FishNet Daily News - Marathon, Florida Fishing Report Archives

August 29, 2007	August 22, 2007	August 15, 2007	August 08, 2007
August 01, 2007	July 25, 2007	July 18, 2007	July 11, 2007
July 4, 2007	June 20, 2007	June 13, 2007	June 6, 2007
May 30, 2007	May 16, 2007	May 2, 2007	April 25, 2007
April 17, 2007	April 11, 2007	April 4, 2007	March 28, 2007
March 21, 2007	March 14, 2007	March 7, 2007	February 21, 2007
February 5, 2007	January 24, 2007	January 17, 2007	January 10, 2007
January 3, 2007
2006 Archives
December 5, 2006	November 15, 2006	October 30, 2006	October 11, 2006
October 4, 2006	September 20, 2006	September 12, 2006	September 6, 2006
August 30, 2006	August 16, 2006	July 16, 2006

August 29, 2007 - The dog days of August are definitely here. Things are so standard that giving new information is hard to do. Very little changes from week to week so reporting on exciting new happenings are difficult to do. We will have a big influx of anglers and divers this weekend for Labor Day, which should stir things up. The fish have been bothered so little by the few anglers that have been out there that they should be gullible for just about anything.

With the low number of visitors in the area now and the locals only getting the option to fish on time off, reports are slim. Heck, even I haven’t had time to go fishing for a week & ½. For me, that’s almost sacrilegious! For those that are going, I am hearing that the dolphin are still scattered but are coming on stronger than they have been. Wahoo are still topping the list of offshore fishermen as the best or at least most exciting catch of the day. Quite a few have been taken in the past couple of weeks.

The reef will be a little slower with the recent passing of the full moon but deep water fishing, 80 to 130 feet drifting large rigged or live baits have been producing good numbers of large fish. Grouper and muttons have been taken regularly this way and it is a good option around the height of the moon. Shallower waters have been steady with nice yellowtail although not the big flags of the deeper waters. Plenty of them have been coming up to good chum lines to take cut squid, silversides and shrimp.

Even with the very warm waters, the bay has improved quite a bit in the past few days. Good catches of snapper have been reported from Long Key to Sugarloaf. Most of the snapper are held up in areas around banks and flats in the deep pockets that are nearby where good currents keep the waters moving. Good catches of grouper have been reported on some of the wrecks that are in the nearby Gulf. Permit are still abundant on these wrecks as well.

Swordfish have been caught with some regularity in the past month, both day and night fishing for them. This fishery has really taken off in the past couple of months with more and more anglers targeting them. It is a deep-water technique but the rewards have been tremendous. Several of the local charter boats have made it a passion in targeting these big billfish with great success. Look for most of the action in excess of 1200 feet of water.

Flats fishing is holding strong with a change in the bonefish. It seems that the bay side has been quite poor this week while the ocean side of the islands have been loaded. There have even been huge schools spotted in the middle of the day mudding along the flats and tailing their fannies off. This has been found to be true on several days this week by quite a few guides. It is hard to find something more exciting to a flats angler than that.

August 22, 2007 - Time to settle down. Not as much as after the upcoming Labor Day holiday but for locals, the time for relaxation is here. At least for those that are in the tourist-related industries. The fact is around this time of year, almost every year, things just plain slow down. There are many reasons for it; the kids go back to school, the fishing back home is very good right now and the heat down here just plain runs them off.

For those involved in commercial fishing, it is just getting started for their hard run with trapping of lobster and the upcoming stone crab season. For those that have day-to-day activities in a ‘normal’ business that is not affected by the seasonal pushes as much, their lives are status quo. However for those of us in the tourist related business, we are just about done for a while. (I know this because when I came in the other day, my staff was diligently working on perfecting the perfect paper airplane!) What this does for those of us in this business is it allows us the time to do all of the things we mentioned we wanted to do when we were busy.

For most, it means that we can go home earlier, which allows us to do more fishing in the afternoons or evenings. This has been a good bet for most as the options of the reef, Hawk Channel and the area bridges have been bountiful. The action in this time frame has been good with either live baits or a variety of frozen ones. Squid has topped the list of good baits for yellowtail, mangrove & lane snappers. Live pinfish have been very good for mutton snapper and a variety of groupers in the above-mentioned venues. Live shrimp remains the best all around bait and soon they will be getting larger so you can actually see them and put them on a hook larger than one you would use to catch bait on.

