Key Largo Offshore Fishing Update: March 18, 2009      

     Now that we are in our final stages of winter time fishing we are seeing better numbers of migratory fish showing up.  Dolphins have almost settled in to the point we are at least seeing them now on a daily basis.  Don’t get overly excited just yet though.  The real run hasn’t started we are just witnessing some fish that are moving thru and they are all sizes.  Mornings have been busy on the edge in 140 feet and deeper as packs of dolphin are chasing down flying fish while black birds dip and dive just above them hoping to pick off a free meal.  If you watch which way the flying fish are spraying and follow the birds you can locate these erratic swimmers and either pitch them bait or cut them off at the path with your trolling rigs.  There has also been some fish hanging around floating debris and not only dolphin, but Wahoo and triple tail too.  Try trolling by such debris with a weighted rig and a bally hoo rigged on wire to hang into a Wahoo.  Another great to fish for now and have very good success are black fins.  These football shaped tuna are great sport and equally eat well too.  Whether you are a sushi fan or enjoy some of the best fresh tuna salad you can imagine then try trolling for these beautiful fish.  Make sure you bleed these black fins as soon as you land them by cutting the membrane located just under their gill plates and submerge them quickly into a slushy brine to get the temperature down fast.  Taking care of fish is important and salt water brines are the way to go.  Speaking of Wahoo, we have had some chances here lately and while we high speed troll for best results we have boated some and heard of others doing the same.  The Wahoo have been between 20 and 40 pounds and are hanging around tuna and bonito schools.  Bottom fishing has also been another steady fishing opportunity and most fishermen have had no problem catching amber jack on the humps and wrecks and mutton snapper and grouper in on the edge of the reef from 100 to 140 feet of water.  The amber jack will fall victim to live baits and the snapper and grouper will scarf down bally hoo plugs or live ones too.  Yellow tail snapper are biting over the reef.  King fishing remains to fill the gaps for the live bait fishermen targeting spotty sail fishing.  Life is good here in the Florida Keys so get out there and have some fun.  Give me a call if you want to go catch some good ones.

Thanks,

  Capt. George Clark Jr.

 Key Largo Offshore Fishing Update: March 11, 2009      

       If you are going to head offshore from the upper keys soon then here are a few tips to catch fish along with our fishing report.  Lately we have really seen things changing, but new opportunities keep popping up daily.  Dolphin fishing has really lit up recently and the fish we are catching are very nice size.  Large schoolie Mahi and even fish up in the twenties are just off the edge right now.  An abundance of flying fish are tucked in tight to the reef.  From fifty feet on out you will see these bird like fish getting out of the water when they are chased by predators.  Bird activity around these large bait pods has helped locate these aggressive Dolphins and the key has been using small blue and white combos that look like flyers.  Even rigged bally hoo works well here and these nice mahi can eat one down quickly.  We are also seeing more black fins and bruiser bonitos too.  These fish are chasing flying fish too and the same lures will work fine.  King fishing has stayed steady and once you locate these mackerel you should be able to either jig them or live bait them up with frisky cigar minnows or pilchards.  Bally is an option, although hard swimming baits work best.  Amber jacks continue to show up and hang on deep wrecks and good bottom structure out side of 200 feet.  Live blue runners are great bait for these bigger fish and they are biting steady right now.  Metal jigs are another presentation that will effectively get you bites also.  When dropping metal jigs or buck tails make sure you try this technique on braided line so you can connect on each strike.  Since braid doesn’t stretch your hook sets will be solid and your hook penetration should be deep.  Along with the jacks you may also find a grouper or big mutton too.  Reef fishing has been good here of late and the mutton snapper are moving around looking for that next meal.  The mutton snapper have been 8 to 12 pound fish and.  Yellow tail snapper have been chewing steady out side of 60 feet.  Get a good chum slick going and you shouldn’t have a problem getting these tasty yellow fish to eat a strip bait or silver side minnow.  These fish have been over a pound and as big as three.  Cobias are popping up inside of 100 feet and recently we have been able to see some cruising on the surface going down sea.  These brown fish are mistaken for sharks sometimes and will likely eat a pin fish or grunt pretty fast.  Inside the reef we will find packs of cobia hanging around working rays or nurse sharks.  The cobias have been 15 to 30 pound fish and will exceed 50 or 60 pounds.  So get out there and enjoy some of this great fishing and if you want to enjoy a day with us please give us a call and we will set it up.  Good luck.

