catch one or two slow trolling a spread of live baits or rigged ballyhoo, but as for those double digit days we’re looking for, well I guess we’ll just have to wait for some more fish to migrate south (which they will sooner or later). 

       Wreck fishing has been the savior for many this week, as the deep water beyond the reef was least affected by the cold air.  Mutton snappers upwards of twenty pounds are being found on and near wrecks along with grouper, plentiful amberjacks, and kingfish.  Captains Josh Gilmartin and Jason Long on the Best Bet II out of Key Colony Beach put their clients on 9 mutton snappers, a dozen vermillion snappers, a handful of amberjacks, and one sailfish on Friday of this past week, a great catch by any standard.  Just remember as always when you’re out there to practice good etiquette on the water.  Just because you see a boat anchored or drifting and bottom fishing does not mean you should drive over to them.  Running up on a boat to steal their spot while they are fishing is an example of poor etiquette, and is never a good idea.  This can create a bad situation for everyone.

       On another note, things appear to be starting to get back to normal weather wise with temps back in the 70’s predicted for the first part of the week.  This should help the yellowtail fishing, which is still unpredictable, but seems to getting better.  On Saturday we had a nice school of big tails behind the boat and eating on almost every drift.  But they are still a bit lethargic, and the bite didn’t last too long.  It’s day to day, so as usual, you’ll just have to try it for yourself to see if they’re biting.

       I think everyone is looking forward to this week... as the water heats up, so should the fishing.  Good luck this week and be safe on the water.

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: January 21, 2009

Marathon Fishing Report Update: January 14, 2009

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: January 07, 2009

       If your new years resolution is to fish more then you’re reading the right paper.  This is a great month for visitors to the Keys to get out and experience some great fishing.  There is action inshore and offshore alike.  Let’s start way out, and work our way in...

            When the weather permits, vessels of all sizes venture to blue waters offshore in search of their prey.  In the absence of dolphin in any great numbers, the target species in the deep right now are mainly swordfish and blackfin tuna.  The humps some twenty five miles off marathon are home to blackfin year round, and this is as good a time as any to catch them.  The fish are there in good numbers, and are of good size.  There is competition, however.  The biggest downside of this fishery is the crowd.  Between February and June I downright refuse to fish the Marathon Hump on a weekend.  Having a speed boat piloted by a half drunk vacationer run across my transom and cut my lines off is enough to put me in a straight jacket.  But that’s just me.  For any of you planning on fishing out there this week, please remember to be considerate on the water, pay attention to what you’re doing, and exhibit some common courtesy and boating etiquette while fishing.  There’s plenty of fish for everyone, unless of course you start getting harassed by sharks; which brings me to my second (and don’t worry, last) bad thing about targeting blackfin.  The sharks are still there, and they know darn well it’s easier to catch a tuna struggling on the end of a line than it is to catch a free, healthy one.  The longer you fight your fish, the more likely the chance a shark will notice it and steal it from you.  It stands to reason then that you are much more likely to have your larger fish taken, as you have to fight them longer, and they will be able to dive deeper (bummer, I know).   While both trolling and vertical jigging will catch you fish, you’ll have a better chance of landing your fish on the troll, as they will not have to be dragged up through so much of the water column attracting attention.  On a trip to the hump this week on the private boat Lazy Daze from Key Colony, we had great success on the troll, and plenty of bites on the jig.  But feeding expensive jigs to sharks gets old, so troll we did.  We boated at least 30 tuna.  Most were around five pounds, with a dozen or so over 10 pounds, keeping 8 or 10 for the box.  The most astounding thing of that day to me was what we found on the way in.  About 18 miles offshore lay the weed line of all weed lines, most likely the edge of the Gulf Stream.  For two miles stretched acres of sargasm weed in larger than average mats, accompanied by trees, buoys with ropes attached, a raft, boxes, bags, and all sorts of other debris.  A dolphin fisherman’s dream.  We ran up and down twice, looking while pulling dolphin and wahoo lures without ever seeing a fish. I guess you just never know.  Too bad it wasn’t dolphin season!

            Even further out and deeper than those tuna humps ran the boats targeting swordfish.  It’s been a very active bite with many boats having multiple hookups and landings with some nice fish.  I know both Snapper Charters and Main Attraction had multiple fish days this week.  The action should continue so long as the current allows for dropping baits over 1500 feet down!  If you’ve always wanted to catch a swordy... why wait any longer?