Another good area lately has been just offshore in the late afternoons with a fairly good weed line forming almost every day. Small and some scattered larger dolphin have been frequenting this area fairly regularly. Some nice tunas have been mixed in as well with the occasional wahoo. For a short run, it has been productive for most. A combination trip of running offshore for a few hours in the afternoon and returning to the reef to set up for night fishing has been by far the best option for a box full of fish.

With the close passing of Dean, the winds will now be dropping but they were beneficial. The Gulfstream has remained closer to Cuba than us for several weeks and there has not been a great deal offshore. With all of this churning up of all the areas waters, this should prove a boom for offshore fishing in the next few days.

Hawk Channel is an oft forgotten area that most either don’t remember how to fish or just plain have never tried. Yes, you don’t catch as many big fish as you do on the reef but you do catch enough to feed you & your family. You are also much closer to home in the event of an approaching storm at night. I will admit, Hawk Channel is not very productive in the daytime but at night, it’s like someone flipped a switch to turn them on. One problem with that is the predators turn on as well. For mutton, lane, mangrove and yes, even legal yellowtail, this is a great area to fish. The humps & bumps attract many baitfish, which in turn attracts the larger snappers. The outside or reef side edge of the channel is the best by far for activity.

Lobster hunting is what most of the locals are looking forward to now. The big push is gone until Labor Day so there is room for locals to enjoy quality diving. This year’s early reports highlight good numbers and large lobster on most of the oceanside areas of the Middle Keys. The bay has had fair numbers but many were short or just legal and not the bragging of the big ones of the ocean waters.

Another area that has been very good has been the flats fishing. Bonefish are abundant on area flats this time of year, early in the day and late in the day. They seldom are up on the flats in the heat of the day, (that honor is reserved for humans that have not learned yet.) The afternoon bite can last into sunset as they ‘tail’ hard for the Last Supper of the day. The lack of red & white tourist, (white in the morning and red by afternoon,) on jet skis makes this venue even more pleasurable. Permit have been noted as being plentiful around many local banks and flats for most of the summer. This trend should continue for weeks to come yet. Resident tarpon have been keeping some people up at night with their antics into the night in local canals as well. There’s plenty to do and for some of us, we just happen to have the time.

August 15, 2007 - It is the tropics and it is hot as Hades in the middle of the day, which is, why trolling is the best bet for an all day trip. The fishing in this venue has been spotty for most with some of the recent days being quite good in various depths. The Gulfstream has maintained a good distance from us for over two weeks now but there are quite a bit of eddy currents inside that are bringing in some nice objects to fish around as well as working the rips that have formed in various areas. Working around 300 to 450 feet of water, several anglers have come upon some very nice wahoo in recent days with some exceeding 50 pounds. Tunas have remained steady as well offshore with some very nice blackfin hitting for several weeks now.

Dolphin have been spotty which is the case this time of year. Find a good weed line or nice floating debris and you will do well. We have not had too many good blows lately throughout the sector, which usually dislodges quite a bit of drifting objects from shorelines. I am not complaining for sure! It has limited the amount of items that you would be looking for to hold fish under them offshore though. The key is to cover ground and you will have the option to come across more fish than if you just work one small area and hope.

The reef fishing in the evenings has been very good in the deeper depths, (60-110 feet.) Live baits as well as whole squid have been working the best for nice mangroves and big groupers. Yellowtail have been appearing in the chum lines more often than not with some of them pushing 4 pounds as time goes on. The shallower patch reefs have been good for some legal sized, but not much bigger, mangroves as well as yellowtail. It seems that most of the big fish are in the deep water.

Speaking of mangrove snapper, the bay has become a good bet again now that the spawn is over. Is seems that most of the outer areas are filling up with them again. Look for the tall grass bottom in a little deeper water than normal. Try 12 to 15 foot troughs, which are mostly to the northwest of Marathon. These areas have been quite good for a week now. There are some nice red grouper in this area as well. Live pinfish, shrimp and silversides are the baits working the best right now along with ballyhoo, (if you can find them!)