Thanks,   Capt. George.  www.rodeocharters.com

    Key Largo Offshore Fishing Update: March 04, 2009      

This week has been a little tough all around the board.  Really, fishing has been up and down for the most part and we have seen little consistency.  Sail fishing has been less then a pick and south current has been the culprit along with what seems like just not many sails.  The hot spots have been pockets on the edge where bait is holding up.  Kingfish however, are biting decent and if you have sailfished lately then you know what I mean.  Nice kings are out there: from 100 feet out to a couple of hundred.  Cigar minnows or really just about any flashy bait will get you bites.  Even dead baits will work when you get covered up with mackerel.  I like drifting jig and ballyhoo combos back, then retrieving them quickly to get hook ups.  The action is fast and furious and it occupies your time better then waiting for strikes.  Jumbo bonito are another hard fighting fish we are seeing more of in these same areas.  Bone-heads are popping up in packs and tormenting surface baits with little regard.  Blackfin tuna have made a showing in close to the edge also.  Although we haven’t caught many each day while live baiting, we have landed some healthy ones.  Wahoo are another fish we have only been able to find every once in a while.  Capt. George Clark, Sr. put a nice one in the boat this past week and the fish tipped the scale at 45 pounds.  So more quality then quantity!  Mahi have been kind of the same although these dolphins aren’t quite as big as the Wahoo there have been some perfect fish that average 7 to 8 pounds and they have been traveling in small packs.  Bottom fishing is another option too.  Muttons are still biting ok and if you have a tough time locating anything else try working the edge of the reef with ballyhoo plugs down on the bottom while drifting.  These great snapper fight well and cook up even better.  Yellowtail snapper have fired up again and good numbers of fish are schooling up from 60 to 80 feet.  So get out there and give it a try.  If you work at it a little you should be able to make a day out of it.  Besides fishing is fun any how.  Good luck and let’s hope we see better reports next time.

Capt. George Clark Jr.

Key Largo Offshore Fishing Update: February 25, 2009

       This has to be the coldest winter we have seen in years.  Maybe not cold by some peoples standards, but extremely frigid from what I’m used to.  These silly fronts continue to creep down here and keep the water from warming up.  Does this affect fishing?  I would have to say a little bit.  Although, fishing has been pretty good in some areas if you know where to look!  Reef fishing has been mostly what charter captains have done lately.   It is what our clients enjoy doing this time of year anyway; Anchoring down and popping up the kite has been very effective as far as getting the rods bent.  Kingfish have really been the go to species the last couple of weeks.  They are eating anything right now and the numbers have been big.  Schools of kings are scattered up and down the reef line from 100 feet of water out to about 180 or 200 feet.  The size of the fish varies from 4 to 5 pound fish up to 30 plus pounders.  AKA slime dogs, kings are a great fighting fish that love to blast surface baits and the runs are blistering.  Live anything will work and you can catch these mackerel on jig rigs and even spoons or lipped plugs.  However, make sure you add some wire to your rig to compensate for their terrible dentures and treble hooks are great too.  Along with great king action we are also finding plenty of snapper and an occasional grouper on the bottom.  Ballyhoo, prepared either as a plug or butter flied, attached to a 30 foot 50 pound leader fastened to a 7/0 circle hook has worked just fine -- although a live pilchard or cigar minnow will get eaten equally as well.  The mutton’s haven’t been giant fish, but the majority have been over the 16 inch minimum.  The yellowtail snapper have also been chewing well this week and there have been good fish in as shallow as 20 to 30 feet where we catch bait.  Sailfishing has picked up a little since the Poor Girls tourney and I expect another wave of snooters to show up considering the amount of bait fish that’s out their.    Mahi have been showing a little lately also and schoolie size fish are popping up out side of 200 feet with more regularity.  Along with these scattered dolphin we are catching a steady supply of black fins and bonito.  Small feathers and bubble jets are fine for these guys, although most of the tuna are 4 to 5 pounds.  Amberjack and almaco jacks are holding on good reef bottom and some of the offshore wrecks.  Live, high speed baits,  like blue runners will work perfect for these fish and the jacks are 20 to 40 pounds on the average.  Inside around the shallows we are getting some better reports on keeper hogs, muttons and porgies.  Hook up lure jig heads and live shrimp work great for this style of fishing and live ballyhoo will get chomped by nice cero mackerel on these spots.  So although fishing isn’t red hot, it is pretty darn good.  Go get em!