            There isn’t a whole a whole lot to do right now between the tuna and swordfish grounds and the waters just off the reef, as I discovered by the barren wed line.  But once you get back inshore, there’s plenty to do.  The sailfish bite has certainly slowed down, with at best a few fish caught by any one boat in a day this week.  There are a few stragglers on the reef chasing ballyhoo, but not in great numbers.  I noticed acres of ballyhoo on the reef almost everyday this week near Sombrero Light with no fish in pursuit.  Your best bet will be to slow troll live baits in one to two hundred feet of water and hope to raise a fish.  There are enough fish around to give you a good shot at one.  Also, there is a cold front coming though soon, and as of Sunday the current switched and started moving east again.  These two factors should help to heat the bite back up this upcoming week. 

            The slow moving west current has caused an apparent hit or miss with both yellowtail fishing, and wreck fishing.  On any given day on any given spot the yellowtails might pop up in your chum slick to feed, or they might seem to have vanished.  All you can do is try, if they pop up, great, and if not don’t hang around too long and wait.  Your efforts might be in vain.  The best thing to do is move in to a shallower patch reef in 20 to 30 feet of water, which have been active all week with small yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, small groupers and plenty of mackerel and bonito tuna to bend a rod.  Again, don’t be afraid to ounce around until you find a hot spot.  Chum the water and present your baits (live shrimp, pilchards, pinfish, and cut ballyhoo) on jigs and light line if the water is clear.  You should have plenty of action.

            The wrecks have been hit or miss also.  There has been some pressure on them this week, so we’ve had to some searching around before finding one or two that were active with mutton snappers, jacks, and kingfish.  This mix will put a smile on most faces.

            Once again we have seen some great action around the bridges on outgoing tides, which makes for a great half day or leisure trip in a small boat.  There have been plenty of yellow jacks and mangrove snapper biting on baited jigs cast around the pilings.

            Boats fishing in the gulf have had great success too this week finding a great bite of gag grouper on wrecks in the 15 to 20 foot depths, with of course the usual mackerel and mangrove snapper to accompany.  If you’re visiting though, you’ll probably need a charter to boat to take you to one of these huny holes in search of grouper, as most of the spots are a well kept secret! 

            Good luck this week and enjoy fishing in the Keys!

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: December 31, 2008

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: December 24, 2008

            Weekend warriors had their dreams realized this past week.  It seems we get about two or three nice fishing days  out of every seven, and this week they were two REALLY nice days that just happened to be on Saturday and Sunday... what are the chances.  On the flip side, however, for most of the work week we had the typical winter 15-20 knots out of the east and northeast.  One of the great things about Marathon though is having options. 

            The edge of the Gulf Stream as of Friday the 19^th was a mere one mile off Sombrero Light.  This of course means that water just beyond the reef was in quite a hurry to move east.  And in case you hadn’t figured it out yet, a strong wind and a strong current going in opposite directions is not the recipe for ideal fishing conditions.  First of all, trying to fish patch reefs, or anything else while on anchor becomes downright frustrating, as chum runs up your anchor line.  Deep dropping on wrecks is out, as it can be almost impossible to keep a bait on the bottom, especially on a specific spot.  Granted, such days can be excellent for sail fishing, if you’re willing to take the beating.  But like I said, it’s all about having options.  When oceanside conditions deteriorate, or even when the fishing is just slow, Marathon residents can always head north, and west.  The Seven Mile Bridge is a great spot to fish when the wind is hard out of the east, as it runs basically east and west making the Marathon end somewhat sheltered.  A few reports are coming in that the bridge has been very active with a great variety, including some nice mangrove snappers.  Either anchor up current from one of the old bridge pilings and chum, or bounce from one to the next until you find an active area.  ¼ to ½ ounce jigs tipped with live shrimp, small live pinfish or pilchards, or cut ballyhoo is the way to go.  On any given day the bridges can reward you with snapper, grouper, jacks, mackerel and even tarpon. 

