Key West Fishing Report
Brought to
you By
Captain Steve Lamp
If
you are interested in fishing with Captain Steve Lamp, Visit:
www.fishingkeywest.com
or Email:
captstevelamp@bellsouth.net.
Call: 888/362-3474 or 305/304-0497
Key West
Fishing Update: February 11, 2009
Wow, what a week! Totally put everything
in perspective. As If the bad economy doom and gloom were not
enough for fishing guides to give it up, we finally get a bunch of
people to go fishing with a semi prosperous week on the books and
then the weather pulls the carpet out from under us. I know I have
said before that the consistent weather patterns with cold fronts
really help the fishing and I like consistency; I am not sure
mother nature looked over the play book. At the peak of winter
(hopefully) this week we never got the lull between cold fronts as
we usually do. I wonder if she (mother nature) has a stimulus
package for us in the spring. We can only hope. Looks like this
next week may be part of it as the weather is looking fabulous.
During this past consecutive blow we had many trips to
fish offshore and the folks opted out of them on our trip
cancellation policies hoping for better weather next time. So I
really cannot share anything super exciting on that front. No
worries though I really did not want to brave the windy cold
weather and shiver my native Florida bones to the core trying to
catch a fish. When those kind of weeks show up we always gear up
for when things get good again by catching up on maintenance.
Taking that time to fix rods and reels along with changing oil and
fixing those nagging little issues is a huge help when the weather
turns sweet and life is non stop fishing.
Inshore the fishing has been great! Considering the
conditions. We have had some folks decide that the winds and cold
were nothing compared to back home and got out there for some fun
catching all sorts of fish. Trout, Reds, Jacks and Barracudas have
been the cast for the backcountry show this past week with the
guest appearance of Sharks and the occasional disoriented cobia.
Our folks have been having fun in spite of the conditions on 4 and
6 hour trips.
The flats have been a bit stirred up with challenging
conditions for sight fishing on some of the days. Keep in mind
though, when the wind stops it takes about 2 tide changes (24
hours) to clean things up well enough for those hungry fish to get
back up on the flats and feed.. That’s Game time for sight
fishermen planning the right weather day to get out there and
catch a trophy.
Be sure to take advantage of the free time that your
local fishing guide has for you to get out with him and enjoy.
From my crew
and I here at Dream Catcher Charters enjoy your week. Come see us
soon..
Key West
Fishing Update: February 04, 2009
I
love consistency and I got what I love. Cold front after cold
front has brushed us keeping the water temps down and winter in
full swing. With a slight run of warm weather last week really
turning on the bite both inshore and offshore.
I
fished a few days offshore last week and I have to say it was a
hoot. Kite fishing with three different clients we had a ball
fishing for Tuna, Sails and Dolphin with some toothy kingfish
mixed in. With plenty of ballyhoo around and a constant supply of
blue runners we had lots of fun. On the high side of the reef we
were sight-fishing kings that were showering baits in the
shallows. On the edge of the reef we popped the kite for some
sailfish action using threadfins and ballyhoo. We caught two sails
but the real treats were the 20+ lb cows cruising along the edge
that were eating ballyhoo like candy. Out a bit deeper we got into
the tunas with great abundance, on one of our trips we caught 11
fish and kept two for the box. Then the next front came through.
What
I love about these consistent cold fronts is the fish really make
use of the warming trends and there was no exception to the
tarpon. Yes the tarpon were in the harbor and hungry. As I was
fishing offshore the other guides here at Dream Catchers were
inshore torturing some winter tarpon. The bite was real good for
two days and out of 4 trips our guys were 3 for 8. After the
tarpon fun moving to the backcountry and up on the flats is the
next big thing, sight fishing for tailing permit or enjoying the
great fishing in the mullet mud’s for trout and pompano our winter
smorgasbord.
Spring time is coming sooner than we think. Booking a fishing
charter may get challenging if one waits too long. Be sure you
contact your favorite fishing guide to get on his books for some
great tarpon or sail fishing.
