KEY WEST – Spring fishing in the Florida Keys is still going strong this week. Shallow water fishing to deep sea fishing has seen a flourish of activity and a wide variety of fish.
The 2006 World Sailfish Championship brought 116 teams from throughout the South East to Key West for three days of world-class sailfishing. Although the bite was not as hot as in 2005, several teams managed to release multiple fish each day. In the end Vitamin Sea Too, from Pompano Beach, FL reigned as the winner of the 2006 tournament and walked away with the $100,000 check.
A total of 394 sailfish were caught and released during this years three day tournament. Vitamin Sea Too hung onto the lead releasing six sails the first day, six sails the second, and only two on the third. It was enough to stay ahead of Sea Wolf, who took second place with 12 fish released. Counter Culture came in third place, also with 12 fish released.
Vitamin Sea Too and most of the other tournament participants were fishing west of Key West from the end of the bar all the way to the tail end buoy near Rebecca Shoal. “It was tough,” replied Captain Brice Barr on the Double Down out of Key West. Barr fished to the West for the first two days. He mentioned that they saw quite a few fish and each day they hooked up several times. The third day of fishing left the fleet of participants split, some went way east while the rest stuck to the original plan and headed west once again.
There is certainly plenty of fish in the sea and actively biting this week. Offshore fishing took a positive turn just after the Sailfish Tournament ended. Winds decreased and the 5 to 10 mph wind out of the south east brought the mahi-mahi and wahoo in to our area. Several large dolphin were caught this week in the 30- pound range along with some smaller ones in the 10- pound range. Needless to say there is really no shortage of mahi-mahi action this time of year and it will last into the summer months.
Captain Tom Ault on the Time Out at A&B Marina reported some unusually large wahoo they caught last week on a full day charter. Ault was trolling in an area called the Ups and Downs in 750 feet where he landed a 33- and 43- pound wahoo. Ault landed several mahi-mahi the same trip.
Permit fishing near Western Dry Rocks, Vestal Shoal and some of the smaller wrecks around the Marquesas has still been decent this week. Captain Andrea Paulson joined us for an afternoon out on the reef where we sight casted to a large school of permit. Paulson and I doubled up on our first casts into the school. One was on a live shrimp, the other on a live crab and small jig. We landed 5 permit that day and lost a few others.
Blackfin tuna fishing off the Gulf shrimp boats has been hot this week. Several boats including Captain Steve Rodger on Spear One out of Murray Marina had a nice catch of tuna in the 30- pound range. Tunas that hang out below the shrimp boats as they cull their catch are generally larger than the ones we catch in the winter in the Atlantic.
On the flats there has been nothing but great action for tarpon. From Big Pine to the Marquesas there are plenty of large tarpon following their migratory path up the coast of Florida. There were a few days this week where the fishing slowed down a bit. It just seemed to be that one group of tarpon moved out while another group moved in a few days later to take their place.
Night tarpon fishing has been extremely productive. Tarpon enjoy slurping shrimp off the surface during the fuller moon phase and it is a terrific time to fish for them with live bait, sinking plug or even a dark colored fly. Black and purple and the traditional black death work great for night time tarpon fishing.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Key West Fishing Report - April 14
For a gal that loves fishing I tend to do a lot more writing and talking about it that actually doing it these days. Not by choice, but making a living in the Florida Keys gets more difficult each year so my spot in front of the computer is where I am at most hours of the day and night earning my living.
This week it has absolutely been killing me to be indoors with a bird’s eye view of the clear blue skies and I’ve even taken notice of the tree tops that are not moving too much. Yes, it’s been pretty darn nice around here and the fish stories are rolling in again.
Don’t get me wrong, I can get out there any time I want. I’ve got a skiff with my name on it in the garage ready to go and a few friends on standby that would jump at the chance to get out on the water.
My big thing is when the fish are biting; I want to be on that pointy end of the boat, not floundering around on the poling platform trying to chase fish.