            Fishing further out in the gulf has been good too.  The snappers are there, and seem to be active.  Many anglers are reporting good mangrove snapper catches on the banks and wrecks, with or course, plenty of Spanish mackerel and bluefish to keep you busy.  Wrecks further out are producing as well.  Good numbers of cobia seem to be out there, but were a little lethargic this week as the water temp dipped into the 60’s.  The good news is that this didn’t slow down the gag groupers.  On Tuesday I made a trip in to the gulf with Capt. Jason Long on the Best Bet.  After an apparent swing and a miss on the first spot, we started to get nervous.  Luckily the second spot was much more lively.  We managed 4 keeper gags, a few shorts, one cobia, and 20 or so mangroves, all while being harassed by bluefish.  What was surprising was that we didn’t get into any of the big goliath groupers you would expect.  I think the cooler water had them a little sluggish too (which is good news when you actually like to land the fish you hook!)  Shallow gulf waters warm and cool quickly though, so on any given day the cobia could be active and on the move. 

            Out front the sailfish bite seems to have slowed down some this week.  On Friday Capt Ariel Modero of Top Knotch Sportfishing (305-731-4348) spent the better part of the day looking for those sailfish and dolphin that seemed so plentiful only a few days before.  There wasn’t much to be had until he found a few floating tree limbs in 150 feet of water.  Anglers managed to put half a dozen or so schoolie dolphin in the box as well as a few gaffers.  The lesson here... never pass up an opportunity to check a floater, it could prove to be a day saver.  On Sunday we witnessed large schools of ballyhoo on the reef with neither fish nor birds chasing them.  We might just have to wait a few days for another cold front to push through and get the sails up and hunting again.  And as for you reef hoppers... sorry, still nothing great to report about yellowtail fishing.  Capt Bob Brown of Sundance Sportfishing gave us the word that the yellowtail spot was just not happening.  We’ll let you know when it turns back on!

            Things change quickly on the water, from time to time, and place to place.  The strong current began to subside on Sunday making bottom fishing doable again.  Experienced Captains like Jimmy Gagliardini of High Caliber charters (305-395-0915) know that many times, it’s just a matter of finding out where they’re biting.  He did just that this weekend landing three nice black groupers, two large mutton snappers, a few amberjacks and a few kingfish.  Unfortunately, Capt. Jimmy recently had his camera stolen so we haven’t gotten a picture yet.  Nice job anyway Capt. 

            Luckily for the crew on the Best Bet, we DID bring a camera with us on Sunday! Even though we had no black groupers to photograph, the deep wrecks were rewarding enough with our crew of Illinois anglers landing two mutton snappers, a rather large amberjack, and a nice cobia of close to forty pounds.  We did spend some time sail fishing, but to no avail.  Maybe it was just too calm!

            Until next week... explore your OPTIONS, and good luck.

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: December 17, 2008

       Many boats sat idle this past week, at least from what I could see. We are currently in the anxious transitional stage between off-season and in-season. Charter boat captains are dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s this week (I know, it’s a joke), hoping the Holiday week will bring with it the tourists. Relentless wind has left many landlocked... and unhappy about it. The good news is that the fish are doing their part. Those that did leave the dock found some excellent fishing.

       No better example is the result of this past week’s one day Islamorada Fishing Club Sailfish Tournament. Marathon’s own Main Attraction out of Key Colony Beach brought home the gold with a fantastic 17 fish caught and released, while loosing another 6 to 8 (did I mention it was ONE DAY tournament?). Capt. Marty Lewis reported, in a nut shell, “the fishing was great but the weather was crap.” Most would agree who fished that day, battling high winds and rough seas to search out feeding sails. Most of their fishing was done in the area around Alligator light, where anglers found groups of sails corralling up large balls of bait. The fish weren’t shy that day, happy to take a lone live bait cast into the mix. Making the whole thing even more impressive is that anglers, by rule, were restricted to 12 pound test main line! Congrats to the crew on the Main Attraction on a job well done. While we haven’t seen the influx of these large schools of smaller bait here in Marathon, we’re confident they’re on their way south! Regardless, we still have plenty of sails. Most of the action has again been in that 140-160 ft depth range. Many anglers and captains (myself included), simply can’t stand to sit home on a nice day, so charter or no charter, we’re going fishing! Last Sunday morning presented a small window of nice weather to sneak out and bend a rod. Alex and Jason Bell (students at MHS) borrowed dad’s charter boat Blue Magic to go out and catch a few sails. They saw six and caught two. Nice job boys. I managed the same, in again, 140 ft (seeing a pattern here?). There were more than a few boats that got out last weekend and had some fun with the sails, unfortunately the wind is going to play spoiler to any hopes of doing the same this weekend (13th & 14th). I would also expect to see fewer and fewer dolphin as the wind continues to come from the north.

