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Fishing Reports for Local Area - Location |
    
Capt Luke Kelly (Keyflat)
New member
Username: Keyflat
Post Number: 1
Registered: 12-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 29, 2008 - 8:31 am: | |
With water temperature down from now until March, you can bank on action packed fishing in the Lower Keys flats and back-country. To date, a wide variety of aggressive species have successfully made their way into the calm and shallow water in search of food and warmth. Species such as sea-trout, pompano, red-fish, jacks, mackerel, cobia, snapper, grouper, huge barracuda and sharks can all easily be caught in the picturesque Lower Keys back-country from here on out. Expect Tarpon and LARGE Bonefish to be biting between cold fronts, during warm air temps. A fish count of different species over one hundred is common for this time of year. And if you seek something for the dinner table, large mangrove snapper can make it there for you. Capt Luke Kelly of Key Flat Charters offers the best in light tackle and fly-fishing gear in a location where he can guarantee winter fishing action. A custom 18 ft flats boat along with Capt Kelly's native knowledge of the area can easily get you to where the fish are. Key Flat Charters can accommodate up to three anglers at an affordable rate, with great customer service. Check out www.lowerkeysbackcountry.com for more info, thanks for reading.
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John Cooper (Coopie)
New member
Username: Coopie
Post Number: 20
Registered: 8-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 02, 2008 - 8:22 am: | |
I usually Fish on Party Boats (head boat) in Brooklyn New York.
http://www.fishreports.net/fishing/messages/93/441.html is where I post my reports.
My wife and I went out on a half day boat from Key-West Florida.
The Tortuga V
78 degrees and sunny, 65 mph breeze.
A smallish Florida style catamaran party boat.
We had a good time and hooked a couple of fun Red Grouper. But they were shorts.
We had some Yellowtail snapper and grunts to keep.
The trip out is 45 min. and mostly we were fishing for small fish, all pecking away the large bait.
I found myself cutting the bait in half.
Plenty of cold squid & bally chunks.
The party boat was full of some the usual downfalls.
The "Full Gally" was crap, just candy-bars and chips. No coffee, just soda and beer.
Lots of crying for tips in the safety speech and trying to increase pool participation.
The usual spinning reel types stopping everybody else fighting big fish with light line and different bait & tackle.
Miraculously, the regular (who is a mates helper) won the pool.
There is always a Coast Guard safety message from the crew.
In Florida there are a lot of toxic spines and things to get you so be carefull.
There is no shade on this boat except in the cabin so screen up use a hat, glasses whatever.
The mates unhook all fish, if you let them.
The rig is a Knocker-rig: a #6 J hook tied right to the line through a 1 oz egg sinker.
If you can feel it a larger fish takes the bait without the pull of the sinker.
Some of these rigs were bastardized to suspend the bait 6 inches above the bottom.
We fished in 20 to 30 feet of water. There is some tide running and the boat (being shallow draft) lays to the wind.
So sometimes your line is under the boat.
Both the squid and ballyhoo are cut into chunks.
The real mates did not fish and were VERY attentive.
They would not let you unhook your own fish, really on top of the customers.
Your fish is marked and poot on ice instantly.
The boat is clean...heads ok too.
My wife was not the only lady on board.
The customers are all tourists, like me.
This is the cheapest way to go to the reef to fish in Key West.
It is 99% Charter-Boat here.
When you pull in to port, they throw you off the boat and then the pool is settled.
You get your fish while you stand on the dock.
Why? I don't know. Is this all the boats down here? I don't know.
See the giant Tarpons eat the bones as the mates fillet your fish for you.
Alonzo's, in the same marina, will cook your fillets for you! Nice place. |
CaptainIDS (Captainids)
New member
Username: Captainids
Post Number: 25
Registered: 9-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2007 - 10:07 am: | |
Are you a Licensed Coast Guard Captain?
This is for you
http://www.captainids.com/ |
Scott Yetter (Capt_scott)
New member
Username: Capt_scott
Post Number: 7
Registered: 1-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 12, 2007 - 2:10 pm: | |
March is referred to as the lamb and lion month. That holds true here in the keys.
However it is commonly known as one of the best months to fish for permit in the Keys. This time of year permit invade the flats near channels and the gulf edge.
Permit are the ultimate fly fishing challenge. They are spooky and very hard to approach on flat calm days. A 10 to 15 mph wind will mask the boat and the entry of the fly. The fly must land close enough for the permit to see it, but not too close to alarm the permit.
Long slow strips until the permit starts to track the fly, then let the fly sink like a fleeing crab. An "in your face presentation" at tailing permit can some times produce. Another technique is short fast strips to bring out the "inner jack".
March is also a good month for bonefish. On the warmer days, schools of bonefish will move onto the flats with the incoming tide in search of crabs, shrimp and toadfish.
Baby tarpon fishing has been good on the warmer calm days. But can you really refer to a 10 to 40 lb fish as a baby? Baby tarpon are usually found traveling in schools. A well placed fly or plug in their path with a "getting away" presentation will generally result in an aerial display. Baby tarpon love to jump!
Speaking of jumping... The back basins are full of lady fish. They are aggressive, strong and love to jump as much as their cousins the tarpon. Lady fish are a lot of fun and a good option on the cold front days when cloud cover reduces viability for sight fishing. They will eat poppers, clousers and are hard to keep off a shrimp tipped jig.
Speaking of cold front options... red fish are very tolerant of cooler water. They can be found in very shallow water, over light bottoms. They are strong and make nice runs.
March is also the month the big tarpon start to move in... As water temperatures improve, we have been finding them in the basking in the lay up basins and rolling in the deeper channels. Soon schools of migratory tarpon in the 90 to 125 lb range will be marching ocean side flats, cruising channel edges and lounging in the back basins.
Capt. Scott Yetter
www.sightfishfloridakeys.com
305-304-6132 |
Scott Yetter (Capt_scott)
New member
Username: Capt_scott
Post Number: 6
Registered: 1-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 05, 2007 - 11:42 am: | |
Apparently all that talk about global warming is true. We had a lot of days in January that were more like spring. Most days temperatures were in the 80's, with water temps in the high 70's and low 80's.
Early morning tarpon fishing continues to be great on the flat calm mornings. Tarpon love to roll in low light conditions. A little cloud cover extends our dawn fishing later into the day .Some mornings we have been finding juvenile tarpon and sea gulls feeding on grass shrimp on the surface. Baby tarpon can also be found and sight fished to later in the day on the warmer flats, near deeper channels
Good numbers of permit can be found on the flats.. Permit are challenging to catch on fly, but they do eat flies enough for us to keep trying. Warmer water temperatures have pulled some large schools of bonefish up onto the flats too, that we don't typically see this time of year.
On the days after a cold front we go back to the usual winter fishing. Mullet muds are still producing a mixed bag of jacks, lady fish, snappers and sea trout
Enough about winter fishing...It is February. The big migratory tarpon will soon appear in the warm up basins and deeper channels. YAHOOO!!!!!! The lower Florida Keys is the best place in the world to sight fish large tarpon.
Come on down and put one of these big fish in the air!
Capt. Scott Yetter
www.sightfishfloridakeys.com
305-304-6132 |
Scott Yetter (Capt_scott)
New member
Username: Capt_scott
Post Number: 4
Registered: 1-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 31, 2006 - 8:58 am: | |
Happy New Year from the Florida Keys!
Hard to believe another year is coming to a close.
The fishing has been hit or miss this month. We have had some "Chamber of Commerce" postcard perfect days. Intermixed with some cold front days that were better suited to tying flies and doing laundry. Currently it is almost 80 degrees with some wind out of the east. Water temperatures have been unseasonably warm for Dec. making for some good flats fishing conditions. There are not as many bonefish and permit around this time of year. But we have been finding them on the flats on the incoming tide on the warmer days.
Dawn is a magical time to find tarpon on flat calm days. When the water is flat and the light is low, schools of tarpon can be spotted rolling on the surface. We had several epic mornings before Xmas when all the planets were aligned and 3 foot tarpon were crashing bait on the surface. We jumped and boated fish after fish on poppers untill the the sun rose.
The lower keys is not known as a redfish destinantion. But we have been finding some redfish tailing in some very skinny water. I have been seeing more and more redfish each year.
Blind casting a clouser or a shrimp tipped jig in the mullet mud and basins on the gulf side will produce a mixed bag of ladyfish, trout, jacks and snappers.
Barracudas are always around in even the coldest of days and are lots of fun. A tube lure ripped across the surface will produce some aggressive takes. A four foot cuda goes crazy when he is hooked in a foot or two of water. No where to go but up and out..
Tight lines and Happy New Year!