By a fluke, my lucky day came during this beautiful week of fishing weather. My husband, Captain Justin Rea, came home with good news that he’d be getting a day off because his client needed to leave early. Without any hesitation, negotiations were underway to get out fishing.
Let me clue you in on something about being married to a fishing guide, it’s great because you always have someone to watch fishing shows with, talk about what the latest catch is, and even learn new techniques, but fishing during the hottest season of the year together is out of the question.
Ending up in a win-win situation, I get out tarpon fishing for a few hours; he gets help organizing all those receipts for the tax man. What a deal!
We headed out of Sugarloaf Marina for a brief look at a few tarpon holes. After a jaunt around the Lower Keys exploring different new spots, we ended our day with a cruise through Loggerhead Basin. The cloud cover that haunted us a few hours ago was now well out to sea and the purple-backed tarpon were easy to see.
I had not been out on the water for so long that I was almost second guessing my own abilities to spot fish and to make the proper cast. With the biggest critic in my fishing career standing a mere 15 feet behind me, I was a little nervous too. I know he only wants me to catch fish.
I had my shots at many cruising tarpon that day. A few followed the fly all the way to the boat. Others were scared off with only remnants of their exhaust of sand churned up from the shallow bottom.
I did hook two beasts that day, with my luck they both ran straight at the boat and jumped leaving me not enough room to set the hook properly.
Regardless of the outcome, that tarpon jumping it etched in my mind and will be until the next time I get out there.
Offshore and reef fishing has improved this week with steady action in the Gulf and Atlantic waters.
Captain Jake Perry on Mean Green out of Murray Marina has had some luck down at the end of the Bar for bonito and large sharks. Although large sharks can sometimes be a nuisance when you are trying to fish for bottom fish, they are plenty of fun on light tackle. Perry also landed several nice mutton snapper and a 15- pound dolphin.
Captain Tony Murphy on the Key Limey also had some good days of fishing this week. “It will stay consistent unless we get another blow,” Murphy said. Having fished the Gulf and Atlantic waters this week, Murphy had a broad view of all the fishing possibilities.
He mentioned that there were still some big kings in the Gulf, and when the bite was done there he headed over to the Atlantic side to finish off the day with some tuna action on the Sub.
Pretty soon the tunas will move into the Gulf and will be found boiling behind shrimp boats as they cull their catch. This is one of the most fun trips to take especially if you are a fly rodder. The tuna eat right at the boat and don’t care what pattern of fly you’ve tied up.
Murphy has also seen permit on some of the shallow wrecks just outside the Marquesas indicating that the yearly spawn is underway. “They’ve got lockjaw,” explained Murphy.
Permit are generally easy to feed on the wrecks this time of year. A live crab on a small hook does the trick. Just run past the wreck or patch reef area and drift quietly over it waiting for the permit to show at the surface. They turn the water a bright green when they near the surface. If they are eating, more often than not, they can’t resist a live crab. Permit on the wrecks generally range from 10- pounds to 40- pounds.
Bottom fishing has continued to be productive just off the reef. Captain Rush Maltz on Odyssea, also out of Murray Marina has been spending his days just off the reef in 75 ft of water. Maltz’s anglers have reeled in a nice mixed bag of yellowtail up to 2- pounds, mutton snapper and some big mangrove snapper up to 4- pounds. Maltz said catching such large mangrove snapper was “unusual” but they managed to catch around 20 of them.
This week’s expectations include a more defined color change to the east of Key West waters bringing in more sailfish and tailing cobia along the reef. Unless we have a dramatic change in the weather, wreck and reef fishing will remain consistant.On the flats, the tarpon migration continues to produce some nice big fish upwards to 80- pounds. Bonefishing has been reported good in the backcountry Big Pine to Key West and we’ll start to see more sizable bones as the waters warm up. Permit fishing on the flats will slow down as the larger fish head offshore to spawn. Look for the occasional decent sized permit on the flats but expect to find schools of considerably smaller ones.
This week it has absolutely been killing me to be indoors with a bird’s eye view of the clear blue skies and I’ve even taken notice of the tree tops that are not moving too much. Yes, it’s been pretty darn nice around here and the fish stories are rolling in again.