       The reef and bottom report has changed little since last week. Patch reefs and channel humps are very active with mangroves, yellowtails, mutton snappers, black and red groupers, cero and king mackerel, and lately quite a few small cobia. Hawks channel should be pretty stirred up by now so expect water to be dirty there, but on the reef most areas should still be clean. The deep wrecks are active still with big mutton snappers and groupers. A group of Marathon locals proved that you just need to find the right spot to catch big muttons! Billy Turnbull, Mike Nealis, Mike Biffell, and Bucko Platt didn’t let the weather keep them from fishing this past Friday. Originally intending to find some sailfish, their game plan changed when they realized the muttons were really biting. They boated 4 over 15 pounds and another 5 or 6 in the 5-10 pound range. I’ll take that any day. Nicely done. Hopefully this week upcoming will deal us a few good fishing days, because we all know they’re out there!

Until next week, good luck!

Capt. Nick

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: December 10, 2008

       What a difference a day makes. We all know it, most from experience. One day your favorite spot produces as usual, and the next you’re ready to delete it from your GPS. It is quite amazing how fast and drastically conditions on the water can change, not only weather wise but also in terms of fishing. Many anglers saw such a scenario play out this past week.

       For a good (enough) portion of the week there was a nice little zone of bait, birds, sailfish, and dolphin on the reef between the seven mile bridge and Bahia Honda. It was the exact scenario you have been reading about for weeks now; frigate birds working on large schools of spraying ballyhoo on the reef in 30- 60 feet of water. Pushing the ballyhoo was, you guessed it, sailfish (with a few dolphin mixed in). A handful of boats posted double digit days, and a few had multiple double digit days, while more than few boats happily caught and released between 1 and 5 sailfish in their outings. Add a few schoolie to gaffer size dolphin in the mix for dinner, and you’re looking at a pretty successful day on the water. But nothing lasts forever, especially a red hot bite. Anglers looking to repeat on Saturday what had happened on Friday were disappointed. Instead of plentiful sunshine (imperative for spotting fish), hordes of frigate birds, and spraying bait, we found dark cloudy skies and what would comparatively be lifeless waters. The zone had dried up... for the time being. Fortunately though, that wasn’t the only show in town. Resourceful anglers took advantage of sailfish patrolling out past the reef, in one to two hundred feet of water to save the day. Slow trolling live ballyhoo and pilchards gave many the sailfish bite they were looking for. A number of boats also reported raising and catching each a handful of schoolie to gaffer size dolphin, particularly in 140- 160 feet of water. While the numbers weren’t as impressive as the previous few days, it was good enough to send many home satisfied with their weekend trip. My advice for the upcoming week: take a close look on the reef for working birds and spraying bait, as you never know where or when this action will hit. If you don’t find it, head out to deeper water and put ‘em out. Stay between one and two hundred feet, with particular attention to that 140-160 depth. If you get a bite, try to stay in that general area or depth range, as you might have found yourself your own little zone. And as always, keep your eyes to the sky for those birds.

       The bottom fishing report has not changed much. Yellowtailing on deep reefs is still generally slow, while shallower patch reefs continue to become more active. On a half day this week Capt. Mike Biffel of Big Dawg charters (305-481-4587) reported a great bite on a patch reef in only 20 feet of water! His two anglers land 4 keeper grouper, and a basket full of snapper, while breaking off a few larger grouper and releasing some jacks and mackerel. Try anchoring just up tide after marking something good on your bottom machine and hang a chum bag. Give it a good twenty minutes or so casting small jigs tipped with live pilchards, small pinfish, shrimp, or cut ballyhoo to see if anybody is home. You might be pleasantly surprised at the new spot you just found in 25 feet of water.

       Deep wrecks continue to produce all sizes of mutton snappers, amberjacks, and keeper black groupers. This is an excellent type of fishing your charter boat captain can put you on, especially when the pelagics don’t want to cooperate!