Flats fishing is still productive although there is still a lack of fish feeding in the middle of the day. After all, they are probably smarter than we are being out there in the heat of the day! But it is getting good in the mornings and late afternoons. There is plenty of predator fish around, (Jacks, Cudas, Sharks,) to give you all the fun you can handle on light tackle as well.

Most of the area’s bridge channels have been so busy with lobster hunters that it has been difficult to fish. With all of the commotion, reports are that there has not been a decent number of keeper fish taken in these areas lately. Tarpon still are prevalent although not the big monsters like we have here in May. But a fish weighing over 50 pounds is still a challenge no matter where you are from. Look for some very nice jacks in the 20 + pound range to be working these channels as well. They have been quite active working glass minnows that are passing through the channels now. You can spot these schools by just spotting what looks like an explosion as the school hits the bait near the surface.

August 08, 2007 - We’re cooking now! We are into the main lobster season, some of the hottest reef fishing, and the dead heat of August. Anyone that has been out looking for bugs without their shirt on and thought that they could handle it knows just how hot it is now. The second biggest seller to lobster divers behind butter has been aloe.

Missing the heat of the day is very favorable to most visitors for fishing time. It is also the most convenient way to fit all of your activities that you have planned to do while you are here in the time you have. You can dive all day, staying cool while being in the water and go fishing at night. For those not used to this heat as well as those that think they are, you must know to drink plenty of fluids while you are out there in the sun. I am not talking about the ones that you have to be 21 to obtain either. Water is by far the best and lots of it. I have seen quite a few visitors in lately that have had too much fun and were not able to get out the next day. It is the time of year to use caution, sunscreen liberally, and pace the amount of sun you get.

The snapper action has remained very good for a while now. The hottest depth seems to be in the 70-foot range throughout the area. Just look for some rough bottom along this depth, set up according to the current up from the spot you find and chum away. Most will begin an evening trip in the late afternoon while they can still see the buoys and locate their spot a little better while there is still some light. This also reduces your use of the spotlight to locate the buoys on a one-way basis. It will take some time to get the fish going in this depth so having some extra time on location will allow you to eat and rig up while the chum gets the fish up.

Night fishing is popular because it is cooler, somewhat unique to those that do not do it that often, has a beauty of scenery that will amaze you but also is when the fish that you have been seeking in the daytime are biting. Snappers do eat in the daylight but not anywhere as aggressively as they do at night.

For some real fun obtaining lobster, try bully netting at night. This is when the lobster are out of their holes traveling around looking for food. A good light, a bully net and a stable friend will be all you need to have your way. (An UN-stable friend, one that moves around a great deal when you are not expecting it in a small boat may cause you to do more night diving than you were counting on.) The are easy to find in shallow water with a light as their eyes reflect somewhat golden. (The same as yours would if you saved all of the 21 & over drinks for the evening.)

The offshore picture has remained scattered with the inside edge of the Gulfstream maintaining a fairly close distance from the Lower & Middle Keys. In the past month, the average inside edge location has been inside of 10 miles out. This means the probability of good weed lines could be while you are still in sight of land. The hottest action has been consistent around 14 to 18 miles off the reef line. Some very nice dolphin along with wahoo and some big tunas have been hot lately.

Flats fishing is red hot when the temperature is not. The early mornings as well as late afternoon is the best time for teams of bonefish that abound right now. The fish are smarter than we are as they usually avoid the heat of the day on the flats. Evening fishing around area bridge channels has been producing lots of tarpon. Tarpon are also very active on the flats in the mornings with a great deal more than usual still around. Believe it or not, an overcast day will be much more productive than one that is bright & shiny. I know this sounds silly for sight fishing but what it does is keeps the fish up on the flats much longer than when it is scalding hot.

Work where you can and when the fishing is best, stay cool if possible and navigate with caution as the traps are still just in. The lines to the trap from the buoy will still be floating quite a bit for another week or so. Check the current flow and work on the proper side to avoid them for a safer trip.

August 01, 2007 - Throughout most of the Keys waters, navigation has become quite a bit trickier as those little obstacles known as buoys have begun to appear. They are there for a reason. It is the commercial fisherman’s traps that they are marking. It is their livelihood and each trap represents a substantial investment by the commercial fisherman. Please learn to navigate the waters around these buoys and not over them. Both the commercial fisherman and your fund for your outboard repairman will be grateful for it.

