Florida Keys Report.

[Captain Stanman]

Offshore:
It seems that from the standpoint of “business” things are slowing down. Hopefully not from the assumption that the Keys has any “oil” issues, as the water here in the Keys is a pristine as ever. NOAA has even discontinued the “offshore” satellite oil image due to the fact that the oil has receded away from South Florida in recent weeks. Dolphin catches are good and big fish in the mid twenties are in the fish box every trip, with better size school fish too. In the mix is the occasional Wahoo and a smattering of Black fin Tuna also. The shoreward edge of the Gulf Stream is reported at eight miles from Alligator Reef Lighthouse. Meaning there should be a good supply of Dolphin relatively close to the reef.

Reefs:
Reports of Mutton Snapper catches are filtering in this past week. The Muttons are in the same spawn mode as the Yellowtail Snapper and can be found near the reefs bottom edge where the rock gives way to live bottom. With a sensitive sonar unit with the correct transducer attitude, captains can read areas of hard/live bottom and “mini” reefs out towards 200 feet of water. If the current is not too strong anglers can set up a drift and fish bottom while setting a surface bait such as a strip of Bonito or de-boned Ballyhoo. Muttons and Grouper from the deep baits and the possibility of Dolphin, Wahoo, Bonito and more one the surface baits. It might not hurt to drag a chum bag either.

Gulf and Bay:
In the outer reaches of Florida Bay and the near Gulf anglers will find as close to solitude as possible! And, one great variety of fishing options including Tarpon, Permit, Sharks, Snapper, Sea Trout and more. Here is an itinerary to ponder. Set up a drift and catch as many Pinfish as needed for your days fishing. Put some nice Trout and Snapper in the box for dinner and then go in pursuit of Tarpon all in close proximity. Toss your Pinfish at the Gulf Markers and in the drains and channels, but do not be surprised if your 10 or 12 pound test line is not enough to handle the chore.

Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
The same species referred to in the Gulf and Bay paragraph and more including Snook and Redfish will be found near Flamingo. A fresh ladyfish plug on the bottom is what the Tarpon are eating in the Flamingo channels… the channels in Islamorada hold lots of Tarpon too. In this heat the preferred trip might be in the evening into darkness for Tarpon. After dark try casting jigs or drifting Gulp baits for big ravenous Mangrove Snapper that come out after dark!

[Captain Stanman]

Offshore:
This past week there were a couple of good reports and a couple of poor reports from the blue water. Dolphin migrations seem to be scattered with one day good and another day charter captains have a hard time getting a few Dolphin in the fish box. Captain Rob on the Southern Comfort had a god day on Thursday with a couple of dozen Mahi in the fish box. Capt. Paul Johnson on the Reef Runner fished the Islamorada Hump and got eight Black fin Tuna in the 5 to 8 pound size. The best fish on the day, a Wahoo, was never hooked, but bit a hooked Tuna off of the line just behind the boat.

Reefs:
Good Yellowtail Snapper and Mutton Snapper action is going on right now in depths of 70 to 110 feet. There have been a few reef Bonito caught and that is always a welcome event, as they make such good bait for bottom fishing or trolling strips. There has been no report of King Mackerel, and there should be some big Kingfish swimming deep just outside the reef line. Back in the day “deep jigging” was a popular way to capitalize on many different species throughout the water column by using a strip or whole de-boned Ballyhoo on a 2 oz. jig. Try it!

Gulf and Bay:
Tarpon are widely scattered all over the Florida bay area and near gulf. There has been a great proliferation of Crabs and The Silver King is swimming in current and inhaling the Crabs as they ride the moving water. The Sandy Key area is an all time favorite destination, as there are several ditches or channels that carry bait from the vast shallow mud flats to the waiting Tarpon and even Permit. In the same region are Sea Trout and Mangrove Snapper.

Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
In the Islamorada area the Tarpon bite is still good, mostly in the evening. Permit fish have been stealing the limelight in the mornings and are eating crab offerings around the tide change in the channels. Captain Lou Brubaker had two morning trips back to back with three and two Permit releases respectively. Capt. Dave Atkinson reported releasing a Bonefish from an Oceanside flat that was an estimated 8 pounds. There is a good bite in the Flamingo area with a variety of species. Redfish are up on the flats and will eat Shrimp or spoons cast into white holes. There have been Snook reports and that is good to hear after our extreme winter cold. Some guides have traveled the extra distance out to the Cape Sable area and reported catches of Tarpon, Trout, Redfish and Snook.

[Captain Stanman]

Offshore:
Dolphin catches are fair to good by most accounts. There are relatively few charter boats fishing only because the business a little slow. The Dolphin are in depths from just off of the reef way out to twenty plus miles. The average catch this past week has been a couple dozen Dolphin with one or two nice gaffer fish in the 20 pound range. The week ended with an onshore blow for a day and a half and that may push the Dolphin into a tighter band and closer to shore. Black fin Tuna catches have been good on the Islamorada Hump, with the Tuna eating trolled feathers in black and red. Remember to troll the Tuna lures way behind the wash produced by the boat, 100 to even 150’.