From my crew
and I here at Dream Catcher Charters enjoy your week. Come see us
soon..
Key West
Fishing Update: January 28, 2009
The
last blast of winter left us with very cold water throughout the
week with very milky water conditions throughout the gulf, bay and
Hawks Channel. With the North East winds the water has been pushed
out of Florida Bay making for exceptionally low tides.
The
offshore fishing last week was lots of fun. I was fishing the
Hogsbreath Kingfish tournament experiencing a mixed bag of
offshore activity from sailfish, tuna wahoo to dolphin. Seemed
like every time we hooked up on a king some other species would
curiously slide by the boat to say hello. The sailfish were pretty
aggressive in all sizes eating large baits that were set out for
kingfish on wire. The fishing tournament was lots of fun and well
run by the organizers as usual. We caught lots of Kingfish but
nothing to break over 40 lbs. Just wasn’t our year.
The
flats fishing last week was pretty slow for us here at Dream
Catchers. Dirty waters were a problem early last week but by
Sunday it was incredible. The clarity came up to the gin clear we
are used to and the tailing fish were back in full force. Looking
forward to a great week of fishing the flats before the next big
blow scheduled for Friday.
The
backcountry fishing lost the tarpon component however the Trout
are bigger than ever and mixed with large bluefish ranging in size
from 2 – 7 lbs makes for a bunch of fun the back. Fishing the 4 –
8 ft water depths near the tiderips and thermoclines we have been
having a ball in these strong North Easterly winds. With the
incredibly low water levels it takes little guess work to find the
fish as they can’t be on the flats. On many mornings we have been
leaving the dock looking up at the edges of the channels.. I have
to mention these are the lowest tides I can remember in the
winter.
I
know it’s chilly and it may be hard for some of us to think about
tarpon right now, but its time. February holds much big fish in
the Key West harbor that come in out of the Gulf to feed and lay
up. The timing has to be good in between cold fronts but big fish
can be had. Also remember, with a really cold winter comes a
KILLER tarpon season to follow.
From my crew
and I here at Dream Catcher Charters enjoy your week. Come see us
soon..
Capt. Steven
Lamp
Dream
Catcher Charters - The Key West Fishing Team
Key West
Fishing Update: January 23, 2009
Old man winter looks like he is
getting on the gloves again as of this past weekend. With temps
dipping back into the low sixties over the weekend and a forecast
of even lower in to the low fifties coming up this week will
certainly put a big chill on the water here in the lower Keys.
Does that hurt? Not really. In fact it puts things right where
they need to be in most arenas of fishing.
The offshore
report has been decent for the last week or so. With the chill
coming many of us are looking forward to the possibility of a late
January or early February sailfish bite like we had last year.
Putting the North Easterly up for some possibly good tailing
conditions. The cooler weather never hurts bottom fishing, in fact
I think that it really spruces it up especially in the patch
reefs. Good thing, as when that wind is howling staying close is a
great option especially when we can find good fishing on grouper,
snapper and mackerel.
The flats fishing
last week was impressive with some shots at permit on the tops and
the baby tarpon out in the Marquesas. The big story on the flats
are the barracudas, these things will crush a top water plug that
gets within 15 ft of them with resounding force. I have had
barracudas hit so hard and so late that it almost scares me off
the boat. Winter barracuda fishing can be big fun for anyone
wanting a winter thrill on the flats. Look for the barracudas near
the white areas up on the flats in 16 or less inches of water as
they sun themselves looking for an easy meal.
The backcountry
fishing this week has been stellar with tarpon in the channels
during the warming trend and lots of trout, pompano and jacks in
the back as well. We have been catching some nice sized muttons
too in the backcountry using lipped plugs from MirroLure across
the sponge beds. I tell my clients that it is like bass fishing
back home only our fish are on steroids.
I would like to
welcome all the big rig kingfish boats coming down for this
weekends Key West Harbor King Mackerel tournament. Touted as the
largest fishing tournament in the Florida Keys. Be sure to check
out the weigh in at the Yacht Clubs of America on Stock Island at
3 pm Saturday and Sunday. See you all out there.
