Fishing Report

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Both my Fishing Forecasts can be found in Coastal Angler Magazine and Florida Sport Fishing Magazine.

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July fishing Forecast for Coastal Angler Magazine.

Coastal Angler Magazine

It is officially summer time in the Lower Keys. Light winds and bright tropical sun make for hot days on the water. Drink plenty of water and wear protective clothing because the fishing can be hot as the temperature.
Dolphin fishing has moved into a quantity over quality game. There are a handful of trophy fish to be found but most are the cookie cutter schoolies. These aggressive little fish will eat just about anything put in front of the, occasionally even a bare hook. Look to find them under just about every weed line from past the reef to the coast of Cuba. While after them it pays to keep a big rod at the ready for a chance at a blue marlin. This time of year marlin can often be seen knocking schoolies around. A large live blue runner or even schoolie dolphin can put you in the action. Most blues that push through our area are in the 100-200 lb class. It does not take huge chair tackle to land on of these fish. Most people’s standard dolphin trolling tackle is more than up to the task.
On the reef it is time for yellowtails. Bring along plenty of chum use it liberally. There is no place on my boat for a fine mesh chum bag, unless bait collecting. You want to be going through the chum at about a block an hour. This is also a good time of year to bring plenty of extra hooks. At times the barracuda can be frustrating to the point of requiring a move. I like size 1 circle hooks for summertime yellowtails. Hide the hook in the bait as best as possible because these fish have excellent eye sight. Finding good current can sometimes be a problem. I have found that I can often find current west of American Shoal light when it is too light to the east. This can also work in reverse so try making a move if things are not working out. Rarely will fish show up if they have not in the first hour.
If you plan on fishing the reef late you will likely end up with a few nice mangrove snapper in the box. The yellowtailing picks up until after sunset and then the mangroves come out to play. Pinfish are my bait of choice for the big guys but they will eat just about anything you send out. Remember that there is an aggregate snapper bag limit, 10 per person, with 5 mangroves. If the action gets hot it can be easy to slide past your limit without thinking.
Flats fishing this time of year produces some nice bonefish and good shots at permit. Bonefish will be feeding on the flats until the water temperatures climb too high for them. If you find a flat near deep water with an incoming tide then it is possible to stay in fish further into the day. If the bonefishing shuts down then shift your efforts over to the permit, they are a little more tolerant of the warm water. With light winds it can be tough to get a shot to one of these wary fish. Be patient, move slow and practice a low side arm cast. Good luck and good fishing.

Sep. and Oct. fishing forcast for Florida Sport Fishing Magazine.

Florida Sportfishing Magazine

It is fall in the Keys but it is going to feel like summer for a little while longer. Warm weather persists into early Nov. keeping the summertime fishing going. Soon the bait will start migrating into the area bringing a change in both fish species and methods used to catch them. Fall also means that it is the season for something else. I wont even say the H word and let’s all cross our fingers that this season is as easy as the last.
Offshore fishing can be a little slow this time of year. Your best bet is to maximize your opportunities by using a variety of tactics. I will often troll artificial lures or lure bait combos which allow you to move faster and cover more territory. There are dolphin around but they can be scattered. Look for a few bigger fish to be pushing back through particularly during late October. These fish are migrating back to the south and are often found chasing flying fish and moving fast. Continue to look for large mats of grass or other floating objects that could be holding some schoolies or a few wahoo.
This is a good time of year to try your luck at hooking up to a marlin. Look for birds and tuna in 600-800ft and you put yourself in marlin territory. I prefer trolling in these depths and a tuna feather keeps you in the action until the man in the blue suit shows up. Your next option is to try your luck out at Woods Wall. The East crack is prime marlin water. This is the area where Hemingway fished when out of Key West.
Marlin are not the only billfish roaming around at the wall. This time of year puts us in the middle of swordfish season. Try a daytime swordfish trip out on the wall while floating live bait for marlin. Night time sword fishing has taken a back seat to daytime but is still a very exciting way to beat the heat and hook up to a big fish.
Yellowtails are the primary target on the reef this time of year. Look for flag tails to come from 80-120ft of water. Plenty of chum will bring these fish right up to the back of the boat. Go light on the leader and use small hooks to fool these tasty fish. Put a live pinfish on the bottom for a shot at a big mangrove snapper or perhaps a mutton.
Inshore fishing is an early morning game. Daytime water temperatures quickly climb past the comfort level of most fish. Get an early start and find some tailers in the morning light. Both bonefish and permit love to tail and flat calm conditions make for exciting sight fishing. Pay close attention to your temperature gauge when fishing the flats. As the day heats up look for fish on flats with an incoming tide adjacent to deep water.
When bonefishing I keep an 8wt or 9wt rigged with a 10-12ft leader tapering down to 12lb test and a shrimp pattern such as the Borski slider. For the permit a 9wt or 10wt with a 12ft leader tapering to 15lb and a crab pattern. For spinning rods rig a light spinner with 10lb braid and a few feet of 15lb leader. Live shrimp for the bones and live crabs for the permit are impossible to beat. Throw ahead of the fish and just past then draw the bait into the fish’s path before letting it drop naturally. If it’s a shrimp you can give it a few twitches to help the fish notice it. There are schools of resident baby tarpon out back to give you a shot at the coveted grand slam. Good luck and good fishing.