Reefs:
Most activity on the reef still revolves around the Yellowtail Snapper. Any boats fishing the reef are usually doing just a half day and that is often enough to get a limit of Yellowtail Snapper in the box before it gets too hot. Captain Paul Johnson of Reef Runner fame has been chomping at the bit to try the water outside the reef at depths of 120 to 180 feet. Capt. Paul surmises that,” the big summer Kingfish should be in those depths along with a few Grouper and Mutton Snapper and I would love to do some slow trolling out there!”

Gulf and Bay:
One report that was on the wire this week was from Captain Lou Brubaker who had a good day in the gulf on Tuesday. The day was very volatile with rain and storms all around according to the captain. With just one angler aboard fishing a gulf wreck in 12 feet of water there was plenty of action. First a Cobia ate a Pinfish bait on the bottom meant for a Goliath Grouper. The Cobia was released. Next the Permit started cruising as the tide was ready to change. One Permit ate a crab under a float, while three more ate jigs with Gulp Shrimp. A huge Goliath Grouper even tried to inhale one of the Permit at boat side, but missed. After that they tried to catch a Goliath, but got beat every time one of the big leviathans was hooked as they all ran into the structure and broke the 80 pound leader.

Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
The term “backcountry fishing” is an all encompassing phrase. It includes any and all fishing not in the Atlantic Ocean. Florida Bay and the Gulf with its wide variety of fishing opportunities can take a lifetime of angling to just scratch the surface. Right now the Tarpon and Sharks dominate a good deal of that fishing action. They are literally are everywhere in the shallows, from the channels that separate the Keys to the most remote regions of Florida Bay. But wait there’s more! The list is long including Permit, Snook, Redfish, Sea Trout and a host of Jacks. The most daunting part of it all for the non guided angler is the local knowledge factor. The area Charts are pretty accurate, but there is nothing better than being catered to by a professional guide who knows technique, tides and trends.

[Captain Stanman]

Offshore:
Well, that “onshore blow” the last couple days of last week stayed with us as high pressure continued to pump in hard wind until tropical storm Bonnie pushed it out of the picture. The T.S. weather was much nicer that the previous two weeks of onshore wind produced by the anchored high. Although, the offshore fishing was quite good, there were few charters out to verify the fact. The few boats that did get offshore came back with good catches of Dolphin, large and small. The Hump was productive for Black Fin Tuna also.

Reefs:
The reef’s edge was not a comfortable place to anchor last week as the surge from the seas piled up against the 80 foot wall of the reef. There were a few brave “Viking-esk” anglers that did brave the elements and fished Yellowtail Snapper. Capt. Robert Mathias on his Restless Too put his clients on the Snapper one day and the result was a box full.

Gulf and Bay:
Hmmmmmm, broken record here. It was too rough, too muddy and to grassy for anyone to try the ride to the Gulf this past week. When the wind lays down, which will be by the weekend, look for things to quickly get back to normal. Normal being, good Tarpon and lots of Trout and Snapper in the shallow grass. Also the wrecks are holding Permit and some small Cobia along with a host of good rod bending species.

Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
Here is where most of the fishing went on last week, mostly because of the shallow water and places to hide from the wind. Many guys Tarpon fished with relative success. Remember, Tarpon like calm, sultry conditions, and that is not what we experienced last week. Capt. Dave Atkinson persevered and caught a couple of Tarpon on dead bait. The only other game in town was the Flamingo trip. The wind was out of an easterly direction and when the tide was falling the conditions were fair, but when the tide pushed against the wind it got brutal. Capt. Lou Brubaker caught the tide change one day and had a Tarpon eat a ladyfish in the main channel. T.S. Bonnie exited the Keys on Friday night and Saturday morning the breeze was a refreshing 10 to 15, very fishable.

[Captain Stanman]

Offshore:
The wind has lain down and the ocean has been relatively flat all week. The Dolphin catches have consisted of school size fish in the 2 to 6 pound range. Capt. Mel Walker on his GOTCHA charter boat did manage to break the trend by catching a Bull Dolphin that weighed in at 48 pounds. Also from the Holiday Isle Resort Marina, Captain Steve Leopold had his clients happily catching plenty of school Dolphin when they were interrupted as a big Blue Marlin began slashing through the Dolphin and feeding on the fish. In short order the mate baited the Blue with a Dolphin and the big Marlin was caught and released.

Reefs:
It is still all about the Yellowtail Snapper. The fish are still on the feed and many places along the reef out in front of Islamorada are producing good catches of Yellowtail. There is a good bite on the Mutton Snapper in the 90 to 100 foot depth as well. One very worthwhile activity especially in this hot weather is a Mangrove Snapper trip in darkness. Just cruise around with the depth finder marking ledges and rock piles and areas of hard bottom. These Spots will produce best in depths of 15 to 30 feet of water on top of the reef. Anchoring then Chumming and drifting bit baits back with little of no weight will produce action on Mangrove, Yellowtail and Mutton Snapper.

