Marlin off Key West - Dolphini still biting

KEY WEST - The Florida Keys are starting to quiet down a bit. Crowds of tourists are diminishing, guides that have worked every day since February finally have some much needed time off, and many of our part time guides have said sayonara to the Keys for the summer and headed out West.

We do have our fair share of tourists that visit the islands during the summer months, a lot of them are Florida residents looking to get away from the inland heat. And who would blame them, the fish don’t take the summer off and with less pressure from less guides, it’s a perfect time to come down and get out fishing.

Dolphin fishing has been a spring thing for the big fish but several of the charter boats I talked to are still reeling in the big ones, just having to travel a lot further to find them.

“The bite has been best in the early morning,” Captain Chris Lembo on the Incognito out of Murray Marina explained. Lembo has been fishing way past the wall this week and finding big patches of weed that are easy to fish off of. Lembo also mentioned that he had not only been finding the fish while trolling these weed patches, but also by following birds and also trolling rips in the current.

The offshore current is flowing east at a brisk 2 knots. This has made for some great yellowtail fishing just off the reef in 80 to 120- feet. Several boats reported catching their limit of yellowtail and then finishing the day deep dropping jigs for grouper and mutton snapper. Spots that produce these larger grouper range from deeper wrecks like the Curb to spots that plummet to 120- feet of Western Dry Rocks.

In addition to mahi-mahi, offshore waters are also holding some wahoo, sailfish and blue marlin.

This time of year marks one of the best for blue marlin off the Keys. I know that in the Virgin Islands the best marlin fishing is around the full moon so I imagine it is one in the same for our fishing.

Really great fishing stories are always appreciated. I’ve heard some great ones during the last ten years here in the Lower Keys. I got the chance to hear one more the other day from Captain Bennett Taylor. Taylor owns and operates the Outer Limits out of A&B Marina in Key West. His charter for the day was the Bauguss family from Jacksonville, FL.

Sixteen year old Robert Bauguss didn’t know what was in store for him as they headed out this week on a full day fishing trip. Bauguss mentioned to Taylor on the way out to the fishing grounds that he wanted to fish for marlin. Taylor commented that they would try but also planned on fishing for other fish like mahi, wahoo and tuna.

As luck would have it, the Shimano TLD 25 went off at 10:20 AM and dumped nearly the whole spool of line. Taylor, unsure at this point of what type of fish it was, reacted quickly knowing that if it was a blue, they were outmatched on tackle and had to be very careful fighting this fish.

Sure enough, after a strong run the line stopped for a moment and in the distance the fish skyrocketed from the depths. It did everything that a big blue marlin is supposed to do; greyhound across the water, dive deep, and give a good fight.

“This is the kind of fish that gets me back into it all,” Taylor explained. “Days like this remind me of why I do this for a living.”

After an exciting fight lasting nearly five hours, both son Robert and father Britt Bauguss had won the battle with this fish and had him boat-side for a few photos.

The fish was 130- inches long and the estimated weight was 350- pounds. The fish inhaled a baby 5" moldcraft style widerange with a medium ballyhoo in 650 feet of water West of Western Dry Rocks.

Captain Bennett Taylor fishes year-round out of Key West and offers offshore trolling and inshore bottom fishing trips. He can be reached at 305-923-1043 or visit him on the web at www.keywestcharterboat.com.

Shallow water and tarpon fishing have remained consistent this week. Although many of the really large tarpon have moved on in their migration, there are still some very large fish around. These fish will start to thin out and will be replaced with some smaller tarpon, in the 60 to 80- pound range.

Bonefish have been cruising the backcountry flats in larger schools. Fish from 5- to 8- pounds are the norm here in the Lower Keys.

Permit are returning to the flats in greater numbers. Although it is difficult to get near them during the flat calm days we’ve had this week, anglers have had better luck in a little deeper water. Live crabs work best for permit but they often will not refuse a shrimp.

The Third Annual Conch Republic Ladies' Dolphin Tournament starts June 30th and runs through July 1st in Key West. Women anglers are competing for more than $7,500 in cash and prizes. Anyone women interested in fishing this fun tournament should contact John Stuempfig at (305) 296-7511.