Don’t get me wrong, I can get out there any time I want. I’ve got a skiff with my name on it in the garage ready to go and a few friends on standby that would jump at the chance to get out on the water.
My big thing is when the fish are biting; I want to be on that pointy end of the boat, not floundering around on the poling platform trying to chase fish.
By a fluke, my lucky day came during this beautiful week of fishing weather. My husband, Captain Justin Rea, came home with good news that he’d be getting a day off because his client needed to leave early. Without any hesitation, negotiations were underway to get out fishing.
Let me clue you in on something about being married to a fishing guide, it’s great because you always have someone to watch fishing shows with, talk about what the latest catch is, and even learn new techniques, but fishing during the hottest season of the year together is out of the question.
Ending up in a win-win situation, I get out tarpon fishing for a few hours; he gets help organizing all those receipts for the tax man. What a deal!
We headed out of Sugarloaf Marina for a brief look at a few tarpon holes. After a jaunt around the Lower Keys exploring different new spots, we ended our day with a cruise through Loggerhead Basin. The cloud cover that haunted us a few hours ago was now well out to sea and the purple-backed tarpon were easy to see.
I had not been out on the water for so long that I was almost second guessing my own abilities to spot fish and to make the proper cast. With the biggest critic in my fishing career standing a mere 15 feet behind me, I was a little nervous too. I know he only wants me to catch fish.
I had my shots at many cruising tarpon that day. A few followed the fly all the way to the boat. Others were scared off with only remnants of their exhaust of sand churned up from the shallow bottom.
I did hook two beasts that day, with my luck they both ran straight at the boat and jumped leaving me not enough room to set the hook properly.
Regardless of the outcome, that tarpon jumping it etched in my mind and will be until the next time I get out there.
Offshore and reef fishing has improved this week with steady action in the Gulf and Atlantic waters.
Captain Jake Perry on Mean Green out of Murray Marina has had some luck down at the end of the Bar for bonito and large sharks. Although large sharks can sometimes be a nuisance when you are trying to fish for bottom fish, they are plenty of fun on light tackle. Perry also landed several nice mutton snapper and a 15- pound dolphin.
Captain Tony Murphy on the Key Limey also had some good days of fishing this week. “It will stay consistent unless we get another blow,” Murphy said. Having fished the Gulf and Atlantic waters this week, Murphy had a broad view of all the fishing possibilities.
He mentioned that there were still some big kings in the Gulf, and when the bite was done there he headed over to the Atlantic side to finish off the day with some tuna action on the Sub.
Pretty soon the tunas will move into the Gulf and will be found boiling behind shrimp boats as they cull their catch. This is one of the most fun trips to take especially if you are a fly rodder. The tuna eat right at the boat and don’t care what pattern of fly you’ve tied up.
Murphy has also seen permit on some of the shallow wrecks just outside the Marquesas indicating that the yearly spawn is underway. “They’ve got lockjaw,” explained Murphy.
Permit are generally easy to feed on the wrecks this time of year. A live crab on a small hook does the trick. Just run past the wreck or patch reef area and drift quietly over it waiting for the permit to show at the surface. They turn the water a bright green when they near the surface. If they are eating, more often than not, they can’t resist a live crab. Permit on the wrecks generally range from 10- pounds to 40- pounds.
Bottom fishing has continued to be productive just off the reef. Captain Rush Maltz on Odyssea, also out of Murray Marina has been spending his days just off the reef in 75 ft of water. Maltz’s anglers have reeled in a nice mixed bag of yellowtail up to 2- pounds, mutton snapper and some big mangrove snapper up to 4- pounds. Maltz said catching such large mangrove snapper was “unusual” but they managed to catch around 20 of them.