Capt. Scott Yetter
Sight Fish Charters
www.sightfishfloridakeys.com
305-304-6132 |
Larry Cohen (Larry_cohen)
New member
Username: Larry_cohen
Post Number: 4
Registered: 3-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 14, 2006 - 11:04 am: | |
Key West Fishing Report - mid April 2006
The night time tarpon bight has been going well. The few times that we tried we were able to jump a good number of fish. Flies, plugs, and soft baits have been getting some nice results. This time of the year offers a large number of smaller Tarpon 20 - 100lbs which is just fine with me. Those larger schools of "big brutes" will be here before you know it. Things just have to mellow out a little bit.
Permit fishing has still been good. On the warmer days they just seem to be all over, eating little blue crabs, shrimp, or a well placed fly. However, the wind has certainly been a factor, making it difficult at times to get any thing close to them.
There are still a good number of barracudas. We caught one the other day that was just over 30 lbs. On light tackle in shallow water they are a whole lot of fun. The fish made such a run, we had to chase him down like a Tarpon, in fear of getting spooled. When it is windy I throw a top water plug called a Creek Chub Knuckle-Head from www.Lurenet.com. This plug will always get the big ones to come out and play.
Sure I enjoy permit, tarpon, and everything else in between. But we have had so much fun lately catching jacks of all sizes. These fish really fight. But sometimes before you get them to the boat, the sharks have dialed in on them and you have a very difficult time getting them to the boat ...if you know what I mean! We got the tarpon gear out, put on about 6 feet of 80lb. leader, and followed up with a couple of feet of heavy wire. Reach in the live well for a jack that would like to go for a swim... and usually in a very short time you better hang on, because when a 200lb. bull shark is running away from you in 2-3 feet of water, he has a bit of an attitude.
Good luck fishing and get out there and enjoy. The big tarpon are right a round the corner and we still have some dates available. As always, if you have any questions, drop us a line. We always will make time for you.
Capt. Larry
PS: Check out our web cam. We have it back up.
Capt. Larry Cohen
Key West Flats Fishing
903 Eisenhower Drive
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-7670 home
305-923-7100 cell
LCohen4@bellsouth.net
www.keywestflatsfishing.com
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Scott Yetter (Capt_scott)
New member
Username: Capt_scott
Post Number: 2
Registered: 1-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 08, 2006 - 2:38 pm: | |
Got Tarpon????
We do! It is tarpon time in the Lower Florida Keys! Schools of tarpon have moved on to the flats. Right about the same time the snow birds pack up to head home and the tourist season has died down.
We have been catching them on a little bit of every thing. Plugs, live bait and flies have all worked this last week. As always the presentation is crucial.
Sam and Paris fished with me today. We had dozens of shots at laid up tarpon. Did get 4 tarpon to eat a live pinfish. One 6 footer ate and jumped at very close range, missed landing in the boat by inches. My angler said "There is two wet spots on the inside of my glasses from my eyes popping out of my head"
Brandon and his wife Yie came down from the oil fields in Prudhoe Alaska to fish tarpon for a couple of days. We put several big fish in the air each day.... Brandon had a nice 125 pounder the boat several times, before it finally abraided the 50lb bite tippet.
Tarpon are one of those fish were once you hook one dozens of things can go way wrong, way fast. They are big and extremely powerfullfish. The inside of their mouth is very hard. A good hook set can be difficult.
When hooked the first thing they do is GO UP!! When they jump their head is shaking back and forth. You want to give them as much slack as possible on each jump. Not an easy thing to remember when 125 lbs of fish leaps into the air.
Lets not forget the permit and bone fish. Water temperatures are in the high 70s and low 80s. These fish are very happy. Most of the skiffs are targeting tarpon and the bonefish flats are empty. Well except for big bonefish and tailing permit.
Come on down and put some of these big fish in the air!
Capt. Scott Yetter
www.sightfishfloridakeys.com |
Craig Eubank (Captcraig)
New member
Username: Captcraig
Post Number: 3
Registered: 2-2006
Rating: 
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 12:29 pm: | |
Key West fishing in March. I love this time of year. I know everyone gets excited about the big Sailfish run every spring, but what I love is the variety and unpredictability. This time of year you never know what your gonna catch!
For example. Last week the wind was blowing out of the south about 15 knots. It made for some bumpy seas, but we found weed lines in 500-650 feet of water loaded with Mahi-Mahi or as we Key Westers call 'em, Dolphin. And not just chicken size, these were 10 to 15 pounders and some "slammer" 20-40 pounders too. Throw in a Wahoo or two and you have world class eats. This pattern continued for almost a week and just as we were thinking it was June forever, a cold front came down the state, the wind went north, and we were suddenly hip-deep in Sailfish! Kingfish like a colder wind also and the reef became active again. A 180 degree change in just one day. Add in wreck fishing, deep dropping, back country Shark and Tarpon, not to mention the flats, and you've got the best argument for guaranteed catching right here in the only Caribbean island you can drive to!
Captain Craig Eubank
http://www.keywestfishtales.com/
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Craig Eubank (Captcraig)
New member
Username: Captcraig
Post Number: 2
Registered: 2-2006
Rating:
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 20, 2006 - 8:41 am: | |
Green water got you down? This time of year in Key West it’s not uncommon to leave the dock with high hopes of blue water Sailfish, Dolphin, and Wahoo only to run to 500 feet of water and still find green, green, green. Don’t worry; there are other fish to fry! If all you are looking for is good action and a good meal, go no further than the shallow reefs off Key West.
Cero Mackerel are the mainstay of the half-day charter boats in the winter months. No, they aren’t as big as the mighty Kingfish, but are usually more plentiful and closer in the shallow water. Scale down your tackle to 8-12 pound spin or a light 20-pound conventional reel. Clip on a spoon (drone) and drop it back about 100 feet behind the boat. Troll the same speed you would for schoolie Dolphin, a brisk walking pace, to give the spoon a little “action.” Don’t worry about adding wire to the spoon, Mackerel are usually short strikers and seldom cut off the spoon from the mono line. It does happen, so have several spoons in your tackle box, but the increased strikes will make up for the occasional lost rig. Don’t run the spoon in the rigger, just straight out the back with no drop back. If you have kids on board, have them hold the rod. Great fun for them to be there for the strike. Mackerel do need to be 12 inches long, but why keep one that small anyway. The spoon makes for an easy “shake off” release. Ice the fish as soon as you land it, this will make the meat firmer and easier to fillet at the dock. Many anglers will steak a Cero Mackerel and leave the backbone in while grilling the fish. Only a minute or two will sufficiently cook this delicate fish. Think of it as a snapper fillet. It can be filleted and sautéed, don’t overdo the seasoning… it’s fresh as it gets!
Captain Craig Eubank
http://www.keywestfishtales.com |
Craig Eubank (Captcraig)
New member
Username: Captcraig
Post Number: 1
Registered: 2-2006
Rating: 
Votes: 3 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 10, 2006 - 12:26 pm: | |
The Kings are Back! Long Live the Kings!
One of the easiest fish to catch during the winter season in Key West is the schooling Kingfish. Kings will even hit bare hooks when in a feeding frenzy – and these mighty fighters can reach up to 70 lbs. Most run in the 12 to 30 lb. range, but even these lighter weights are fierce fighters and are often lost right behind the boat when an angler gets too relaxed and thinks the fight is over. One more run under the boat and it’s “the one that got away!”
You can find the school by the dozens of boats circling one area near the reef. Kingfish are caught by trolling charter boats, jigging light tackle boats, and net fishing commercial boats. Kings tend to congregate at the deep edge of the reef right as depth drops to the hundred-foot mark.
On the fathometer, they can often be marked as a tight school -- and that’s when the fun begins. It can get pretty intense as boats go rigger to rigger trolling through the school, but this just adds to the excitement. And while most Kings are caught on the deeper lines, it’s not unusual to see them “sky rocketing” the outrigger surface baits as well.
Kings are known for long blazing runs -- and they sometimes get cut off on the propellers of other boats. Long and silver with an awesome set of sharp teeth; it can be something of a contact sport. Kings are of moderate food quality. Let’s face it, it’s a Mackerel.
Because Kingfish are very hard to release alive, there’s a bag limit of two per person Kingfish run from the Holidays right through Sailfish season in the spring, and we aren’t surprised to catch a few summer Kings in with the Dolphin. Next time you’re in Key West take your best shot at some Kings!
Captain Craig
http://www.keywestfishtales.com |
Scott Yetter (Capt_scott)
New member
Username: Capt_scott
Post Number: 1
Registered: 1-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2006 - 2:59 pm: | |
Tarpon...tarpon..tarpon.
Yesterday was a perfect day here in the lower keys...felt more like May then January. Warm, sunny, 82 degrees and hardly any wind. Even better I had the day off.. I was hoping to find some juvenile tarpon to try out my new rod. Did we find them... Schools of juvenile tarpon from 2 to 3 1/2 foot long were sliding out of a deep channel onto the warmer flats.
I threw a Bagleys Jumping Minnow... the tarpon loved it.. Just cast it in front of the school..when they get near..give it a couple of twitches..get ready.. I love watching them eat on top..
We also had a couple of shots at some large permit floating near the surface at the edge of the channel. It was a little too calm to get any thing near them with out spooking them.