Capt. George Clark Jr.  www.rodeocharters.com

Key Largo Offshore Fishing Update: February 18, 2009

     Do you know the thing I like best about Florida?  If you get frustrated with the weather you don’t have to wait very long before it changes.  So within a few days after a wicked cold snap, the sun can pop out, wind lighten up and things can heat up quickly.  Lately we have enjoyed some of the best weather in the past several months regarding perfect conditions and great fishing.  Although this is still sail fish season and they are still here and biting well, there are so many other things happening too!  For instance reef fishing has been great.  Mutton snapper have lead the way here with grouper running a close second and yellow tail snapper are just in a league of their own and biting very good.  Mutton snapper are a keys favorite and the numbers of fish right now may be as good as we have seen in several years.  Although these tasty fish haven’t been giant by any means they are 4 to 6 pound fish.  That is the size of a very large yellow tail and we are catching some up to 12 or 13 pounds too.  On the grouper scene we are finding some mixed size blacks and reds in these same depths from 120 to 135 feet around good live bottom.  We have had no problem letting these under size fish go by using a venting tool and grouper are tough fish that respond well to acupuncture.  Along with this great rod bending fishing we are also enjoying a great bite of kings too.  You can always tell when the bite is good off of Key Largo because even the Islamorada charter boats will make the run up here to get in on this steady action when things are slow to the south.  I attribute this to bait concentrations off the edge of the reef and this changes quite often.  These crazy mackerel are eating like wild dogs and you can catch them on just about anything from spoons to plugs and a wide variety of live offerings as well as jigs and even strips fished on light wire.  The kings are 4 to 5 pounds on up to thirty plus pounds.  Further offshore the humps have been active with old Mr. Rubber lips or reef donkey’s better known as amber jacks.  These bruiser fish are suckers for live blue runners or large cigar minnows and will gladly break your back and fight until they get to the boat.  Along with the aj’s are almaco jacks and plenty of big sharks too.  Right off the bottom on these spots are vermillion snapper and yellow eye snapper and these fish can be taken on chicken rigs with smaller chunks.  We have recently had some Wahoo sightings too.  Wahoo have slid into the upper keys and from the edge of the reef in 130 feet on out to 250 can be targeted with rigged baits or trolling plugs, just remember to kick up your speed a bit and you should get a few knock downs.  Mahi have also popped up once more and the magic depth has been from 350 feet to 500.  Work weed edges and current rips for best success.  Good luck!

Capt. George Clark Jr.

www.rodeocharters.com

Key Largo Offshore Fishing Update: February 11, 2009

       This week I have some great reports of nice fish being caught by angler’s ice fishing in Florida bay.  Well maybe not ice fishing, but man has it been cold on the water.  We have gone out there during this cold snap and I would prefer staying indoors if we see it this cold again.  Unfortunately our clients are from the North Pole and this is t shirt weather to them.  Thanks guys!  Anyhow, even with these cold windy conditions we have proved to ourselves that the fish just don’t seem to care much and that there are plenty of fishing opportunities for fishermen to bend the rods.  One of my good clients, Evan Whitson got out with us a couple days this past week and brought his buddies from New York State.  We mixed things up and bounce from reef fishing to some of the wrecks and even drug some lures around on the surface.  Reef fishing seems to be steady and the last couple of trips we have boxed some really nice mutton snapper while we were sailfishing.  We always intend on having at least one bottom rod down when we live bait and two if possible.  These muttons have been abundant right on the edge starting in 120 feet to 140.  Deboned ballyhoo or even plugs work very well for this and in between getting shots at sails it can keep everyone busy.  The muttons are 4 to 10 pound fish and you also have the chance at a red or black grouper and maybe even a bruiser yellow tail too.  King fishing has also been productive in these same depths.  We have been feeding the kings live small runners, but pilchards and cigar minnows work equally.  Wahoo alley has started to come to life too.  Although not many fishermen are working the hoo’s off the reef there are some fish showing up and although the water has been dusty all it’s gonna take is a little easterly wind for a while to clean things up and the Wahoo will snap.  Wreck fishing seems steady also and the jacks are continuing to stack up over the structure.  Live baits and a variety of cut bait will continue to get you action around these spots and you may even want to try a little jigging for something different.  Tuna and mahi fishing has been hit or miss, although we have seen fish consistently throughout the winter so far.  The mahi can range from peanut size fish that are traveling in schools to packs of gaffers.  Up off of ocean reef Capt. Zane Albury reports steady sailfish action and plenty of mackerel from the whistle north.  Capt. Chan reports steady snapper bites and also better numbers of bottom fish this week too.  If you are looking to get out this week and have some fun catching some of these wonderful fish, give us a call at or e-mail at the information above