Knowing what you are avoiding is always good. The buoy is attached to the trap on the bottom by black Polly rope, which is usually somewhat longer than the depth of the water that it is in. This causes the rope to hang for some distance on the surface for the first few weeks the trap is in the water until the ropes get covered with growth and soak up enough water to sink below the buoy. This will cause an area up current of the buoy where you don’t want to travel.

When you leave your dock or channel, check the direction of the current as well as the effect of the wind. This is best done at the first trap buoy that you see. You can then tell which side of the buoy that you should be able to pass safely. It is a good idea, especially in the bay with its many changes of current directions, to check every couple of miles to ensure that your trip will be uneventful. (Note: It is the fishing trips when you forget the travel that are the most enjoyable. In other words, you didn’t hit anything!)

At night, transgressing the waters becomes even a greater challenge. A good spotlight is almost a must to avoid the buoys, not to mention a good idea anytime of year. Right now, you have a lot of boats out there that hasn’t been used in a long time and there are quite a few without any lights at all. They are much more dangerous than a buoy. Going a little slower than full throttle is always a good idea when you are not that familiar with the area you are in. It is better to get there a little later than not at all!

Now there are a few divers that think that the lobsterman has put these beautiful rectangular boxes on the sea bottom to corral lobsters just for them. They shall remain nameless, (Until we read about them in the Sheriff’s Log in the paper or maybe the obituaries, depending on who caught them.) Be it known that you do not touch their traps, period! They are there so he can feed his family and pay his bills. This is his office so if we all respect that, everyone will have a great time this lobster season.

Now that you have learned to get by the buoys, I will tell you how to utilize them to gather information that you need when bottom fishing in both the bay and the reef areas. They will tell you by looking at them just which direction the current is moving and how fast. They give you a reference point as to the location of a spot that you may have marked with fish on the reef as well as a good spot in the bay. It can tell you by using it as a reference point as to how far up current from the location you have marked, by direction of current and speed, to anchor to best fish the exact location you have found.

There are always two sides to anything so be careful of hitting them but know how to utilize the advantages that they give you and you will find that it is not so bad after all.

July 25, 2007 - Lobster Madness is on! Here we are, right in the middle of the craziest time of the year in the Keys with thousands of people with ‘bugs on the brain.’ There are more people in search of ‘tail than when a navy ship returns to port after 6 months at sea. There are plenty of areas for all to have fun in the Keys so don’t crowd and all will enjoy. We have some great fishing going on as well now and I have listed some of the options below.

(For the divers, everyone will give you the times of high and low tide but what you need for the channels is the time of slack tide! This one’s for you: Bahia Honda and 7-Mile has a slack tide around 8am, 3:40pm & 10:15pm on Wednesday. 9:15am, 4:20pm & just after 11pm on Thursday. For Tom’s Harbor and Long Key Bridge; 8:15am, 4pm & 10:30pm on Wednesday. 9:30am, 5pm & 11:15pm on Thursday give or take a few minutes on all. This is when you can dive without being swept out to sea at these locations. Good luck and be careful!)

Now is a good time to go fishing offshore because you are not apt to run into too many divers, although I have seen many a dive flag flying in over 600 feet of water. Now that’s someone that can really hold their breath! Dolphin are here and so are wahoo and tunas. The odds of having too much company are low. The only problem is getting to the reef line without feeling you are driving through a pinball machine.

One of the problems with navigating with all the boats is that some of them have developed ‘bug brains.’ This is to say that they are looking for ‘bugs’ and aren’t pretty much worried about much else. The best thing to do is to give wide berth to dive boats, especially those that are trolling divers in search of lobster. This type of technique is very productive except that some don’t have a problem with leaving a diver that has dropped off the towline well aft of their boat. This can cause a problem, as it is difficult to see a diver in the water, especially with any wave action. You may thing that you are well clear of them and then find that there is a diver right in front of you. This is more so a possibility in the bay and around the bridge channels than on the Oceanside. Speaking of the bridge channels, this is one of the most congested areas that you will find, particularly around the period of slack tide. There are times that you can not see a boat in the area and still find a diver in the channel. The best way to handle this without ruining either your or the diver’s day is to slow down, take a little more time and make sure you can get through without an incident. This will help keep everyone’s day a good one. It’s going to be crowded, accept it and deal with it properly.