Bonefish are also moving onto the flats with the incoming tides. The mid day sun warms the flats as they flood, creating ideal winter time flats fishing conditions.
The fishing in between cool fronts has been great for this time of year. But even during the colder spells (60s and low 70s) there are lots of fishing oppertunities here in the Keys. Large barracudas flood the flats this time of year. They can sometimes be tempted with a fly or a plug ripped across the surface. When the decide to eat the takes are fast and furious.
Also most larger sharks and rays are accompanied with jack crevelle. These fish are aggresive and powerfull.
Fishing in the back country on the gulf edge remains good. A jig tipped with shrimp or a clouser results in a mixed bag of sea trout, jacks and lady fish.
It will not be long now untill the tarpon migration starts to trickle in to the lower keys. I usualy start to see the big guys, about the middle of Feb rolling in the deeper channels. As soon as the water temps get into the mid 70s they move into the shallow and you can catch them on the flats.
Tight lines
Scott
www.sightfishfloridakeys.com |
Capt Bob Brown, Jr (Captbobbrownjr)
New member
Username: Captbobbrownjr
Post Number: 6
Registered: 12-2003
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 - 12:55 pm: | |
Sailfish Season Is Here!
As December nears, the migration of the mighty Sailfish brings more and more of them into the Florida Keys area where they like to hang out for months gorging themselves on the plentiful baitfish the keys are known for. This past week we had a strong cool front that has cooled the water a few degrees and will help get more Sails on the move to the Keys. We have seen some good numbers of Sails the past few days in the American shoal area and off of Big Pine Key off of Marker 'G'. The numbers of fish should continue to be on the increase the next few weeks and the action should be great from now through April and even into May as we saw last May. Best baits are live Ballyhoo, Blue Runners, Pilchards, Sardines, Speedos, & Goggle Eyes. Most can be easily located on the reef edge. Large schools of Ballyhoo have been around since hurricane Wilma brushed the Keys and there seems to be plenty of Runners and Pilchards around at the moment.
On the offshore scene, there have been some nice Dolphin (mahi-mahi) coming from the edge of the gulfstream the past week which was located about 18 miles south of Marathon according to the satalite reports. Also, some nice Blackfin Tuna have been hitting the docks coming in from the 150-300ft range off the edge of the reef. Trolling dead bait or lures works best to locate Tuna and Dolphin so find your favorite lures, and get out there and burn some fuel!! (well, as little as possible and still catch fish!)
Yellowtail Red Hot!
Yellowtail Snapper fishermen have been rewarded all week with great catches coming in from the deep edge of the reef and from shallower waters as well. Seems to be good numbers of 'tails all over the area. That is a good sign that they are having good success reproducing. Some big King Mackerel have been finding there way into the area as well as we landed a 35lb King on Saturday and had several other large Kings hooked up. Some nice Black Grouper have also been out there. On the "Sundance" on Friday we landed a 21lb Black and released some undersized ones as well. Look for the Mackerel fishing to keep improving as the water cools the next month and the bottom fishing to be good as well.
If you would like more info on fishing in the Marathon and middle keys area, check out our web site. Good luck in all your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. |
Capt. Craig Eubank (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating:
Votes: 5 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 16, 2005 - 6:10 am: | |
Ah, Springtime. Or what we call in Key West, SEASON. That means consistent fishing and lots of business. February, March, April, and May we turn away charters. Not necessarily because of the great fishing, but because everyone up North wants to come South for the sun, fun, and fish.
I say consistent fishing because our Dolphin (Dorado, Mahi-Mahi) start to show up along with Wahoo and a shot at Marlin. We start to head offshore this time of year after a few months of mostly fishing the reef out to 200 feet. There's still Grouper and Snapper to be had in the shallow water, but everyone gets that look in their eye when you ask, "So, you wanna see what's out in the blue water?" April 13th could have been August 13th if you set your calendar by the conditions. Stifling hot, no wind and green, green water. Not that we hadn't been catching Dolphin, we had, but we were running 15 to 20 miles to get to the blue water and the Gulfstream current.
I had a half-day booked with some regulars that fish with me a couple times of year. Dan and Tim Strong from New Orleans brought two of their friends to Key West for a couple of days of partying and planned on fishing some just to catch a break from the Duval Street scene. Understandable. But, after showing up an hour late for departure, and knowing I only had half a day to make it happen, I was stressed. I assured myself that I could run to a couple hundred feet of water and get lucky with a Sail or Wahoo, but after arriving and finding the expected green, green water, my heart sank as I surveyed miles and miles of scatter seaweed.
This was one of those times when being the Captain ain't all it's cracked up to be. Dead calm, green water and miles of scattered weed. I know, I know, weed is good for Dolphin, right? Yes, but not when it covers the entire ocean and all of your bait. Certainly a mate's worst nightmare. I could see it in Steve's eyes as he descended the ladder to put out the spread. He knew he would spend most of his time going from one line to the next clearing the weed off of each bait knowing that once a bait is covered in weed, no self-respecting Dolphin would ever eat it.
I tried to think positive. All we needed was a couple good fish and the day was made… Man, was it hot. Felt like 100 degrees and only 9 in the morning. I took comfort in the fact that I could see other charter boats trolling in the same area. Surely there must be some fish or they wouldn't be here.
"Captain Hook, Captain Hook, come back. Mr. Z tryin'," I called over the VHF radio. "Come on Mr. Z," came the less than enthusiastic response. Now, the Captain Hook is run by Capt. Rick Haviland,
one of the oldest charter boat Captains in Key West. Surely he wouldn't be wasting time inshore in the green weedy water if there wasn't a fish to be caught?
"Why on Earth did you stop in here?" Rick asked. My heart sank. I explained that we only had half a day and that we left late, but he cut me off. "Don't even bother putting out your lines. Head South, boy."
So I did.
By this time my clients were inside sleeping in the A/C and I tried to convince myself that they wouldn't notice that it was taking a lot longer than the half hour I had told them that we would be running. Dan came up on the bridge and asked how it was going, but I knew he was watching Key West disappear from sight beyond our wake. "Water's too green and too much seaweed to fish inshore. So… We're going for it," I said. "Cool. We're easy," he said and smiled as he climbed back down to the A/C. Now, I was sweating…
At the 800-foot mark the water turned blue and the weed disappeared. No other boats in sight, not sure if that's good or bad. Then this must be the place. I throttled back and Steve began laying out the spread. Big baits, seven of 'em, and with the calm water, they're skipping along making quite a racket. I also run two large squid chains as teasers, and combined with the seven baits, I knew that if there were a fish within miles, the fish would notice.
The next 15 minutes seemed like an eternity as I waited to see if the marathon run would pay off. Fifteen minutes turned into half an hour and then into an hour. I was concentrating so hard I was getting a headache! Everyone had come out of the cabin when we slowed down and started fishing, but now they had retreated again into the A/C and no one but Steve was left on the back deck. Just Steve standing behind the big Murray Brothers fighting chair, arms folded, motionless in the broiling sun. The moments ticked away and I ran every scenario thru my head of how I could justify getting skunked on this trip after running all over Hell. I figured I would just stay until I did catch something.
But, what if we just didn't?
Funny, but whenever you catch a fish, you can't remember your last thought before the strike… Dolphin feed on the surface of the water mostly on Flying Fish. They chase them down to eat them and are very persistent. Even when the Flying Fish takes flight, Dolphin will often follow on the surface of the water behind the "Flyer" waiting for them to crash back to the sea and eat them. Sometimes the Dolphin is so excited that his head actually sticks out of the water and creates a wake as he cuts through the water. That was what I first spotted rushing in from right angles towards our bait. Four knife sharp wakes screaming across the water to devour our ballyhoos.
"Here they come!" I shouted at Steve, who was already in motion. Dropping back both outriggers so the rampaging Dolphin could swallow them deep. It all seemed in slow motion. These fish were swimming in from the left side of the boat perpendicular to our baits. It's as if they were about 50 yards off to our North cruising the surface as we trolled by. The Dolphin must have been thinking, "What a lucky break to have a school of Flyers passing us by so close!" I hoped their enthusiasm held long enough for them to catch-and eat-our baits before they got suspicious… or heat exhaustion!
As the Dolphin arrived at our bait, I could hear the clickers on the reels buzzing as Steve dropped them into free-spool. As the buzz began to speed up, signaling that the fish had swallowed the baits and were now swimming away with them, Steve locked them up. A split second later, both outrigger rods were bent over with Dolphin in the air behind our boat. The deep troll rod bent in sympathy, and the flat line began its' drop-back… Steve raced to the flat line, locked it up and yelled for anyone who would listen.
"Get out here, we got fish on!"
