Florida Keys Fishing Report
Provided by:
http://www.islamoradasportfishing.com
Offshore:
Dolphin this past week have been present form just a couple of hundred feet of depth out to 30 miles. Fish have ranged in size from two and three pound schoolie fish to slammers weighing in excess of fifty pounds! Now is the time to get offshore if you want Dolphin. Virtually every charter boat in town is racking a combination of school (3-7 lb.) fish with nice gaffers and slammers mixed in. No reports of Wahoo have come in, but they should be following the school Dolphin. As for the Tuna, maybe no one is fishing the Hump, but we have had no sighting of Blackfin at the docks either. Possibly that is an example of Mahi Fever…..
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Reefs:**
Very good Yellowtailing is happening all along the reef. From below Alligator reef towards Conch reef the Yellowtail Snapper are biting very well. Depths vary depending where you fish, but chumming from 50 feet to 90 feet in depth along the reef is the Yellowtail habitat. Look for the Mangrove Snapper to turn on along with the Muttons this month. On the days with a light current try bottom fishing the rocks areas at reef bottom for Grouper.
Gulf and Bay:
Florida Bay is still a good bet for consistent rod bending. Trout in the grass and Snapper in the potholes. Also, there are plenty of Tarpon and Sharks for those that want a big pull. Look for “out of season” Snook activity in the channels and runoffs early in the day on a falling tide. As for the Gulf….An exited Capt. Lou Brubaker reports two trips on Gulf wrecks last week as phenomenal! Lou’s anglers caught: Several small Cobia, Several Gag Grouper, Large Jack Crevalle, Goliath Grouper from 30 to 70 pounds. Caught one Tarpon 80 lb.(Estimated) (yes in open water, miles from land in the Gulf) Lou says while on the wrecks they saw loads of Permit, but only caught one.
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Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:**
Backcountry flats around Flamingo are fishy early in the morning on the higher tides. Water temperatures are climbing in the PM, so look for Snook and Reds before the sun gets too high. There are Tarpon galore from Flamingo beyond Cape Sable. It seems there are very few Islamorada guides running to fish Flamingo, but some folks are launching in Flamingo to fish out west. The Tarpon bite is on at local bridges also. Live baiting with Crabs or chunking with mullet are the two prescribed methods for Tarpon success.