Thanks,   Capt. George Clark Jr.

Key Largo Offshore Fishing Update: February 04, 2009

       I had to laugh a little when my four year old dug thru his drawer and found a winter time knit hat and two matching mittens.  I thought is this Key Largo?  It definitely reminds me how cold it gets in other places and thank goodness it doesn’t last too long here in the conch republic.  Any ways, I do know that shrimping has been very good during these last two fronts in pretty much all the cuts and channels that connect Florida bay to the ocean side.  Hey this is the time of year hard core shrimp eaters salivate for.  A lot of effort goes into catching those tasty critters and these folks are good at it.  Along with the shrimp are plenty of blue crabs also.  The crab fishery seems to be doing fine and some of these blue claws are giant.  It won’t take many to have a nice crab boil.  This week has changed a little since last week and we are seeing an influx of big bait pods just inside the reef.  Acres of pilchards have found their way into areas and although they move around out there, they don’t travel that far.  Bird signs are a great clue to finding these tightly concentrated schools; some as big as a football field. You can expect when you do locate them that there will be all sorts of fishy activity under and around them.  Cero mackerel are quite plentiful out there as well as better numbers of kings.  These slashy hunters are targeting almost anything with a tail and heart beat.  Put it this way, if you wash your hands over the side of the boat you risk losing a finger in some areas.  The kings have been 12 to 20 pounds while the Cero macks are 6 to 10.  Sail fishing has been a little better too.  Yesterday we had 3 shots in the first 15 minutes of fishing and saw numerous bait showers throughout the day.  So expect another rush of snooters in big numbers the next couple of weeks.  Tuna and bonito activity has increased finally and most of what I’ve seen has been shallow from 120 feet out to 200.  These fish have been busting flyers off the surface and although they aren’t giant fish they probably average 6 to 10 pounds.  If you like bouncing the bottom then you’ll like to know that the mutton snapper are stacking up on the edge in 120 to 135 feet.  We have had no trouble catching these tasty fish and even a few grouper too.  Live ballyhoo have worked great and even plug baits have been money.  The muttons are 6 to 8 pounds on the average and you can mix in a few mammoth yellow tails when you do this.  Capt. Lain Goodwin had a banner day here lately working the shallow patches recently capturing good numbers of just about everything.  Lain got on some stocky gray snapper and healthy muttons inshore and some hefty keeper hogs too.  Lain said he encountered most of his action while fishing around these areas when the water was murky.  Hook up jig heads and shrimp were all he needed to bend the rods and ballyhoo plugs for the muttons and grouper.  Hey fishing is very good during these cold times and if you can stand a little wind and a slight temperature change then get out there and do it.  Enjoy the ride and good luck.

Capt. George Clark Jr.

www.rodeocharters.com

       This week the sail fishing exploded here in the upper keys and south Miami.  Two large tournaments gave anglers a jolt of excitement when the reef cup and mayor’s cup over lapped each other.  The reef cup was four days of fishing with each boat fishing three days and picking a lay day.  There were over 500 fish released during the reef cup between 61 boats and the top 3 teams released 21, 20 and 20. 

       Captain Zane Albury kept his streak going another year placing once again taking 3^rd place overall.  The mayors cup saw even bigger numbers of releases and within two hours of fishing there were over 200 hundred sails let go.  These are amazing numbers of bill fish and really show how well circle hooks are working in regards to letting fish go unharmed.  The other factor is we don’t boat any fish during tournaments so the fish aren’t stressed out any worse or beat up on boat decks.