Now, imagine the perfect scenario. Four, count 'em, four big Dolphin hooked up, jumping in all directions. Perfect. Now for the reality. Steve is busy keeping lines from getting crossed and me up on the bridge able to do nothing but move the boat ahead to try and keep the lines tight. And, your entire hungover "crew" is inside the cabin sound asleep. Motivating four guys to wake up, scramble out on deck, and start winding on big fish will take a while and we had precious seconds to get these fish under control. I figured it couldn't hurt for both Steve and me to be yelling, so I joined in.
"Fish on! I need anglers!" I hollered. Like a scene from Dawn of the Dead, anglers wandered from the cabin onto the back deck. With eyes shaded and tortured faces they began to realize what all the fuss was about. "Grab a rod!" I yelled. Nothing but blank stares all around.
"In the chair!" Steve said with more authority. One at a time, Steve handed out the rods and a quick refresher course in fighting a fish, but in less than a minute we were in the business of moving fish in our direction. The water was now an even more beautiful blue (perhaps because it contained fish) and glass calm. I was moving the boat forward ever so slightly and there was not a ripple except when one of the big Dolphin would jump. We had hooked what we call a family of Dolphin. Probably not really related, but sometimes large Dolphin will travel together in schools of three to a dozen.
These were all good size Bulls and Cows (males and females) migrating together. And, as good fishing guides, we always want to keep the family together. "O.K., take your time. Just keep the lines tight. Don't horse them. They have soft mouths," I said, though probably no one was listening.
With a situation like this, timing is everything. You need to orchestrate all the anglers so that the fish are brought to the boat, and landed, one at a time. If fish get tangled together, you will likely lose them. Steve, wielding the gaff, stroked each fish once and then swung them smoothly into the fish box. Almost like he had done it a thousand times before.
I held my breath as each fish was taken. Sometimes closing my eyes until I could hear the tell tale thump of the fish box lid. "That's four, gentlemen," Steve said with a rare smile. "Let's go home." Myself, being an opportunist, asked Steve to get the group together (before they went back to sleep) for a photo opportunity. The largest Bull Dolphin taken that day was 46 pounds and the smallest Cow was 21 pounds. All hooked at the same time and landed within moments of each other… It's better to be lucky than good!
Capt. Craig
The Mr. Z
http://www.KeyWestFishTales.com/ |
Capt Bob Brown, Jr (Captbobbrownjr)
New member
Username: Captbobbrownjr
Post Number: 5
Registered: 12-2003
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 04, 2004 - 10:14 am: | |
Cobia Lined Up!
Cobia fishing on the Florida Bay side of the Keys around wrecks has been heating up and is setting the stage for one of the best seasons in recent memory. There have already been some nice fish up to 45lb hitting the docks from guides fishing the gulf wrecks from 18-22 miles north of Marathon. Usually this fishing reaches it's peak in the early spring months. The fact that there are lots of Cobia already, gives gulfside anglers hope of some great catches to come in the months ahead. Nice catches of Snapper from Florida Bay have also been reported recently from anglers working the areas around East Bahia Honda Key fishing the channels and banks that are north and east of the island. Also, some large Bull sharks, and Goliath Grouper have also been caught and released in these areas. Bayside fishing in the keys should remain decent as long as we don't experience any large cold fronts in the near future.
Offshore - Tuna On the Hump
A few nice catches of Blackfin Tuna have been reported from the west hump southeast of Marathon this week and some good numbers of Dolphin have been popping up as well at times. The Dolphin have been around debris and under birds and have been from 150ft of water on out to 25 miles offshore. Another significant catch was off another charter boat in Marathon who recently hooked up with a triple header Blue Marlin while trolling offshore of Marathon boating two of the fish in the 90lb. range and missing one in the 200lb range. You just never know when you will have a great surprise out on the deep blue. For more info on fishing in the Marathon area and the Florida Keys check out our web site!
Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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kwflats (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 3:38 pm: | |
May 26 - Short Update
Better Late Than Never!
With the worst winds that we have seen in a long time behind us, I am pleased to say that tarpon season for us in Key West is back in full swing. The fish are now showing up in very large numbers and are feeding with a vengeance. I really can not tell you how bad the weather has been but enough of that .
The fish are 40lbs to probably upwards of 150 lbs and maybe more. The fish all seem to be eating plugs, flies, and live baits (crabs, pinfish,). As usual the bight is the best early morning or back after sunset. So here is my quickie tarpon update for now. I am on my way out the door to go fishing. Just wanted to let you know what was going on with the Tarpon here in the Key West Area.
Capt. Larry Cohen
www.keywestflatsfishing.com
305-294-7670
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Larry Cohen (Larry_cohen)
New member
Username: Larry_cohen
Post Number: 3
Registered: 3-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 3:02 pm: | |
May 26 - Short Update
Better Late Than Never!
With the worst winds that we have seen in a long time behind us, I am pleased to say that tarpon season for us in Key West is back in full swing. The fish are now showing up in very large numbers and are feeding with a vengeance.
I really can not tell you how bad the weather has been but enough of that .
The fish are 40lbs to probably upwards of 150 lbs and maybe more. The fish all seem to be eating plugs, flies, and live baits (crabs, pinfish,). As usual the bight is the best early morning or back after sunset. So here is my quickie tarpon update for now. I am on my way out the door to go fishing. Just wanted to let you know what was going on with the Tarpon here in the Key West Area.
Capt. Larry Cohen
www.keywestflatsfishing.com
305-294-7670
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Capt Bob Brown, Jr (Captbobbrownjr)
New member
Username: Captbobbrownjr
Post Number: 4
Registered: 12-2003
Rating:
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 - 6:10 pm: | |
Offshore - Breezy Dolphin
The offshore fishing in the middle Keys has been very good if you have the brawn to be out there during all this windy weather. The Dolphin bite has been excellent for the past couple weeks with all the smaller "schoolie" sized fish you want and some larger fish mixed in here and there. The east winds of 20+ knots have been blowing what seems like forever and the seas have been tough when you hit the gulfstream current. Luckily, some good numbers of Dolphin have been hanging around in the 100-200ft range which puts you about 6 miles from shore. That's not so far to travel in tough seas. Today the easterly current was in about 500ft of water and the waves jumped up to about 10-12ft in that area and beyond. Needless to say, not too many boats were out there in those conditions. When the winds have been down a bit, the larger fish seem to be out about 20 miles where the edge of the stream is. Plenty of schoolies have been in the 10-17 mile range offshore as well.
Tarpon Time
The Tarpon fishing has been excellent lately in the Marathon and Bahia Honda areas with the morning fishing being a bit better than the evenings lately. Live Mullet and Pinfish have been the best baits and a Blue Crab will do the trick as well to get you a Tarpon bite especially on an outgoing tide at Bahia Honda bridge. The action at the 7 mile bridge has been good and some Tarpon have been showing up all over town in basins and channels surrounding the middle Keys. Other hot spots are the Long Key bridge, Tom's Harbor bridges and Vaca Cut. This morning on the "Sundance" we release two Tarpon in the 70-100lb range and also lost several others including an exciting double header right at dawn.
Permit on the deep wrecks
The Permit fishing on deep wrecks on the Atlantic side of the middle Keys remains hot with some nice fish being caught and released. One noteable catch on the "Sundance" recently was a 55lb Permit caught by 15yr old Michael Brooks of Pontra Vedra Beach, FL. This fish could have qualified as a junior world record in the IGFA record books if we had killed the fish. The existing junior world record Permit is 46lb. We decided to release the fish since it is spawning season and Michael now has an unofficial world record Permit! If you would like to see a photo of Michael Brooks big Permit, scroll down now!
Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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Larry Cohen (Larry_cohen)
New member
Username: Larry_cohen
Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2004
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 03, 2004 - 10:48 am: | |
Capt. Larry Cohen's Key West Fishing Report - late April 2004
Windy And Fishy !
Kinda sounds like the title to a real bad movie, and yes it seems as if I have been watching to many reruns lately. So tell the weather person to change the channel.
When the weather allowed we were there, and so were the fish. As a rule the Permit are off shore at this time of the year doing their spawn, but we had three days in a row when the fish were just pouring up onto the flats, and oh yeah, they were eating very well for us.
I did manage to check out a few of my wrecks and they are also just covered up with Permit and Barracudas and big Jack Crevalles, so there are fish to be had. On another particular day that I was able to travel down to the Marquesas the water for a change was so clear and calm that when we threw a live crab or a plug on a spinning rod, the fish scattered as if water melons were falling off the back of a truck.
Tarpon fishing
The wind has been blowing non-stop. So needless to say the tarpon and the water temperatures both have been up and down like a yo-yo. On a typical day with good weather we were jumping 8-9 fish on a morning trip and the same holds true for the evening bite. Last evening an incredible amount of tarpon just kept pouring and pouring into the Key West harbor before sunset, the water was boiling with Tarpon for as far as you could see. What a sight! I never get tired of seeing these fish in large numbers. It reminds me of something that one would only see on National Geographic. The fish were ranging in size from 30lb - 140lbs and probably above.