Night fishing is also a great bet as the moon is in a favorable phase for the fish to be biting. The reef is your best bet with yellowtail, muttons and numerous grouper available. The mangrove snapper bite is on so thick that you should not have any problem in obtaining your limit quickly. 45 to 90 feet of water has been on fire for over a week now. Live baits, such as pinfish & shrimp are best but squid, ballyhoo, glass minnows and silversides are also great. Take plenty of good chum for best results.

This is your last week of open waters for night fishing as the traps hit the aqua soon. The rock humps along Hawk Channel are also a good bet for night fishing. Drifting both the channel and the reef patches have been exceptional as of late. Live baits or rigged squid have been good. It has produced big grouper, very nice yellowtail and some huge mangrove snapper. If you hit a spot with several bites in a small area, you may want to anchor and give it some time to see if you have found a good school.

The flats are another good bet for anglers during this frenzy of divers. It can produce some very good fishing as well as some exciting entertainment with all of the novice boaters around. (They couldn’t understand why you were pushing your boat with a pole until they hit bottom!) It will also give you some protection. There have been plenty of bonefish early and permit throughout the day. With all the traffic around the bridge channels, tarpon should be relocating to the flats for peace & quiet as well as to feed. For fun fishing, the flats are teaming with all sizes of barracuda and quite a few sharks right now so there should be plenty to cast to.

If you’re diving; have fun, good luck, be safe. If you’re fishing; have fun, good luck, be safe. If you have to go to the grocery store in the afternoon and find yourself near the butter section, Good Luck!

July 18, 2007 - We are only a week away from the big lobster hunt with an invasion of so many people that you can have trouble counting them all on the water. Starting this weekend, we will see the influx of boaters searching out those elusive ‘secret’ holes that only about 200 people know about. It will be a busy time here but what about now?

We have the dolphin action offshore along with tuna and a few billfish and the occasional wahoo. We have the action in the bay, which is best in the evenings for snapper, grouper and a variety of fun species. We have the reef action for yellowtail and mangrove snapper. We have the summer tarpon with quite a few big ones still around both the bridges and the flats. The wrecks offer permit while the flats also offer them along with bonefish and that just about covers it.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that there is nothing to do. Just think how many places in the world would like to have this many options of fishing every day? It is just that there are not too many exciting things to report in the summer. Yes, there are some spectacular catches happening almost daily but it has varied from venue to venue. It is hard to highlight one fishery in the summer because most all are equal in productivity, and right now, that level is very high.

Taking them one at a time, I’ll start offshore with the dolphin action. It has been very good well offshore with mixed results within the first 5 miles from the reef. The good news is the weather has been cooperative for the most part in giving most anglers the ability to go well offshore. The best action of late has been 25 miles plus beyond the reef. This can get expensive for some using that much fuel. But, for the most part, the larger and more numerous fish have been in this area. The problem with predicting dolphin fishing is that with all of the movement, it can change from hour to hour, much less from day to day.

For those of you that do not like to be that far out, try fishing fairly close in and take your chances. You should find some fish anyway and you will have the option of returning to the reef for some bottom fishing. It has been very good for yellowtail in the daytime along 55 to 75 feet of water. In the evenings, the mangrove snapper seem to turn on in these same depths. Use your machine to find the schools and not just a depth finder thinking that the fish are covering the reef. They will be in pockets and they too move at will.

The tarpon action has been excellent around the area bridges as well as on the flats. The best times around the bridges has been the early evenings using live mullet, live pinfish or live crabs. The flats tarpon have been very accommodating to live shrimp, live crabs and flies. Quite a few fun fish as well as nice snapper have also been around the bridges. Don’t skimp on bait as there has been enough action from all of the species to make you go through it pretty fast.

Both the bay and Hawk Channel have been fair to good with snapper action as well as quite a few grouper. The best time of day to fish both for good action has been the evenings. This is also more comfortable for the anglers with the summer temperatures and light winds. You could end up feeling like the only thing missing is the apple in your mouth during the heat of the day with no wind. In both these venues, the use of good chum will ensure action and make the difference from fishing to catching.