       This week we have also found good numbers of dolphin coming thru and in some areas we also found very nice edges with thick Sargasso weed and loads of bait fish hiding in it.  We caught plenty of nice mahi all 5 to 10 pounds and some even bigger fish were landed up and down the reef.  Nice black fins were blowing up angler’s bally hoo too.  We caught one really nice one this week while live bait fishing.  King fishing has been steady when you find where they are hanging.  Capt. George Sr. had trouble keeping kings away from his baits recently and caught some nice mackerel up to 20 pounds and Cero mackerel up to 10 pounds all on the live baits.  The Vermillion and yellow eye snapper have been chewing very well out past the 300 foot depth.  These schooling fish will eat almost any small morsel when you get right over them and squid is an easy bait to use for them.  The snapper have been 2 to 5 pounds and we are catching them sometimes several at a time on the chicken rigs.  AJ’s and almaco jacks are on the humps and where the jacks are you can expect to see some shark activity.  Down deep around the bottom we have been able to find a few muttons and maybe a grouper or two, but when the sharks begin to take a couple it is time to leave and find another mark of fish.  Sand bars, lemons and bull sharks a just a few of the species we are seeing right now and when we look hard enough we also see a few t heads cruising on the surface.  So if you like pulling on big nasty fish drop down a bonito slab connected to a big circle hook and heavy wire and hang on.  Yellow tail snapper have been active lately and Capt. Chan of the party boat GULF-STREAM docked beside us at Key Largo Fisheries has had good numbers of nice tails.  The tails have averaged 2 to 3 pounds and Chan has also caught some really nice muttons and blacks of late.  The bite has really relied on the conditions and when the current has been going to the North East the fish really bite much better.  Patch fishing has heated up again too and most fishermen that put the time in are finding some mutton's inshore and some good hogs on the shrimp.  So fishing is in full swing right now and most charter businesses are getting people out daily.  Give us a call if you want to go have some fun.

Thanks,   Capt. George Clark Jr. www.rodeocharters.com

On the front line!

Cold fronts here in the keys may seem mild to all of our northern visitors, and they probably are compared to snow drifts and white out blizzards, but to us keys folks everything is relative.  I can’t stand cold weather and I won’t fake like I do either.  We live in the tropics, although it is the only time I break out long pants and pullovers.  The fact is warm weather is better to me -- and fishing in it is great.  These last little fronts really chilled things down and the positive side of things may be that it stirred things up.  Sail fishing has been far from great lately, although we are finding a few each day.  Kings have also been a little on the lean side while we are live bait fishing for sails, but we can locate more mackerel around the wrecks and stay on them better if we anchor down. 

Cero macks are plentiful inshore from 50 to 20 feet where we find big schools of ballyhoo.  There have been a ton of muttons inside the reef too.  Fish live ballyhoo way back (out of the riggers) for some fun mutton fishing.  Even though the cuda’s can be plentiful in there, the mutton snapper will find those baits and pop them off the surface.  You may even find a grouper or two also while dragging the livies around slow over broken bottom.  Patch fishing has also improved a little and we have caught some really nice size yellow tail snapper and some good size porgies and hogs.  Further offshore we have been able to pick a few Mahi while targeting the black fins.  The dolphin have been 5 to 8 pound fish while the tunas are mixed in size.  Wahoo fishing has been a pick still and we haven’t seen that big push quite yet.  You can, however, get lucky and find a few out there; but that varies from day to day and depths change too as to where they are hanging. 

 The wrecks outside of 200 feet are swarming with life right now and leading the way is Amber jack.  Big jacks are nasty fighters and most fish are 30 to 50 pounds and will smack live runners or butterfly jigs instantly.  These big fish require at least 50 pound leaders minimally, so rig a little heavier for these guys.