Live Baiting
Live baiting for Tarpon has been a standard for many years. A good stiff rod, a reel that will hold up under extreme abuse, some braided line, and a very sharp circle hook. Pinfish and live Blue crabs are the baits of choice in Key West. I have put out several traps this year so we should always have some nice live Happy Baits.
Fly rods are a great way to hunt these fish. You really don't need to be able to make a 90ft cast when these fish are in the harbor. Generally we are throwing at large schools (20-80 fish) and try to drift through them. Getting as close as 10ft away is not uncommon so brush up on your casting a little bit and come on down. These fish are truly amazing. Of course hooking up a big Tarpon at 10ft away has its disadvantages. When the jumping gets underway, YOU better be able to jump out of the way. They have been known to find their way into the boat.
Have not learned to change the weather yet!
I would like to apologize to those of you that I was not able to take out fishing recently. You were here and saw what was going on with the weather. I ended up canceling 15 days last month, and a few this month due to the terrible winds that we have had. With the wind blowing 20- 30 knots, believe me, sight casting to fish is completely out of the question. You are just getting taken for a wet boat ride and for your money! Sometimes in Key West it seems as if people are just interested in getting their hand into your pocket... Well I have never ran my business that way, and never will. We won't pee on your leg and tell you that its raining! (To quote Judge Judy). So If I can help you out or answer any questions that you may have, send me an e-mail.
Capt. Larry Cohen
Key West Flats Fishing
903 Eisenhower Drive
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-7670 home
305-923-7100 cell
LCohen4@bellsouth.net
www.keywestflatsfishing.com
www.keywestfishinghats.com
www.keywest-art.com
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Larry Cohen (Larry_cohen)
New member
Username: Larry_cohen
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 7:55 am: | |
Capt. Larry Cohen's Key West Fishing Report - March 2004
Poor Mister blue crab! As one of the main foods for the Permit, Cobia, Tarpon, and all of the stingrays upon the flats right now, well, you would not want to be in his shoes. For the past few weeks we have been into the Permit up to our necks. East, West, Oceanside, or Gulf, they have just been all over and they have been eating well for us. A well-placed blue crab is the bait of choice. Take your time, figure out how the wind is going to effect your cast, keep in mind which way the tide is running, keep your eye on the fish, rub your lucky rabbit foot, and maybe this big eyed fish will take your offering.
Cobias once again have been up on the flats in big numbers and they too enjoy mister blue crab. Not to long ago I had the pleasure of fishing Susanne Santola who was new to saltwater fishing. After explaining a few of the basics of casting she went on to release 5 cobias that day. Keep a sharp eye out for the sting rays and their tell tale mud streak, a sure bet that something is looking for mister blue crab.
Tarpon have been starting to show as the weather starts to warm. As I have not learned how to change the weather, I can only predict that things should be getting red hot very shortly, and once again the night bite will be in full swing. Here too, if you offer a large blue crab to one of these bad boys, be ready to get a work out.
As far as tackle goes you really need to have everything in pretty good shape. Between the Permit and Tarpon they can burn up a drag washer on a cheap reel faster than a bad set of tires. I myself use Shimano reels, Redington rods, and Berkley Fireline. This combination has always been a winner for me.
True story - A gentleman that I had fished recently wanted to fish with his own gear: No problem I said. As he pulled stuff out of the backpack I tried to persuade him to change his mind, shaking my head, and saying it just aint going to work. Well on the first Barracuda his reel locked up and his line snapped so quickly, it sounded like a shot. He ended the day with several fish caught and agreed that maybe it was time to upgrade his equipment.
Well, I guess Ill go downtown and have me a Blue crab sandwich and a beer in the meantime. If I can help you with any info of what we do or what is going on down here, just let me know.
Capt. Larry Cohen
Key West Flats Fishing
903 Eisenhower Drive
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-7670 home
305-923-7100 cell
LCohen4@bellsouth.net
www.keywestflatsfishing.com
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Capt Bob Brown, Jr (Captbobbrownjr)
New member
Username: Captbobbrownjr
Post Number: 3
Registered: 12-2003
Rating:
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 4:25 pm: | |
Reef Bite Great
The Grouper and Snapper fishing on the reef in the middle Keys has been excellent for the past few weeks with lots of nice size Black Grouper hitting the docks around Marathon. On the "Sundance" lately we have has several Black Grouper topping 30lb with quite a few 10-25lb fish also. Other charter boats have had similar luck as well. Some big Black Grouper have been coming in from the deep edge of the reef in 60-100ft. of water in the areas where boats are fishig for Yellowtail Snapper. Deep wrecks have also produced lately with fish up to 40lb along with some Goliath Grouper up to 200+lb. Mutton Snapper from 15-20lb have also been caught along with some good size Red and Gag Grouper. Some nice King Mackerel have also been inhabiting the deep reef edge. Yellowtail Snapper have been biting as well with good catches of big flag Tails coming to the docks last week.
Offshore tough to take!
The offshore fishing this past week has been a tough way to go as breezy conditions of 20-25K winds have been the norm for the past 5-6 days. The SE winds should help heat up the Dolphin fishing for the anglers willing to brave the conditions and venture offhsore. Sailfish should be tailing with this much wind, but westerly current conditions on the reef edge the past few days has held down the bite on Sails. It could bust loose in grand fashion however, when the current swings around to the east. Cobia action should also be heating up on the Atlantic side as March wears on. Look for the Permit to start showing on the oceanside wrecks and humps from Hawk's Channel to the deep reef edge.
Cobia in the Bay
Some good Cobia action has been reported in the Florida Bay recently as some boats have optioned to go Bayside with the windy conditions. Nice Cobia have been coming in from the 13-20 mile wrecks on the bayside with lots of smaller fish reported also. Mackerel fishing has cooled a bit but still plenty to be had from 6-13 miles out on the Bayside of Marathon. Snapper fishing has been a bit slow lately on the larger fish but plenty of smaller fish have been filling in the holes in the bite lately. If you want more information on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our web site.
Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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Capt. Larry Cohen - Key West (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating:
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 5:42 am: | |
Mrs. Cohen's Key West Fishing Report - January 2004
Hit or miss!
Well, we are getting a lot of short notice inquiries with the questions:
1. how is the weather and
2. how is the fishing right now.
Well, Larry just did not know what to write anymore. So I took over and here are my five minutes of fame:
There is no real pattern with the weather and fishing right now. Every day is different from the day before. Larry had some days with only little visibility due to the clouds and the choppy waters. Needless to say that the results weren't good with only 1or 2 cudas landed. On the other hand Larry and I went out for a boat ride. I haven't been on the flats since my return from Tennessee before Christmas and wanted to charge my batteries and get some sun. (Fortunately we took some rods with us).
We didn't see much, one permit and one big cobia that came fast towards the skiff.....and got away even faster. But little later, when I saw another cobia about 60ft away from us, I grabbed the rod, made "the picture perfect cast" right behind him, started reeling, he followed and BANG! got him hooked. Yee-haw!! Larry did not even have the time to tell me what to do. I already had him hooked and it took me about 15 minutes to get him to the boat and we now have a few bags in the freezer. Good eatin'! I was holding my head pretty high for the rest of the day, as I don't have the chance to go out fishing with Larry that often. Either the weather is bad or he is booked. So I am a real amateur. But I know how to eat!
I placed the fillets on a baking pan lined out with aluminum foil, sprinkled the fish with some lemon juice, seasoned it with salt, fresh ground pepper, fresh diced garlic and some olive oil. I like to broil it for about 20 minuteson 375 degrees, then I sprinkle a good layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of it and broil it until it has a golden brown color. With a nice romaine salad with cherry tomatoes, broccoli slaw, avocado and a balsamic vinaigrette it is very tasty, healthy (and low carbs) meal we both enjoyed.
Enough girly stuff! Yesterday we got a cold front in and we are expecting the next one this weekend with cold air from the North. That spooks the fish away and we need again 2 days of sunshine to warm up the waters and for the fish to come back. We even have our customized thermometer in form of two baby tarpon which moved right next to our houseboat and Larry feeds them with shrimp every day. They leave when the water temperature drops and when I see the "twins" though my kitchen window as they swim around our boat, we know that the water temperatures warmed up and it is time to take a look at the flats. So basically we are fishing the "windows" between the cold fronts and there are not endless chances to land a fish. So, get it together because if you don't hit, you'll miss!
Tight and screaming lines!
Isabel Cohen
Key West Flats Fishing
903 Eisenhower Drive
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-7670 home
305-923-7100 cell
LCohen4@bellsouth.net
www.keywestflatsfishing.com
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Capt Bob Brown, Jr (Captbobbrownjr)
New member
Username: Captbobbrownjr
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2003
Rating:
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 6:23 pm: | |
Super Grouper and Mega Mangroves!