From my crew and I here at
Dream Catcher Charters enjoy your week. Come see us soon..
Capt. Steven Lamp
Dream Catcher Charters - The
Key West Fishing Team
Key West Fishing
Update: January 16, 2009
What a
great start to the new fishing year of 2009. We have been really
racking it up here in Key West at Dream Catcher Charters. Before
last week we thought things were going to be a bit slow but as it
turned out we were really busy both inshore and offshore. That,
with great weather made for much to talk about.
Offshore I had a few trips in my 32 ft Yellowfin that were very
prosperous for my anglers with a mixed bag of species in various
areas. The inshore shallower patch reefs produced some great plug
fishing action. Casting lipped plugs were the ticket to catch
several nice sized mutton snappers along with a few black groupers
in the 5 – 9 lb range. This made for a nice warm up for what was
to come when we made our way out offshore to the reef and beyond.
Armed with blue runners the live baiting for kingfish was awesome.
Each day we managed to put a nice 30+ lb king along side the boat.
We did bring one back for smoking that weighed in at 38 lb for our
large fish for the week. Outside the reef the bottom fishing was
off the hook, we had nice catches of larger groupers up to 28 lbs
and a limit of red snappers up to 16 lbs. While bottom fishing in
past 180 ft we had a great shot at some nice sized bull dolphin
and were able to put a 24 lb fish in the boat using pitched live
bait. As I mentioned the fishing has been great!
Our flat fishing trips have also done very well and that can be
typical during the full moon. With the extreme tides and the lows
being in the morning this past week I expected the permit fishing
to be strong and it was. With a nice push of fresh water coming on
the flats almost all day the sight fishing on the flats was great.
We were able to offer our clients many shots at permit tailing in
the shallows and cruising the edges. A trip out to the Marquesas
Keys this time of the year is incredibly rewarding, there we were
into permit and tarpon making a fun day in the flats fishing
utopia.
The inshore bay fishing has also kept up to the rest of it. We
have been starting off the mornings fishing for tarpon on the
early season warming trends and been somewhat productive with a
few fish jumped this week and one boated. The trout this year seem
to be getting bigger and more numerous. Casting a plug or a jig is
the ticket for these fish. Around the trout areas you will also
find lady fish, jacks, and many pompano. It has not been uncommon
for our backcountry fishing charters to come in after 4 hours with
over 50 fish caught among 3 persons. For a bonus surprise in these
areas there are large jack crevalle coming through and eating the
lugs or jigs making for a great fight.
In
my report you saw a hint of tarpon fishing, well its getting close
to that time of the year. While this time of the year is not
normally considered tarpon season we have been getting into them
pretty good. Most of the fish this time of the year can be quit
large and be a bunch of fun for anyone wanting to take a shot at
the silver king.
From my crew
and I here at Dream Catcher Charters enjoy your week. Come see us
soon.. Capt. Steven Lamp
Key West
Fishing Update: January 9, 2009
Welcome to
the year 2009. What a week it has been. With Christmas behind us and
the after effects of a grand new years eve celebration having wore
off, its time to look forward to a hopefully more prosperous new
year. With the big rush that the Christmas season offers all of the
Florida Keys fishing guides I look at those two weeks as a practice
for season, a shake down for the boats and a stimulus package of
sorts financially. Moving forward into the New Year we should all
learn from the lesson that was taught to us last year: Anything can
and will happen; be prepared.
Evident to that lesson is the event of New Years in
Islamorada with the Cheeca Lodge. What a great place and a valuable
asset to the Islamorada guiding community. I hope the best for those
folks to get that place back up and running and thank goodness no
one was hurt.
The fishing this last week across the board was pretty
darn good. Even with lots of boats in the water, Guides with their
big rush of business and everyone else with a boat taking advantage
of our getting ever lower gas prices, I have heard some great
reports from guides and DIY’ers combined. There were many releases
of Sailfish on the reef with only a few large ones to speak of, the
Kingfish have totally moved in for season with a bottom fishing bite
offshore that is off the hook. Inshore things are status quo and
solid -- with these consistent normal temp weather patterns lots of
fish being caught in the back bays and the flats fishing is red hot.