 I expect good things again while the surface temperature begins to rise a little.  Look for Cobia to continue to get better in the near future and watch for another good push of sails heading south.  Good luck and good fishing! Capt. George

       This week we enjoyed a slight change in temperature here in the upper Keys as the winds shifted and blew from the North.  It wasn’t anything too drastic and we didn’t have to break out the heavy coats, but these little changes are positive when it comes to catching fish.  When water temps warm and conditions get too nice, fishing in general just doesn’t stay consistent.  Fish get lazy after gorging themselves in early morning rituals and they take long breaks during the middle of the day.  Sailfish have really slowed lately due to the fact many fish are holding tight further North off of Jupiter and maybe even farther than that.  Now that we are seeing colder weather sliding into the South I expect another push of bait and plenty of fish following them.  We are still seeing good numbers of Mahi just off the edge and even further offshore around the humps.  Dolphin fishing is more of a pick in regards to how many fish are actually coming thru and the black fin tuna population is very similar.  However, wreck fishing has turned the corner and we are consistently catching nice snapper and Jacks off of the structure and deep reefs.  Chicken rigs are great for this style of fishing and also bottom rigs with either live cigar minnows or pilchards work great for big muttons and grouper.  We also find some good kingfish and even a few African pompano hanging too.  Sharks are also making a better appearance and unfortunately they generally enjoy what we are reeling in.  I guess they have to eat too!  Another fish we are starting to see more of lately are Cobia.  Cobia hang around wrecks and right now we tend to look hard for them inside the reef where the sand is.  These brown fish like to hang with sting rays and sharks so keep a close eye out for them and sling them a big grunt or pinfish.  Cero Mackerel have been steady inside the edge where they torment schools of ballyhoo on a daily basis.  These fish really enjoy ballyhoo and although they might go after a minnow or pilchard, Cero’s will make short work out of a fresh hoo rigged on light wire.  So drag some live ones around from 50 feet of water on in and you should have no problem getting covered up frequently.  Yellow tail snapper will bite when the current is moving behind the boat and we are starting to see more black grouper in these same areas.  Drop down a live tail and if there is a black hiding in the rocks you should get bent.  Keep them out of the rocks!  In shallower, around the patches, we are catching good numbers of gray snapper and even a few muttons.  When the water is dirty the fish have been chewing well, but clean water has made it tough to buy bites.  I just move around until I find the dirty stuff.  Remember that you can’t catch them unless you get out there, so get going.  Good luck!

Thanks,

Captain George Clark Jr.

www.rodeocharters.com

       Well we’ve had some windy days and a couple real flat ones here lately and fishing has been steady for the most part.  Sail fishing has really slowed down from what it was 2 weeks ago, but if you put in the time you should be rewarded with a few shots.  If you are in search of plain old action bending the rods try king fishing or hunting Cero’s in the shallows.  Either mackerel are very aggressive fish and enjoy tormenting sail fishermen by wounding or cutting hooks off.  When you find these concentrations of crazed macks slide a few live baits out on light wire and treble hooks.  It does take the right baits to fire these fish up and live cigar minnows or pilchards work great, however, bally hoo will work if you don’t have the others.  When targeting mackerel you can also try fishing at least one deep bait down in the water column to find fish hanging down towards the bottom.  Speaking of fishing just out side the reef, from 50 feet on in there have been a ton of Cero mackerel pounding bally hoo schools.  Along with hungry sails, Cero’s hang in there and blast away at shimmering bally hoo.  The other bright spot this week has been more Mahi squirting thru the upper keys.  Further offshore, out in 250 and deeper we have been finding some decent weed edges that have been holding some fish.  These fish have been nice size averaging 8 to 12 pounds and although it’s not summer time there are enough fish out there to make a day out of it.  Along with the Mahi have been a steady bite of black fin and skip jack tuna around the humps and deep wrecks.  These fish can be fooled on small lures or you may want to live chum them with minnows or pilchards.  The water has been very clean for the most part so use light leaders and circle hooks to get connected.  Belly hook these baits and you can get them to swim down a little also.  Around the wrecks we are seeing some good amber jack activity too accompanied by some sharks.  Cobias have also made a showing and are in on the reef as well as the wrecks.  Bottom fishing is good as we are catching nice yellow tail snapper and muttons.  Grouper fishing hasn’t been very good this winter, but we are picking up a few here and there.  We expect to see a little more activity after another strong cold front.

Good luck,

    Captain George Clark Jr.

     I guess I will start out by saying how much my family enjoyed Christmas and it was fun to have my aunt and uncle come over from Boca Grand for a few days.  Good food and great company always compliments the holidays for me.  As far as fishing is concerned, good things are happening out there and although the wind has been whipping hard the fish just keep showing up.  I swear if the conditions were great all the time out front here, we would have the greatest fishery around.  That’s never going to happen though, so we will fish some bumpy days too.  This week is normally a slow one for the charter businesses, but we are starting to book quite a few for January and so on.  