The same is true for the wrecks. The advantage of fishing the gulf wrecks in the summer is the ability of getting out there without having your kidneys switching sides on the way. They are easier to find in the summer with calm waters. They have been loaded with permit and some very nice grouper. Look for some big lane snappers as well as muttons near the bottom.

No matter which way you go, you should get some nice action as all of the types of summer fishing are in good shape right now. Make sure you have enough bait as well as fluids for you to drink to beat the heat. You may want to try to hit several areas in a day with the long days that we have now. After all, that is why you are here!

July 11, 2007 - The nice weather and calm seas has produced some fine catches lately for most anglers. The ability for most craft to venture out over most of the local fishing grounds has been awarded with quite a bit more action as well. The deep waters offshore, over 700 feet, has produced some very large dolphin, tunas, wahoo and more than a couple of 'David -Vs- Goliath' type stories. Or if you prefer, 'The Old Man & the Sea.'

I have had reports from anglers on private boats lately that have not been, shall we say, set up for long battles with large fish. Light spinning tackle being trolled and hooking dolphin over 50 pounds has been told by more than a few anglers. One man that was in the other day reported how he had to have his wife keep their 19-foot craft almost on a plane to keep up with a wahoo that hit one of their small conventional rigs that only had less than two hundred yards of line on it. She said it had a lot less when the fish made his run. They got the fish after 40 minutes of being down to 'the last few wraps on the reel.' It was estimated to weigh around 45 pounds.

The anglers that have been venturing well offshore have also been coming in contact, many not intentionally with billfish of rather large proportions. That is not the same terminology that they used but I can't print what they said exactly. When trolling with 20-pound test rigs, you are not anticipating hooking marlin over 300 pounds; at least not with reels with rather small amounts of line on them. For the most part, the reports that I heard stated that the fish took care of the limited line in a very limited amount of time. (Imagine That!)

Others that have hooked up with monsters recently have had a shot at a good fight, even on light tackle with a more substantial amount of line. There were several anglers that reported that they have caught, (brought to the boat and released,) blue marlin in the past several days. The fish are there and it only takes the time to go to where they live and a little bit of luck. Most of the releases were estimated at less than 250 pounds, which is unusual for fishermen! By the time they hit the dock, most big fish released have doubled if not tripled in size and swelled even more the next day or two. (Remember, fishermen are overqualified to be politicians!)

All of this is not to say that there has not been any fish in closer to shore. The areas inside of 700 feet have also been producing quite a few fish with some larger ones mixed in as well. The main numbers of fish have been on the smaller side however. The exception to this has been the wahoo that have been caught in the near shore area, from 150 to 350 feet of water. There was also a run of sailfish one day last week along the 180 to 200 foot line off of the Grassy Key to Long Key area. Quite a few were hooked, caught or just spotted free jumping in this area. Even though the big numbers of them are gone, there are still quite a few around and will be here all year.

The reef has also been active with some good action even with the clear waters. The best action by far has been in the evenings. It is also much more comfortable as the daytime fishing with little or no wind gives you the feeling of being in your daughter's 'Easy Bake Oven!' The action has varied from deep to rather shallow, depending on where you went along the reef line. The sharper the drop off you can find the better results you will have. Critters are abundant so use sturdy enough tackle to retrieve the fish in a timely manner or you may have them pre-filleted. Live shrimp are a very good bait but they are surely living up to their name this time of year. The use of frozen baits has been the choice of most. Silversides have been the best to get good action.

There are still numerous tarpon and permit around so don’t fret if you don’t want to go far for action. Bridge channels have remained steady with action of a wide variety. Most are dealing with the heat by mixing some swimming in their fishing plans. This is a good way to enjoy all of the options the Keys have to offer. I always have this love / hate relationship with jumping into the water with a mask and coming face to face with that 4 pound yellowtail I have been trying to trick into biting all day. I sometimes swear that fish has been to Jersey because it sure looked as if it was giving me the fin!