July and August fishing forcast for Florida Sport Fishing Magazine.

It is summer in the tropics and the fishing is as hot as the sun. Lot’s of fishing this time of year takes place during the cooler mornings and evenings leaving time for a mid day spent relaxing in the shade. Don’t discount a summer trip to the Keys because of hot weather. Daytime temperatures top out in the high 80s to low 90s. Proper protection from the sun can help you stay cool and enjoy a full day on the water.
There are a few things I do to ensure a comfortable day on the water during the heat of summer. First and most important is protecting yourself from the sun. You probably have noticed almost every guide wearing a Buff. This is not to hide our identity or rob a bank but to help keep from overheating. Leave the wife beater shirt and bear chest and cover up. Light weight long sleeve pants and shirts help keep the sun off your skin resulting in lower body temperatures, it’s the sun that is hot not the air.
Plan on getting an early start when you head offshore to do a little dolphin fishing. You have heard “the early bird gets the worm and this is often the case. Often light winds mean that lots of boats are headed offshore crowding weed lines. By getting an early start you get first shot at trolling the weed lines plus first chance at finding that magic piece of floating debris. If you run across something floating offshore first make a few passes while trolling. I like to make a pass in a few different directions. After trolling past a few times try soaking live bait and dropping a vertical jig. Rig your vertical jigs with a wire leader and wire assist hook, wahoo love a fast moving jig and often hit it on the drop. By getting out early you also have a shot at finding schools of tuna, both blackfin and skipjack can be found.
If you prefer late nights over early mornings then try an afternoon/evening of swordfish/dolphin. Head out a few hours before sunset and take your time getting out to the wall. Look for dolphin and tuna to be very active during the afternoon golden hour. After dark set up a few drifts in 900-1500ft of water to see if you can tie in with a jumbo sword. The nighttime swordfishing kicks off this time of year. Daytime fishing has taken over as the preferred method but nighttime is still a blast. There is not much out there more exciting than watching a big swordfish come into the lights to feed.
Yellowtail snapper rule the reef during July and August. Search the outside edge of the reef, 60 -120ft looking for a “cloud” of fish on your sonar. Anchor up current of the fish and chum heavily. If the water is very clear you might try your favorite sand ball recipe. Use light leader and a small hook to fool wary flag tails. Start with 20lb leader but go to 12 if they refuse your offerings. I like to try ballyhoo, silversides and bonito chunks until I find what they like best. Be sure your bait floats back at the same rate as your chum. Keep a live pinfish on the bottom just in case there is a big grouper in the area.
For a break in the heat head out to the reef at night for a snapper bonanza. The yellowtails bite like crazy as the sun starts to set. Once darkness sets in send chunks of cut bait and live pinfish down to the bottom for chunky mangrove snapper. The snapper limit is an agrigate 10 per person limit and when the bite is hot make sure you don’t over do it.
If you have battled high spring winds in search of wary flats fish then try coming down during the summer. Light winds are the norm and the fish are often less wary due to relaxed pressure from anglers. Start your morning with a search for bonefish. Once daytime water temperatures shoot up the bonefish will push off the flats in search of cooler water. By late morning it is time to move your search to permit. They are much more tolerant off the warmer water. If you get an afternoon incoming you can likely have one more shot at bonefish. For those of you winging live bait try not to run the live well pump, the sound can spook fish in calm conditions. Try using a bubbler and even keep a frozen water bottle in the well if the temps are really high. Until next time good luck and good fishing.

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