       Fishing has stayed very steady if you have been able to get out.  Sail fishing typically is best during the end of December and all of January and we have been able to connect here lately when we target them.  These recent fronts have driven sail fish pods into the upper keys and also pushed them into the edge of the reef where they forage on bally hoo.  I’m looking forward to heavy numbers of sails this season and more fronts are welcome to keep the bite strong.  Again we are also finding huge numbers of King Fish balled up in these same areas.  These fish are aggressive enough to eat live bally hoo, but live cigar minnows or pilchards are the perfect size for these mackerel.  Bigger kings prefer bigger baits and live Speedo’s are choice for this, just add wire and trebles.  We have also been picking away at the nice black fins and schoolie size mahi while sail fishing.  On the troll we are locating decent schools of tuna and have been able to boat good numbers of fish up to 15 pounds.  These quick tuna enjoy eating flying fish so try to use smaller lures that mimic flyers, so blue and white combos work great rigged on mono.  Those rascally Wahoo are around if you can find them.  We make sure we have a couple Wahoo rigs in our spread when traveling from spot to spot.  Most of the Wahoo activity has been between 140 and 200 feet and the magic lure has been a black and red bullet head with a bally hoo.  Now I like sail fishing and even trolling around for pelagic species, but many of our customers this time of year return to go bottom fishing.  So with that in mind we have and will be working the reef and wrecks around Key Largo.  Not only can you catch great eating fish, but a huge selection of colorful species that fight valiantly too.  Recently we have been finding nice numbers of Amber jack and Alma co jacks around these areas.  Both live bait and metal jigs have worked flawlessly and we have also picked away at some hefty muttons and blacks doing this.  The other day I had Mel Calhoun and his daughters out for the day and we managed to find a pile of chunky Vermillion snapper.  Even know it was a bumpy, snotty day we managed to send our clients home with a mess of fillets and everyone enjoyed bending the rods.  I’ll let you know what happens here this coming week and enjoy New Years, responsibly of course.  Catch em up!

Captain George Clark Jr.

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       Even now the wind keeps on blowing and cold breezes from the North are working their way into South Florida, fishing only gets better.  It definitely looks like a banner year for sail fishing.  Perhaps maybe one of the best in the past twenty years!  Waves of snooters are following these fronts into the keys and setting up shop on the edge of the reef.  Bait is very thick right now and ballyhoo populations are extremely dense blanketing large portions of the reef.  Along with the hoo’s we are seeing abundant supplies of cigar minnows and sardines, blue runners, pilchards and Speedo’s.  All this food fuels these waves of sailfish that are here visiting. 

       From now thru February you can tune into the vhf radio on every weekend and listen to Captains calling in hook up and releases while we all compete to win these events.  The difference though will be the amount of fish each and every boat catches per tournament. When you drive by all the marinas every afternoon take a gander at the flags on the outriggers and you can also get an idea how many fish were caught and released.  I’ve got sailfish on the brain right now and who wouldn’t get excited when you can catch double digits daily.  Sails aren’t the only game in town either.  Tuna fishing has been exceptional lately and if you are live bait fishing you may bump into a few fat black fins.  Today we got covered up a few times with some healthy Mahi too.  Even though dolphin prefer a little warmer water, we do get our fair share during the winter months.  King fishing is excellent too and Cerro macks are in the shallows chasing bait.  The large bait balls we have been fishing around since last week are still popping up in as shallow as 30 feet.  Today we found a couple and not only Mackerel were blasting big holes thru them, but tunas, Bonitos and sails had them on the run while black birds and terns attacked from above.  It is crazy fishing when you locate one of these spheres of sardines.  You just never know who will be cruising down deep around it.  Wahoo are here as well.  We always drag a couple of rigged baits this time of year just in case and the Wahoo are hanging from 130 feet out to 250 especially around the bullet Bonitos and Speedo’s.  So I’ll give fishing a big thumbs up right now.  It really makes it worth going even when the wind blows and it seems cold.  Besides, it’s much more frigid up North and we don’t have to cut a hole in the ice to get it done. Good luck guys and girls and go get bent.

Capt. George Clark Jr.

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