This week’s expectations include a more defined color change to the east of Key West waters bringing in more sailfish and tailing cobia along the reef. Unless we have a dramatic change in the weather, wreck and reef fishing will remain consistant.On the flats, the tarpon migration continues to produce some nice big fish upwards to 80- pounds. Bonefishing has been reported good in the backcountry Big Pine to Key West and we’ll start to see more sizable bones as the waters warm up. Permit fishing on the flats will slow down as the larger fish head offshore to spawn. Look for the occasional decent sized permit on the flats but expect to find schools of considerably smaller ones.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Key West Fishing Report - April 5th
Fishing in the Lower Keys this week has been a challenge compared to last week. Our mild weather pattern dramatically changed over the weekend dropping the temperature by ten degrees and leaving us with some tough fishing.
“It’s been pretty quiet,” explained Captain Rich Houde on the Southbound out of Charter Boat Row. Houde has been varying his fishing locations from just off the reef to a few hundred feet of water and even though the fishing has been a bit tough, he’s had not a lot of fish but some nice fish. His anglers have been privileged to have a captain with nearly 22 years experience fishing in the Keys. Houde reported having some luck with larger mahi-mahi earlier this week landing a few in the 20- to 30- pound class. “This time of year the dolphin aren't out real far.” Houde said. Next month and into May we’ll start seeing the larger dolphin move through in loose pods.
Houde described how this time of year really brings the sailfish within reach. According to the N.O.A.A. website, which Houde was looking at when I talked to him, the gulfstream is just a mere 7 miles off Key West. That’s surprising since we’ve just had some harsh north winds for a few days. There has been an east current but according to Houde it’s not enough to bring the large number of sails in close to the area. If the current picks up it could change the conditions enough to turn the bite on.
Houde has been doing what he can to get the sailfish to bite. Slow trolling with live threadfin herring or ballyhoo on the outriggers is generally the method used on both light tackle and large sport fishing boats.
Captain Damon Santelli on Outcast Charters also out of Charter Boat Row in Key West, has had some luck with sailfish this week. I caught up with him briefly this week and he was very happy to have released a sailfish that morning on his charter. Santelli had seen a couple more but it was tough to get the bite. Santelli had been fishing the color change just outside the bar off Key West. He explained that small blue runners had been working well for him.
Besides the hope of a better sailfish bite just around the corner as we head in to April, there has been some good action on patch reefs and wrecks on the Atlantic side of the lower Keys. Tuna and bonito have been showing up at the end of the bar and further to the south on the Sub, which is in around 240 ft. This wreck is not much structure on the bottom but tends to hold a plethora of fish in the winter months. It’s a hit or miss situation for tuna out there this time of year though. One day they are there, the next day they are not. Other species that share space on the deeper wrecks in the lower Keys are wahoo, kingfish, amberjack and mutton snapper.
Captain Tony Murphy on the Key Limey out of Murray Marina got a taste of the good wahoo bite a few days ago. Murphy boated a fat 38- pound wahoo and also brought in several blackfin tuna. Captain Chris Lembo on Incognito also had some luck with the speedy wahoo. Lembo was fishing further offshore near the wall in about 650 feet of water. He was trolling with a couple flat lines on the outriggers and one artificial down deep. Lembo’s catch included a nice 20- pound wahoo, a 38- pound dolphin, and some smaller schoolie dolphin.
Since the wind has picked up, Lembo says he’s been fishing just outside the reef in calmer waters. “The temperature goes from 70 degrees just inside the reef to 75 degrees on the reef,” Lembo explained. Fishing just off the reef in a north wind lends its advantages. The reef and the shallow water surrounding it offer protection and don’t allow the sea to build up as much. There is plenty of hard bottom just outside the reef edge in 40-60 feet of water and small structure that holds grouper, mutton snapper and yellowtail.
The flats have been the hardest hit by this last cold front. The fishing has been super tough with the temperature drop but this week the forecast looks good for warmer weather.
Permit fishing has remained good and several guides reported some fabulous days of permit fishing in the lower Keys. Enjoy fishing for these permit now because they’ll be heading offshore to many of the wrecks and patch reefs to spawn next month. There have already been reports of some schools off Western Dry Rocks.
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