       Looking to try something different? While there hasn’t been a whole lot of talk about it, the daytime sword fishing is still great. Although it is generally accepted that the “fall” is the best time to land large swordfish, try telling that to Capt. Billy Turnbull (631-220-0211) of Key Colony Beach. Friday afternoon as Billy pulled up along side me on his wayback to the dock, I knew two thumbs up could mean only thing... big sword. Indeed it did, a 202 pound broadbill lay on the deck of his 18 foot Boston Whaler. This fish came at the end of an 8 bite day fishing some 30 miles offshore in over 1500 feet of water. Anytime from now through the end of February should give you a good shot at a big swordfish, with a better-than-average chance of catching one between 50 and 100 pounds if fishing with an experienced guide like Billy. Other good choices if you’re interested in trying your hand at the swordfish game are the Best Bet II (305-942-1561) and Top Knotch Charters (305-731- 4348). An added bonus to bragging rights after a successful sword trip is a freezer full of fresh steaks... doesn’t get much better than that!

Until next week, good luck and be safe on the water.

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: December 03, 2008

       Looking out my bedroom window first thing this morning I wondered if I had IMAGINED gorgeous weather for the three previous days of the holiday weekend. But I was soon after reminded that we were in fact graced with a short stretch of sunny and calm days sandwiched in between even longer stretches of winter-like wind. Many boaters took advantage of such a gift and logged some time on the water. The volume of boat traffic was more than I had seen for months in and around Marathon, which was no doubt also aided by some relief at the gas pump.

       The star of the show continues to be the sailfish this week, with many boats around town proudly flying release flags. Not an unusual sight to locals, The Main Attraction out of Key Colony Beach boasted an impressive 7 fish caught and released one day this week, while catching at least a couple sails during the rest of the days. More than a few boats got in on the action, finding sailfish this week not only on the reef chasing ballyhoo, but with ever greater numbers pushing out into the more familiar zone of one to two hundred feet. Look for this depth range to become more and more productive as numbers of fish move off the reef and into deeper water in search of bait. The large schools of ballyhoo appear to be thinning on the reef, which offers sailfish less reason to be there. The good news for most of us though, is that the fish will be less keyed in on live ballyhoo, and in turn more willing to take a different bait. While using live ballyhoo for slow trolling, or sight fishing is never a bad way to go, you can now be confident in using live pilchards, pinfish, and small blue runners as well as trolling dead rigged ballyhoo. Once again, look for frigate birds to show you where the fish are.

       Wreck fishing continues to be productive as currents just beyond the reef still appear to be minimal. Several anglers have reported hooking multiple black grouper of the larger variety on some of the bigger wrecks. But as usual, some were taken by bull sharks, and some were simply unstoppable as they headed for the shelter of the wreck. Amberjacks are plentiful and entertain anglers dropping both live baits and vertical jigs. The mutton snapper bite, although not as hot as last week, is still very active, as Capt. Josh Gilmartin of the Best Bet II reports. Anglers on the half day trip Saturday landed a pair in the 15 pound range, and several medium to small muttons were found for those fishing off the west end of the seven mile bridge. Dedicated yellowtail hunters may find things disappointing this week as the big flags haven’t seemed to be active on the usual spots. Aside from one report of fair fishing near Duck Key, things west of there appear slow. I tried it myself Saturday morning and after 20 minutes of catching tails in the 10 to 12 inch range, it seemed clear it was time to do something else. Fortunately, there were mutton snapper, jacks and  kingfish that did cooperate in bending some rods and inducing some smiles.

       Many fishing trips this weekend were customized for some very special clients... the kids. Captain Jimmy Gagliardini of High Caliber charters reported having the responsibility of entertaining a family with young children. Important to remember when taking kids fishing is the necessity to provide immediate and constant action regardless of the size or glamour of the species; queue the Spanish mackerel. Jimmy informed me that the Bay is loaded with these razor toothed marauders. Literally anywhere you go in the bay right now you can find them. While anchoring near one of the banks is a good choice, chumming just about anywhere will attract them to the boat, and most likely some mangrove snapper with them. This is a recipe for success when taking the kids out. Small live pilchards rigged with a small treble hook and short trace of wire will get you a bite almost every cast. If you don’t have the liveys, don’t worry, a small yellow jig tipped with shrimp (also with a wire of course) will do the trick too. You can also have fun casting a spoon and retrieving it quickly to the boat through the chum slick. Another good idea while doing this is to keep a larger rod rigged with a few feet of heavier wire and a 7/O or 8/O hook. This way when that nurse shark inevitably cruises by, you’re ready for one of the little guys to reel in their first shark, an experience they’re sure to tell everyone about, making you the hero of the day. Till next week, get out on the water and have some fun.