July 4, 2007 - Here we are at another holiday. This is a big one for all of us in this country and also one of the biggest for this area as it marks the middle of the dolphin fishing season. It also marks the time when many start to get excited about the upcoming lobster season. (The dive days are only three weeks away.) It is when you will see more boats on the water at one time than any other time of the year.

All throughout the Keys, just about every type of boat will be on the water for the annual fireworks displays. In the Middle Keys, it is just off of Sombrero Beach where you will find hundreds of boats anchored for the better part of the day and I can tell you that if you haven't done it, you have missed it. It is an awesome view from the water as well as one of the most relaxing evenings you will have with your family and friends.

For some, it is also a good chance to take advantage of an evening of fishing while enjoying the shows. That's right, I said shows. If you anchor out a little farther than just at the beach, like around Washerwoman Shoal or even on the reef, you will be able to take in not only those fireworks from Marathon but you will also get to view those from Big Pine Key and even Islamorada. I have done this several times and it can be enjoyable. You don't get all of the 'big bangs' that you hear closer to shore but you get all of the sights. You also usually come in with a good dinner for your efforts.

The best bite will not doubt be in the early mornings when the fish get their first opportunity to feed that day. In my days of commercial dolphin fishing, I always found that the first three to four hours of the day is where I caught over 80% of my fish for the day. They would hit just about anything that moved and were not picky as they get later in the day. This was particularly true with the larger schoolies that would make you day in a hurry. The little ones almost always bit but the larger ones were a little tougher, which is probably how they got to be larger!

Now with the calmer seas that we usually have in July, the opportunity to cover ground is there. This is where I have excelled with the use of high-speed lures. I prefer the 'Billy Baits', which are designed to work at higher speeds as well as a regular trolling speed. I like to work around 12 to 15 knots, which allows me to cover 2 to 3 times the amount of ground that someone would at 5 to 8 knots, the usual trolling speed with baits. Over the period of a normal day, I will have covered close to 100 miles while working with baits; I may have only covered 40 to 50 miles. Just by the sheer numbers, you can see the opportunity of running across more fish exist by covering twice the ground.

Don't be fooled by the speed. When you are running out at 20 knots and you see the flying fish shoot out of the water and fly right past you, then you realize that the dolphin catch them all day long. You need to understand that dolphin regularly achieve speeds in excess of 25 knots while feeding and even greater speeds when they are the prey. (So would I!) You will find that your catch ratio of both tuna and wahoo increases with a little speed.

Another thing you may want to try is what I always do. I put out at least two of the 'Mini Turbo Slammers' when I reach 100 feet of water. I will leave them in until I return to about the same depth at the end of the day. This way, I am fishing the entire day. What's to say that there are no fish in all of the water that you are covering while you are seeking a weed line or some debris? Over the past 10 years or so, I have picked up most of my largest fish in the middle of nowhere, not around any structure or floating objects. I consider these fish 'bonus fish' that I normally would not have caught had I only been fishing weed lines. Give it a try and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

June 20, 2007 - Its summertime and we are into some of the finest summer fishing we can have. It may not be chronologically summer yet but the conditions are such. Great tarpon fishing still abounds, both on the flats as well as around the area bridge channels. Most of the day will produce action in one venue or the other for them. In fact the flats themselves are alive with all types of activity throughout the area.

I have a few tips for your trip offshore. First of all, fresh ballyhoo have started to be scarce in most areas. They have been available at times but it has been day to day for good ones. You may want to get some while they are fresh, rig them, salt them good and pack them in the freezer if you are not going to use them very soon. These will be much better than trying to rig those that have already been frozen. They do not hold up near as well.

Many anglers also like ballyhoo for cut bait for schoolies around the boat. I used to but now I use the belly meat from previous dolphin that I have salted and stored in the freezer. I also use salted frozen pilchards and my favorite, live pinfish. I like these because there is hardly a fish that swims that won’t hit a live bait, even those that won’t hit anything else. It is like they take offense to that little fish swimming in their proximity. Live pilchards work just as well except they are much harder to catch and keep alive. Pinfish are known as the ‘Timex’ of baitfish.

This is also a good thing to have when you find that obstruction floating like a board, pallet or even a large weed patch. Hook a live pinfish on a spinner with a wire leader and toss him in. He doesn’t know that he is in very deep water, all he knows is that he wants to get to the bottom. Give him some time to head down with the bail open and watch for it to start whipping off. If that happens, pick it up, lock it up and have your way. When this gets a hit, it is usually a wahoo or a large dolphin that was not attracted to the surface. I can tell you that this has worked for more times than not.