Gulf and Bay:
Calm very clean water is the scene in the Gulf these days. Drifting and casting rubber tail jigs through the lush grassy bottom will entice Snapper and Sea Trout. No need to chum, as this will bring out the Catfish and crank up the Pinfish, which will drive you crazy with zillions of little bites and futile rod yanking. There are Tarpon in the channels and they will bite best on a tide change. Use a live Ladyfish or Blue Crab under a float.

Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
Close to Islamorada the Tarpon and Permit action is still good. This is a season that will be remembered as a great Permit year. There has been a great abundance of Crabs flowing through the channels and both species love Crabs! In Flamingo it has been somewhat tough. There is a decent bite of Trout. There has not been much talk of Redfish or Snook this week, but the business has really slowed down. So, if few boats are going out, there are few reports coming in. So it seems this would be a great time to get back into the national park and have it all to yourself

[Captain Stanman]

Offshore:
Charter boats are still “picking” away at the Dolphin. It is definitely worth taking the ride offshore, as there have been some very good catches including big gaffer Dolphin in the teens and twenties in weight. Dolphin fish have been caught reasonably close to the reef at 12 miles and way out at twenty. Captain Ron Allen had a good half day close in at 12 to 14 miles. The crew of the Fish Tales boxed a couple of dozen Mahi from 5 to 20 pounds this week. Also several reports of great Black fin Tuna catches have filtered in on both humps (Islamorada and 409). The Tuna are eating trolled lures and live bait as well as de-boned Ballyhoo slow trolled in the current rips.

Reefs:
The King Mackerel action has begun. Captain Paul Johnson made a concerted effort to find the King’s ands did buy slow trolling live baits deep in depths of 140 to 180 feet. Paul’s fare also caught a couple of Red Grouper. When in this zone, always look for the Wahoo to be mixed in with the King Mackerel. Expect Bonito also. On the reef proper the bite is hot and sometimes not so hot, usually depending on current or the lack there of. Good action is to be had with Mutton, Mangrove and Yellowtail Snapper as well as Cero Mackerel.

Gulf and Bay:
It seems there are not too many if any folks fishing the Gulf area these days. If one feels the urge to get lost and run to the Gulf several different species of fish can be expected. Sea Trout and Mangrove Snapper will make up the big numbers in this area. Also look for Permit and Cobia near markers on the yacht channel. It might be a good idea to run the trap lines in quest of Tripletail. Just please do not leave a hook in a trap line or otherwise touch them. It is a little early, but we can expect perhaps an initial push of big Spanish Mackerel soon as well.

Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
The backcountry pedigree includes Tarpon, Snook, Redfish and Sea Trout as the mainstay of angling endeavor. The Redfish has made a good showing in the Flamingo area as well as around Cape Sable. Casting and drifting Shrimp in channels and drains is the method for the Red’s. Of course one can expect Snook as well as Tarpon to inhale a live Shrimp also. OK, I’ll say it; every species of fish that swims in Florida bay eats more Shrimp in its lifetime than anything else!!! Around Islamorada guides are poling the flats for Bonefish with good results. Sighting the Bonefish is a success in itself and there are lots of schools as well as singles and doubles on the flats at present.

[Captain Stanman]

Offshore:
The Black fin Tuna action on the humps has made the trip offshore worthwhile. Dolphin have been scarce this past week, although some Mahi Mahi have been caught near the reef in the 180 ft. depths. Since Wednesday it has been a little rough with 20 knot winds from the east.

Reefs:
Yellowtail Snapper fishing has been the mainstay of reef activity. Capt Dirrk on the Miller Time and Capt. Zilla on the Heidi baby have both had good Yellowtail Snapper catches out in front of Alligator reef lighthouse. Bait procurement has been so easy, that most boats are catching Sardines, Pilchards or Finger Mullet either in their basins or in the channels on the way out fishing!

Gulf and Bay:
Gulf waters are fairly clean, and catches include, Mackerel, Trout, small Cobia and plenty of Jack Crevalle Lots of Trout are in the channels in the Backcountry, even though the water is little off color and grassy. The East Cape Sable area has been producing some Snook, but the water is tannic from all of the fresh water runoff.

Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
Plenty of Bonefish cruising the Islamorada flats, but in some areas the water is cloudy partly because of the wind and also the proliferations of Mullet mudding, making tough for sight casting. In the Flamingo area Capt. Mark Johnson of Tailspin Charters reports that Redfish and Snook are up on the flats. Cap. Mark had clients in from the U.K. and caught the Reds and Snook on fly last week. Great Snook catches were reported by Capt “Kiwi” out of Holiday Isle Marina. The Snook are eating live baits under a cork around the mangrove Islands.