–Capt. Nick

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Marathon Fishing Report Update: November 26, 2008

       It would seem winter is upon us here in the Keys. Not winter in the sense of shoveling snow and ice skating, but more like catching sailfish and snapper. Cold fronts have fed us a steady diet of northeast wind and sixty something degree temperatures for the past week or two. But as all good anglers do, we take the good with the bad. Along with the “cold” weather has come everybody’s favorite game fish, the sail. Reports have been coming in consistently for weeks now of solid sailfish catches out of Islamorada, and it seems the action is finally starting to come this way. This time of year often brings with it a unique opportunity to catch sailfish and dolphin in shallow reef waters. And although some of you might be scratching your head trying to find the connection between cold fronts and dolphin, trust me, there is one. It’s called ballyhoo. Circling frigate birds in 30 to 60 feet of water on the reef from Duck Key to Bahia Honda will point out the action. Large schools of ballyhoo reside in such waters right now and where you find large schools of bait, you more often than not find predators. Sailfish and dolphin in the 10 to 20 pound range harass the bait which you will find showering out of the water when being pursued. Throwing a live ballyhoo with a hook on it into the mix is your best bet for a bite. While a tower helps you in spotting the fish, smaller boats need just to find the birds, and bait. Anchoring on a patch reef in 20-30 feet of water and chumming will usually result in ballyhoo showing up behind the boat. A cast net or small baited hair hooks will get the job done from the there.

       Not much is being heard from offshore this week, as the weather has not lent itself lately for far runs. On the one of the last calm days we did have, however, we did manage a trip to the Marathon hump with Captain Jason Long on the Best Bet. Our experiences were consistent with that of some other captains that had recently made the venture; lots of blackfin tuna, but unfortunately, lots of sharks too. We live chummed with pilchards and almost immediately had blackfin in the 15 to 20 pound range chasing them behind the boat. After boating a nice fish in that size range, it seemed as though we were looking forward to a banner day. But the sharks caught notice of the action and proceeded to take 18 of the next 20 tuna we hooked. Rumor has it that the silky sharks are spawning out there now which accounts for both the higher than average number of them, and their aggressiveness. If considering a trip to the humps for tuna soon, I would first consult with your local shark expert to find out when the shark orgy should be over. Sorry, I don’t know any shark experts!

       As for a closer to home option, the wrecks on the ocean side in 100 to 300 feet have been very productive. Minimal current lately has made deep dropping favorable with a very active mutton bite. Live baits such as pinfish, pilchards, or just about anything you can get your hands on have been doing the trick for small and big muttons alike. Don’t be afraid to bump up your tackle, and your bait size to entice a big black grouper which may be lurking on the bottom. Get your fill now though, because after January 1, those groupers will have to go back into the water, floating or not. Also always present on the wrecks are jacks of every sort waiting to give your arms a workout. If you’re interested in wreck fishing, you’ll most likely have to take a trip with a local captain or charter boat, but with constant action and usually some great table fair at the end of the day, you’ll be glad you did.

       Coming in a little closer, the deep reefs in 60 to 100 feet of water continue to provide plenty of nice yellowtail snapper while patch reefs in 20-40 feet are becoming more and more active with mangrove snapper, red groupers, mutton snappers and mackerel. Anchoring just up and chumming will get things started. Use jigs tipped with shrimp, small live baits or cut ballyhoo and you should enjoy a nice variety of biting fish. Out in the gulf trips have been hard to come by given the aforementioned wind. Last I heard though trips to wrecks in the 20 to 30 mile range were well worth the ride with large schools of cobia cooperating and eating everything thrown their way from anglers on both the Sea Squared and the Big Dawg out of Key Colony Beach. Time will tell what the gulf holds in store for us this year, but if you pick the right day, and the right boat, you are sure not to be disappointed. Until next week, keep warm, and good luck.