Offshore the current here in the lower keys has been
almost dead especially west of Key West. Capt. Ralph Delph reported
a slow day of high speed trolling for Wahoo with only one knock
down, then resorting the rest of his week to bottom fishing with a
mixed cart of nice sized Mutton Snappers, Reds and Big Groupers one
grouper was in the 30+ lb range early last week. On board the
Intense we landed a nice load of Red Snappers ranging in size from
11 – 18 lbs with a follow up on some Snowy Groupers and a few Tile
Fish. With not much current, the offshore guys are reporting a few
catches of Sailfish and many Kingfish just off the reef line making
a fun day for their anglers.
Near shore the fishing in Hawks Channel is great. This
is a great place to go for the DIY guy looking for a fun day on the
water. Plenty of Grey Snappers, Red Groupers and Mackerels are being
caught with a box of chum and some time spent over any one of the
patch reefs in the Channel. With the water clearing up a bit you may
also want to try and drag a lipped plug for some surprising results
on a big Grouper or Mutton.
Last week on the flats things were perfect. The winds
were down to a manageable rate and the fish were up tailing. Sight
fishing was great. We were finding Permit in all their usual haunts
from east of Key West all the way out to the Marquesas. One of our
anglers boated a 22 lb fish last week after boating his very first
tarpon ever. I am excited about the water quality I am seeing on the
flats, nice and clear with lots of critters in the grass. The flats
feel alive, I know we will have a great next couple weeks, at least
weather wise -- with the Jet Stream staying way to our North, things
should stay just like they are for January sight fishing: Perfect.
The backcountry is going nuts. We are catching lots of
Pompano. Not an unusual catch but the numbers are pretty incredible.
Mixed into the mudded areas with the Trout and Lady Fish the Pompano
are getting quite competitive eating very well with catches on our
half day trips of 10 – 12 legal sized fish. Trout Season is now open
and anglers can enjoy a nice table fare. Tarpon are also in the
backcountry channels here in Key West. Very typical for a mid winter
warming trend for Tarpon to come in and feed, most of these fish are
Gulf species and some can get quite large. Look for channels with
good flow and some bottom variations, run your baits deep for better
success.
Being a fishing guide is a lot like being a weatherman,
you don’t get paid to be right. With the weather and the fishing
that is here in Key West this week and probably next I am enjoying
the consistent reliable fishing. January is a great time to get
down to Key West and fish. The crowds are light and the fishing is
great. Give your favorite fishing guide a call and have some fun.
From my crew and I here at Dream Catcher Charters enjoy your week.
Come see us soon.. Capt. Steven Lamp
Key West Fishing
Update: December 31, 2008
Sure has been windy, boy I am sounding like a broken record. I want
to write something else but after the last few days I have been
offshore with our busy Christmas week it has been BREEZY to say the
least. Now looking into next week it seems as though we get a bit of
a reprieve coming up as the Jet stream is ushering in some more
cooler air from the Midwest. Lately things were getting a bit to
warm and the High pressure off the eastern seaboard dug in its heals
as if it were March to offer the Easterly 20-30 daily and almost 80
degree highs with mid 70 lows. Let’s hope this change gets us back
on a good winter track.
With the winds, the offshore reports have been sketchy.
Good numbers of nice sized kingfish have been reported with Tuna
right up on the reef in the shallows. Trolling has revealed there to
be a decent Sailfish bite and the Wahoos are still around offering
people fun for the time put in out in the rough stuff. Interestingly
enough, with the Hard easterly it was not as rough as one would
expect, as the Current was headed the same way making life a bit
easier out there.