The cool weather we had back in December has helped the reef fishing heat up as we have enjoyed some great fishing lately on the reef and in Hawk's Channel. The Red Grouper action was fast and furious around Christmas and New Year's on the patch reefs and Hawk Channel humps. Nice sized keepers in the 20-25" category we common for a couple weeks. Some nice Black Grouper have been coming in as well, as yesterday we had three large Blacks to go with a nice Red and lots of Mangroves and Yellowtails. Lots of undersized Grouper have been hitting the Shrimp and Pinfish as well on the reef along with Blacks and Gags that have been hovering just below keeper status of 24". All makes for some great reef fishing action as a 23" Grouper can sure pull hard! Moving from hump to hump or patch to patch without hanging out too long on any one spot seems to be the ticket to putting together a good Grouper catch these days. Chances are you will catch a couple of good ones off of a spot and then the smaller ones take over. After an hour or so, move on to the next spot on your list. UNLESS...... You are catching some of the fantastic Mangrove Snapper action that has been going on as well. Nice Mangroves have been hitting the docks all over Marathon and 30' of water seems to be the best depth for the larger Mangs on the patch reefs. Live Shrimp and Pilchards seems to be the best baits. The Mangrove bite has also been good at the 7 mile bridge and in Florida Bay as good catches have been coming in both sides of Marathon. Use cut Ballyhoo when Bay fishing as they seem to prefer that bait the most, but live or cut pinfish will also work well. The other super hot bite going on right now is the Mackerel in Florida Bay. "As fast as you can throw the line in" I have been hearing from the Mackerel fishermen in the Bay. We were out there three days ago and they were chewing up everything we threw out there. Great fun for all in calm waters! This activity should last from now through Feb and into March before starting to cool off.
Sailfish & Tuna
The Sailfish action off of the middle keys has been a bit spotty but when you find the right spot, the action has been very good. The hot area last week was from Looe Key to Marker G near Big Pine Key, near Sombrero light & 6 miles west of Sombrero light. In between seemed to have dead areas where not many Sails were showing up, but some boats caught as many as 5-8 Sails per day in the hotter areas. The King Mackerel action has been good as well on the reef edge and a few Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) have been finding their way into the spread as well with all the SE winds we have has this week. A turn to more NE winds the next few days should fire up the Sailfish bite and keep the Kingfish around as well. Offshore fishermen braving the breezy conditions last week to venture out to the humps were rewarded with nice catches of Blackfin Tuna. Some fish up to 25lb were reported but most fish that were caught "on the troll" were in the 10-15lb. class. Some schools of Mahi were also reported 15-20 miles offshore in some huge weed lines that were out there at the time. Those conditions have changed now, but look for the Dolphin fishing to be good when ever we have a stretch of warm weather like we just had. If you would like more information on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our web site at www.sundancesportfishing.com.
Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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Capt. Larry Cohen - Key West (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 27, 2003 - 6:49 am: | |
Key West Flats Fishing Report - December 2003 - January 2004
With the winds blowing out of the North, and the water temperature dropping, and the sound of Christmas music on all the radio stations, it can only mean one thing: Old Man Winter is making his way back down to the Keys.
As we switch to the winter mode of fishing here in the Keys, you can be sure to get into some pretty fast action. Winter brings the very large barracudas from the Ocean up onto the flats. Some of these cudas get into the 45-50 inch range and larger. These are great fish on light tackle. Here is a photo of Dave Oxford from NY with a nice barracuda.
Also the cobia should start showing up on the wrecks as well as on the flats behind mudding sting rays.
The deeper channels will be holding a larger selection of fish this time of the year such as jacks, mackerel, snapper and lady fish.
We are taking bookings now for the coming year until the end of June. Please keep in mind that our prime fishing season is from February through the end of June. Last February the weather was very nice and the tarpon came in very early. Larry has a few dates available for the coming season at this time. Our usual customers book up to one year in advance for a lot of the prime dates. If you have any questions at all about fishing or what's going on in Key West, please email or call any time. We will be more than happy to put you in the right direction.
Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
Capt. Larry Cohen
Key West Flats Fishing
903 Eisenhower Drive
Key West, FL 33040
305-294-7670 home
305-923-7100 cell
LCohen4@bellsouth.net
www.keywestflatsfishing.com
www.keywestfishinghats.com
www.keywest-art.com
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Capt Bob Brown, Jr (Captbobbrownjr)
New member
Username: Captbobbrownjr
Post Number: 1
Registered: 12-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 2:55 pm: | |
Cool Weather - Hot Reef Bite!
The recent trend of a cool front every three or four days has changed the fishing landscape a bit in the Keys. The cool weather this time of year usually ushers in some red hot Mackerel action and it has been happening the past couple weeks. The Cero Mackerel have been tearing up the in shore areas around the Keys especially in Hawk's Channel and on the patch reefs on the ocean side of the Keys. Spanish Mackerel have been found in good numbers from 6-12 miles North of Marathon on the bay side in the deeper areas and near wrecks. Live Shrimp or small pilchards work well for the Macks and make sure to use a small piece of wire leader for best results.
The Snapper and Grouper action has been very good on the patch reef areas and in Hawk's channel as well. Nice catches of Red Grouper have been reported with lots of keeper sized Reds along with some large Mangrove snapper and lots of smaller Grouper that have to be released. This area is a good place to find some hot action and remain in fairly calm waters during the Notherly winds that have been dominating the scene lately. Live Pinfish, Live Shrimp, and cut bait such as Ballyhoo or Mullet work well for the Grouper. The large Mangroves tend to prefer the Ballyhoo. Fresh Ballyhoo works best. If you are able to catch your own Ballyhoo, try to keep a few live ones to put way back on a long mono leader w/about a 2oz. lead for the occasional big Mutton that may be lurking in the area. Nice sized Mutton Snapper have been showing up all over the reef lately, but some 10-20lb. fish have been coming in from the patch reef areas as well. Nice numbers of Yellowtail have been coming in as well. All you want of the 13-16" fish have been common in the 30ft depth range with good numbers of the larger fish coming from the deeper reef in about 60-80ft.
Sailfish Action Good
The recent cool weather should only add fuel to the fire as far as Sailfishing goes in the Keys. Here off of Marathon lately some boats have been catching from 2-6 Sails per trip and there always seems to be one around at some point in the day. Generally right after a cool front, once the wind turns back to the NE, the bite usaully increases and lots of action is in store. Live bait is the ticket for best results. Ballyhoo, Blue Runners, Goggle Eyes & Pilchards are the best baits. If you have trouble locating them, some of the local bait shops are starting to carry live Pilchards and Mullet. They might cost you a few bucks, but well worth it if you hook into a few Sails.
The drawback to cool weather this time of year is that it cools off the Dolphin fishing on the offshore scene. Look for Mahi's to bite when the weather warms up for a couple days inbetween fronts. Look for debris or weed lines. One plus on the offshore scene is usually an increase in the number of Blackfin Tuna as the cooler weather pushes some down south ahead of schedule. Look for the Tuna action to really heat up in late Jan. and into Feb.
If you's like more info on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our website. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 7:41 am: | |
Bite at Night!
Traditionally, the late summer offshore fishing in the Keys is a "keep the boat moving" time of year. Trolling for Dolphin offshore during the day to make your own breeze is usually the norm. Nice catches of Dolphin have been coming in along with some large Wahoo including a 79lb. fish recently 17 miles out off of Marathon. Some Marlin have also been reported from offshore as well near the west hump. Along with some Swords at night about 6 miles SW of the hump. Night fishing may be more to the liking this time of year to escape the hot sun especially when reef, wreck, or bayside fishing around the Keys.
Mangrove Snapper fishing should be heating up at night right now along with the Yellowtails. You will find most resident fishermen that reef fish this time of year venturing out just before sundown and getting established on their favorite Snapper hole just before dark. The fish seem to prefer night time for feeding and it is much easier on the anglers as well. Good night lights are a must on your boat along with good knowledge of where the shallows are so you don't end up high and dry at 11PM.
Tarpon fishing is also an alternative this time of year and is great action at night without going out to the reef. Fish run a bit smaller this time of year, but some great action can be found along the Keys. The bridge channels are a good place to start, but don't count out the beaches on the ocean side of the Keys as Tarpon migrate along the shorelines. The large sandbar off of Key Colony Beach is a good place to look for schools of Tarpon on the move along with other shallow areas off of Grassy Key and Boot Key. Tarpon will eat a variety of things and a favorite bait at night is large plugs such as "Bomber Long-A's" casted and retrieved. Live baits are good too, pinfish, blue crabs and finger mullet will work.
Keep you eyes out when night fishing off the Keys as you never know when someone might have a light problem on their boat and still have to make it home.
If you'd like more information on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our webstite at: www.sundancesportfishing.com.
Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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Capt. Dexter Simmons (Captdexter)
New member
Username: Captdexter
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 - 9:43 am: | |
Baby Tarpon in the Marquesas and the Lower Florida Keys are often accompanied by some good size Jack Crevalle chasing the same glass minnows, pilchard, or mullet minnows. Here Ken displays a nice 25 pound Tarpon caught in Mooney Harbor Channel in the Marquesas. Believe it or not, Ken hooked, jumped and landed this Tarpon after his first cast a few mornings ago. As a matter of fact, this was the first time that Ken had ever cast to Tarpon! Good job Ken!
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Ken's better half, Karen, then caught a big Jack Crevalle of about 15 pounds. The Jack was very feisty and nearly was eaten by a large Black Tip Shark. Karen did a masterful job of keeping the Shark's jaws away form the Jack.
Recently, there has been some excellent Bonefish action on the flats. Here, Chase proudly holds a 7 pound Bone caught in the Sugarloaf backcountry.
<IMG SRC="http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/bonenarrows.jpg" WIDTH=233 HEIGHT=185>
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer,
fall and winter. For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 11, 2003 - 8:14 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
Saratoga George had a great day on the flats with his buddy Greg Persbacker (2002 Angler of the Year) today.
George landed this 70 pound Tarpon on a "Black Death" fly.
Greg jumped a 50 pound Tarpon in the minutes following George's catch. We then moved to the Gulf side flats in search of Bonefish and Permit.
George had the first shot at three good size Bones, but they spooked before George could get the fly to them. Greg took over and had a shot at 15 Bones schooling their way onto a sand flat next to a channel. Expecting a take, we were surprised when the fish eluded Greg's presentation.
George then grabbed Greg's Bonefish rod and proceeded to land this 10 pound Bonefish on the backcountry flats using
a tan "Sugarloaf Special" fly. What a beauty!
With several hours left in the day, we then hunted for the grand slam Permit. On one particular opportunity, George spotted some fish about 30 feet from the starboard transom
and casually mentioned that there were some Bonefish behind us. When I glanced back I saw three 20-25 pound Permit cruising by, and quickly pleaded with George "Those are Permit, CAST, CAST, CAST!" George made a valiant effort, but the wary fish were away out of range in seconds. A few more tough shots later put us
back at the dock with a Tarpon-Bonefish day. Greg consoled George and the two shook hands with each other and Capt. Dexter after a good day of fishing the flats.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer,
fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 5:36 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
The winds have subsided and a big push of Tarpon moved in from the reef today with one 50 fish daisy chain that Mark McVeigh and a "Black Death" fly took advantage of this morning. Here is Mark giving the down and dirty to a 90-100 pound Tarpon.
Here is Mark's Tarpon in full flight!
Don Wilkerson jumped a 100+ pound Silver King and brought another 70 pound Tarpon to the boat on a "Black Death" fly during the past few days. Here is the larger of Don's two Tarpon jumping.
Experience pays dividends when it comes to fly fishing for Tarpon on the flats and Don has had both fish eat the fly in the shallows after making perfect presentations.
Here is another jumping Tarpon taken on fly during the past few days.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer,
fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 6:10 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
Strong South winds have roiled the flats on the Atlantic side of the Keys today, so the Gulf and Backcountry flats are being targeted for Tarpon, Bonefish and Permit. Don Wilkerson jumped a 100+ pound Silver King and brought another 70 pound Tarpon to the boat on a "Black Death" fly during the past few days. Experience pays dividends when it comes to fly fishing for Tarpon on the flats and Don has had both fish eat the fly in the shallows after making perfect presentations.
Here is a jumping Tarpon taken on fly.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer,
fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 - 9:48 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
The big push has not arrived yet, however we are catching Tarpon on fly. With just a trickle of fish showing on the flats, experienced anglers are the difference between skunked days and successful ones. Jonathan Dyer and Michael Dinner, both veterans of the Tarpon flats, know how to make the fish eat and how to fight the silver king to the boat. Mike and Jonathan make the most out of their chances by capitalizing on each fish that eats the fly. Seldom do they let one get away or jump off the hook! I am proud to say that both of them are former winners of the Shep Simmons Memorial Angler of the Year award.
Here is Mike Dinner from Toronto with a Tarpon taken today on a "Black Death" fly.
Here is Jonathan Dyer with a Silver King taken with a "Cockroach" fly.
Both fish were revived and nursed into strong swimming strokes prior to release so that we may catch them again on another day.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer,
fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 19, 2003 - 5:51 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
Tarpon on the fly is a controlled substance. Variables such as weather conditions, migration patterns, and fly casting ability either help or hinder the angler's quest for hook-ups.
Generally speaking, you can count on the weather to be predictably warm enough in May and June to bring our water temps into the low to mid 80's. The warming waters have a springing effect on the spawning migration of the Megalops Atlanticus schools. With light southeast winds and warm waters, the Tarpon will form "daisy chains" or a circles of swimming fish performing their spawning ritual in
shallows along the island chain of the Florida Keys. That is when the fly fishing anglers have their most fun.
Here is a Jonathan Dyer with a 50 pound silver king caught with a "cockroach" fly this morning.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer,
fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 1:21 pm: | |
Subject: Marathon, Florida Keys Report
Tarpon HOT!!
The Tarpon season is in full gear in the Keys and the action in the Marathon area has been great for the past few weeks. Good numbers of big Tarpon have been hanging out at the 7 mile, Bahia Honda, Long Key, Vaca Cut, and Tom's Harbor bridges. Best bite lately has been in the afternoon on the outgoing tides. Best baits have been live Mullet, Pinfish, or Blue Crabs. Been hooking up several fish per 4 hour trip lately including three fish the other night when my wife Anne finished up the Ladies Tarpon tournament in second place!! Morning tides have been weak on the outgoing and the bite has been better the past couple days on the incoming tide in the AM.
Dolphin Action improving!
The offshore scene has seen an improvement in the Dolphin fishing with good numbers of schoolie sized Mahi's around from 15-25 miles offshore. A few groups of schoolies have been caught in as shallow as 300ft. but the best action seems to be hanging further offshore right now. Some larger fish up to 50lb. have been hitting the docks in Marathon as well, mostly found under floating debris or around working birds. Ballyhoo is the bait of choice when targeting Dolphin and it is a good idea to have a few live baits on board to toss to the larger Mahi when they swim up near the boat.
A few Sailfish have still been tailing through the area, but the good powder water condition that we had a few weeks ago is not around presently. Most Sails this week have come out of shallow water where you can spot them swimming over the sandy bottom in 30-60ft. of water. Have a few live baits to pitch to them if you are planning to target Sailfish this time of year.
Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 04, 2003 - 9:28 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
Finally, the winds have shifted into the prevailing East-Southeast and the Tarpon action is beginning to heat up on the flats. We are getting numerous shots at strings of Tarpon on shallow flats, laid up Tarpon in basins, and there are even a few "channel fish" to cast to at first light. While the forecast is for the winds to freshen to 20 knots by Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, at least we have a positive wind pattern established for a change. When it gets a bit windy, then we may have to find more channel Tarpon or laid up Tarpon than strings of cruising fish.
Here is a Tucker Murray hooked up to a 120 pound silver king.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer, fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt. Donald "Trouble"
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 8:16 pm: | |
Subject: Islamorada update
Spring is in the air this week after Easter as fishing has been worthwhile the past few days. Nice sized mahi-mahi were found between the reef edge and 500 feet of water primarily off Alligator reef. The reef itself was active as well when the current was moving. Finding a piece of bottom covered with black groupers was not uncommon as we were informed of a half a dozen different stories that all had the same theme. While one boat reported catching 6 blacks in a day, another had 10 and another had 14 and so on. The groupers were definitely on the move last week with the switch of the wind. By the way, it’s important to remember the limits on grouper when they’re biting that well. The daily bag limit for black grouper is 2 per person per day and they must be at least 24 inches in length for Monroe County residents. An unusual catch for the Keys this week comes from the charter boat Instigator out of Holiday Isle with Capt. Marty Digrius leading the way. Capt. Marty and his crew were out last Easter Sunday and was blessed with a huge spearfish he estimated to be between 70 and 80 pounds. If we were fishing around Hawaii that would not be such a spectacular catch, but around here we hear about maybe 3 per year or so. Tarpon are biting very well around the bridge channels in the evenings and good numbers still remain off the banks in Florida Bay which leaves the hope of a major push for next month as well. When we speak of the banks we’re talking about those that lie 20 miles West of Islamorada. We’re talking about Oxfoot, Sprigger, and Schooner banks. If you look at a chart of Florida Bay they are located between Duck Key and Cape Sable. Nevertheless, tarpon are on the move and are right on the heels of a huge migration of mullet. Showering mullet can be seen around the bridges and surrounding channels mainly in the evening as what is believed to be an advantage for the tarpon to ambush their prey [bait] during the nocturnal hours. I took Cathy Ludeke and her 12 year old son Timmy Ludeke out last Saturday and they got to experience this natural phenomenon first hand. Cathy caught her first tarpon, about a 50 pound fish on 20 pound tackle and Timmy’s fish, also a 50 pounder jumped off. I can assure you, better days lie ahead, Timmy. Timmy did manage to catch 3 sharks. A 15 pound full grown bonnett head and two nurse sharks, one of which was at least 125 pounds. Way to go Timmy! Trout have been biting well around Roscoe Key and in different areas of Whipray Basin on Florida Bay. Good numbers of dolphin [mahi-mahi] are headed our way and it looks like another Spring is off to a great start. So whether you’re poling the flats of the backcountry this week or patrolling the deep blue rips offshore, please remember to be safe and god bless. Capt. Donald Deputy can be reached at 853-7253 or through email at captdon@terranova.net.