The reef report this week I will focus on the Hawks
Channel Patch reef fishing. It has been a trip saver as the fish are
there not only in numbers but size as well. On some trips we were
able to catch some nice Black Groupers and Mutton Snappers ranging
in the teens for weight. Again saved by the wind and current running
together, fishing the patches was not uncomfortable on the hook and
the fishing was great. We had a few trips head out to the wrecks
this week, offering our customers some great cobia fishing. Most
fish were smaller, but lighter tackle makes them lots of fun. Two of
the wrecks we fished actually had schools of Cobia tailing the boat.
Fun times are still what the backcountry fishing trips
are all about. Lots of catches of Pompano, Ladyfish, Trout, Jacks,
Huge Barracudas, and sharks have been all the rage. Add that with an
early group of Bluefish to entertain our fly fishermen for hours
with hard pulling toothy fun. November and December are off season
for Trout however if we use barbless hooks they are easy to release
unharmed. Tip, no bait required – Yellow buck tail jigs for all the
above species fished right around the mullet mud’s and that gets the
trick done.
Sight fishing had been a challenge during the windy days
and the water is churned up a bit, however this coming week it looks
like we have a lull in the gales for the first week of the new year
and sight fishing should be stellar for Bonefish and Permit up on
the flats in this warmer water. Don’t forget to keep a look out for
a stray Jack or Cobia following a ray up on the flats. I have to
say, this is what I love about fishing Key West; everything changes
daily.
Looking forward into the New Year New and observing many
of the uncertainties that lie before us in many arenas there is one
thing that we can all count on - the fishing in Key West will be
stellar and the professional fishing guides will be here to take you
out and enjoy it.
From my crew and I here at Dream Catcher Charters have a Happy and
prosperous New Year - Capt. Steven Lamp
Wow, still blowing - is that a bad thing? Not really.
The consistency of the cool fronts we have been getting in the past
few weeks has actually helped the fishing in more ways than one can
imagine; with the constantly alternating wind directions ushering in
these fronts mixing up the waters for both inshore, offshore, wrecks
and reefs. We are (as usual) experiencing some great fishing here in
Key West. With the fuel prices down and this being slow season, now is
the time to call and go fishing in Key West. Avoid the crowds and
support your local fishing guide.
Offshore
the report has been mixed with numerous catches of some nice sized
Kingfish right on the reef line. Venture out a bit and the full moon
offered some great shots at Wahoo on live bait and fast trolled lures.
Some reports of Sailfish right on top of the reef have been prevalent
with these fish showering the ample amounts of schooled up ballyhoo.
The reef has been on
fire with great Yellowtail and Grouper fishing. On the wrecks south of
Key West with enough live bait an angler can enjoy the Blackfin tuna
bite that goes on this time of the year. The bite has been good but
the sharks have been terrible. Many half hit fish and cut offs have
occurred with charters targeting the tuna. Hint, in the numbers of
sharks we have also been seeing some Cobia cruising with them as well.
On the deeper reefs we have gotten into some incredible Red Snapper
fishing mixed with Large Black groupers, Yellow eyed snappers and
Mutton snappers out towards the west. One does not have to run far to
get into some fantastic bottom fishing right now off Key West.
Inshore the flats
and backcountry fishing is exactly the way it should be this time of
the year.. FUN! With the numbers of species inshore, an angler does
not have to go far or take much of a beating to get to constant rod
bending excitement. Species like Trout, Jacks, Bluefish, Spanish
Mackerel, and Pompano will keep anglers happy and smiling for hours on
end casting plugs and jigs as you drift along in our beautiful
backcountry.
Sight fishing is
also a great way to spend your winter day fishing the inshore waters.
We have been finding huge Barracudas sunning themselves on the flats
waiting for a plug or fly to entertain them. Permit are not afraid of
cooler waters so we have been watching for them as well, along with
Cobia and Large jacks tailing up after a sting ray or possibly
following a shark.
The slower season
here in Key West is almost over and most guides are setting their
sights on Tarpon season as their “bail out” from a long, slow time. Be
sure you give your favorite fishing guide or charter a call and book
your days of killer spring fishing. I am sure they will be delighted
to hear from you - Capt. Steven Lamp
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