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Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 5:46 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
North winds have kept the fishing temperatures cooled off. There has been some spotty Tarpon action on the Atlantic side of
the Keys during the past week. We have had some shots at baby Tarpon, laid up and cruising adult Tarpon on the flats and a few Permit and Bonefish on the flats. Overall, April has been tough fishing. We need the wind to shift into the Southeast for a week or so to motivate a "push" of Tarpon
from the deeper Atlantic.
Here is a Tarpon boated in April.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer, fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt Bob Brown, Jr.
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 4:03 pm: | |
Subject: Marathon, Florida Keys Report
Sailfish Action Sways With The Breeze!
The offshore fishing off of Marathon and the middle Keys has been highlighted by some fantastic Sailfishing in recent days. This just following a very slow period as tournament anglers in Key West's large Sailfish Tournament last weekend had to put up with Northwest winds that slowed the bite to a crawl. The three day tournament had winning boats with a total of 5 Sails. As the wind turned to the Northeast and picked back up to 15-20knots two days ago, the bite was back on as some boats recorded as many as 25 Sailfish releases in as short as 4 hours of fishing! The turning of the wind to the East, coupled with the hard current running back to the East creates the great "tailing" conditions that we had on Tuesday. There has been lots of dirty water offshore of the Keys lately, and when the easterly current is running back into the wind and up against the dirty water, a powder blue water color is created. This is the target area for Sailfish, Cobia, and Hammerhead Sharks this time of year, with some occasional surprises also surfing down the waves. Several Swordfish have been seen tailing recently along with a few large Tuna, Dolphin, Marlin and other Sharks. Lately, this water color condition has been in fairly deep water off of Marathon, causing many boats to run down to the west as much as 30-45 miles. The condition has been in closer down near Key West which is what you are looking for this time of year. Sailfish want to be in the area from the reef edge, say 30-40ft. of water out to about 200ft. When the color change is out in 400-500ft., it dramatically reduces the number of Sails that you see on the color change edge. Most boats have been sight fishing and pitching baits to the fish using mainly Mullet, Pilchards, Ballyhoo, or Pinfish. Cobia will eat crabs, & pinfish fairly well allowing you to save other baits for the Sails. If you are out cruising the color change keep your eye peeled and a bait in the livewell as this exciting part of the year is now in full swing.
If you would like more information on Sailfishing in the middle Keys, check out our website! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr
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Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 15, 2003 - 7:57 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
The Fishing Report.
April 15, 2003
March came in like a lamb with great weather and fishing, then went out like a lion with a severe cold front that knocked us off the water for three days into the beginning of April. Since then, the April fishing has been tough on the flats with mostly windy and cool days. Currently we have Northeast winds which have kept the water temperatures cooled off into the low 70's in the nighttime and mornings, creeping into the high 70's in the afternoons. We have had some shots at Tarpon, Permit and Bonefish on the flats, but the action has been spotty at best! Only bait boats chumming madly have had great success in April.
Here is a Tarpon taken in April.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer, fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt Donald Deputy
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 31, 2003 - 8:31 pm: | |
Subject: report for Islamorada
Primarily southwest wind helped to make good reef conditions last week. Depending upon where you chose to set up shop at the reef’s edge last week it seemed nothing less than ideal to anchor and chum as the current was mostly flowing in a northeasterly direction all week. Usually when the wind is blowing 15 or so knots as it was last week one would expect it to be rough. Not necessarily so, when the wind and the current work together it can be surprisingly calm even in deep water of 100 feet or more. The water color has been green along the edge and the yellowtail snapper have definitely responded to this condition. One school of thought about fishing the dirty water is that a fish, yellowtail snapper for instance, cannot see our monofilament line and gear creating a more natural situation in their world whereas they are reacting mainly on their sense of smell. Sound is also a very important sense for groupers and other bottom dwellers like mutton snapper. A scaled sandy key pilchard with it’s tail snipped off is a tough bait to resist for a hungry mutton snapper living in murky water near the bottom. Sometimes you can get away with slightly heavier gear than you would say when it was gin clear and calm. Likewise, a frisky speedo with a broken tail is a wonderfully noisy bait emitting an attractive odor for a black grouper lurking in the dirty water. King mackerel continue to bite around the ledges and near some of the wrecks along the edge of the reef. Live cigar minnows or speedos have been the best baits for these toothy critters and an occasional wahoo was reported. A well defined current edge off Islamorada in 300-400 feet of water held good numbers of mahi-mahi that were between 1 and 5 pounds. Blackfin tuna have inhabited the hump areas for the past month and hopefully this activity will keep up throughout April. Big dolphin are on the way. Reports from Key West were good this week and god willing we are their next destination on the long trek northward. Lots of mullet in Florida Bay have made there way into some of the marina basins along with some huge tarpon. The tarpon migration has begun with many guides reporting fish well over a hundred pounds being caught and released on live crabs and mullet. Pilchards are fantastic bait for tarpon if you can find them. Capt. Donny Lange of Bandit charters out of Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada reported great tarpon snook and redfish action well out in the bay to the west of Sandy Key and off Cape Sable this past week. It is hard to get an exact report from most backcountry guides as they work hard to find fish for their customers. The best thing I can recommend to you is to charter a guide that you trust for the day and pay close attention. Our backcountry guides are a wealth of invaluable information gained through many years of experience. Whether you’re poling the flats of the backcountry this week or patrolling the deep blue rips offshore, be safe and god bless.
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Capt. Dexter Simmons
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2003 - 10:25 pm: | |
Subject: Key West, Lower Keys, Marquesas Fly Fishing Report
The Fishing Report.
March 29, 2003
The Permit are still "Marching". Here is Tom Levy with a nice Permit.
Here is a March Tarpon taking air.
There are also Bonefish swarming on the flats as well if you can pull yourself away from
the Tarpon power game and the pesky Permit.
Our Father (Mother) - Son (Daughter) Key West Flats Fishing Trips are now scheduled for throughout the summer, fall and winter.
For more information about the Father and Son Flats
Fishing Trips go to http://www.keywestflyfishing.com/fatherandson.htm
You may contact Capt. Dexter Simmons for a future fishing charter by telephone at 305-745-3304 or by email at
captdexter@prodigy.net |
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 - 7:49 pm: | |
Subject: Marathon, Florida Keys Report
Offshore - Cobia Rule!
Lots of seasonal Cobia showing up on the ocean side of the Keys and Marathon lately. Some good numbers of Cobia have been found and caught lately offshore of Marathon and west to American shoals. The fish have either been just tailing (or cruising the surface down sea) or have been found near large leatherback turtles, Manta Rays, and Whale Sharks. Another guide out of my marina found a large Whale shark today moving slowly west off of the 7 mile bridge in 115 ft of water and the shark was covered with more than a hundred cobia up to 70lb. The smaller ones were release and the party had their limit of fish from 35-60lb. We were in the area a couple days ago of a large manta ray that had 30 or so fish on it when another charter captain called us over to his location where we caught a large Cobia and lost several more before the Ray dove deep. These sightings have been common for the past couple weeks and lots of nice fish have been hitting the docks. A few Sailfish have been caught lately along with the Cobia along the color change that has been consistantly out there at around 200-300ft. The next big east wind should prove to have some great Sailfish action if the color change and current situation remain intact.
Dolphin fishing has been a bit spotty lately off of Marathon as a large area of cooler water has moved in offshore in 300ft. of water out as far as 20 miles. It is strange to see this kind of condition, and probably is due to the severely cold January in the Gulf region which cooled the water down to as low as 62 off of the Keys. The natural flow of the Gulfstream drags some of the gulf water along with it and may be causing this. The water in on the reef edge has been around 80 degres and the water offshore yesterday was about 73. This could change any day as the water is moving east and a good rate lately at around 2.5 knots. Look for Dolphin fishing to improve as the water warms or moves out of the area all together.
Tarpon Action Hot!
The Tarpon fishing at the famous 7 mile bridge has busted loose again after a bit of a slow period in the middle of March. Our anglers, Pete and Loretta Feeney of Newcastle, DE. fought 4 large Tarpon a couple mornings ago and missed a few others as the bite was on. Pete also had a large Hammerhead Shark attack one of his tarpon and it was in the 600lb range! Quite a site to see. Good thing the Tarpon escaped, but was running scared and put on quite a show close to the boat. Look for the Tarpon bite to improve even more in the coming weeks with Bahia Honda Bridge starting to heat up by early April. Good Tarpon action has also been reported at the Long Key bridge and at other bridges in the Islamorada area. If you would like more info on Tarpon fishing in the Marathon area check out our website.
Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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