Another thing to remember is that when you hook a big fish and are fighting it towards the boat, you may see another one traveling right along side of it. If you wait until you get the one on to the boat or even boat the fish prior to attempting to hook the other fish, odds are it won’t bite. I have found that if you shoot a bait to it while the hooked fish is still at least 20 feet from the boat, that following fish will not hesitate to nail the bait presented. This may cause a bit more confusion but the excitement and challenge will more than make up for it. Another little tip, use a good quality circle hook for the second fish and your odds of loosing it are greatly reduced. Then you can concentrate on the original fish with getting it in the boat before having to mess with the second fish too much. (Now if the second fish is a darn site bigger than the first, I would say the heck with the little guy and work the big one for bragging rights if nothing else!)

If there is an easterly breeze, you will notice it without question as the wave action picks up against the current when you hit the Gulfstream. Usually, there is also a weed line along this edge plus more beyond it. Birds will be working the area if fish are plentiful. I prefer to use the ‘Billy Baits’ and do a high speed troll to cover more ground and get to these areas faster while not missing any opportunity on the way. If you think you are going to outrun the fish, the only one you are fooling is yourself. I usually put the lures in around 100 feet of water and troll the rest of the day, wherever I go. You would be amazed how many fish are in waters you would not think. If you have a line in the water, you have a chance. If you are just running all over the place looking, your only hope is if one jumps in the boat!

The last thing that I can tell you about offshore fishing is that it has not been red hot for everyone. You have to remember that it is an awfully big ocean and there are plenty of places for the fish to be. There have been several boats that have had outstanding days and many exceptional catches. I have heard of good catches early inside of 5 miles from the reef with others stating that they have had their way with nice fish 20 miles out both early and late in the day. The key to offshore is to cover ground and find what you can. Always be ready for action ‘cause you never know when it is going to happen.

June 13, 2007 - Summer is here, the kids are either out of school or just about out, travel plans are just about to go into effect for many and the fishing is accommodating to all. If you are going to be heading elsewhere to visit friends & relatives, now is a good time to load up on fish to take to them.

The dolphin are around in such good numbers that everyone that travels out far enough on that certain day to hit the good schools can load up with their limit of good sized schoolies to have enough fish to take with them. There have been some of the nicer fish caught in the past week in excess of 50 pounds and plenty of them over 30 pounds on the outer weedlines. A couple of these fish and you will have tons of fillets to please those up north. (I say up north because it’s very hard to drive south from here.)

You will still find plenty of dolphin within only a few miles of the reef, as there have been quite a few six or less miles beyond the reef line. Speaking of the reef line, with the dark of the moon upon us, yellowtail fishing has been red hot throughout the region. Most any of the usual locations from 60 to 100 feet has been on fire with nice flags as well as some very nice mutton snapper. The occasional big grouper has also been available to anglers fishing a large bait near the bottom.

If you are on the other end of the spectrum, that is just coming into the Keys for your summer vacation, you have hit a great time to have your way with all types of fish that are available now. The same is true for locals that know not when to leave the Keys. This is it! Dolphin bite on weekdays as well as weekends. So do snapper in the bay as well as on the reef. The flats are red hot with all of the top game fish as well as plenty of fun fish and quite a few good eating species as well. There’s so much action now; I am having trouble finishing this article. (I’m going fishing as soon as the type dries on the paper, you see!)

If you are a fishaholic like me, you may want to try one of the days like I love to do. (It is not good for marital relationships, unless you take your spouse with you & sometimes that may be even worse!) I like to make the most of the time I get off to go fish. I will take off early in the morning and swing by the bridge with a live pinfish for a shot at the tarpon. It will get your body going better than the best coffee. Then I’ll head offshore for a round of dolphin, wahoo, tuna or even a shot at a marlin. After having our way with them, return to the reef for an evening of mangrove & yellowtail fishing while always having a live bait on the bottom for a grouper. On the way home late in the evening, (or sometimes early the next morning,) I might as well toss a bait in around the bridges since I’m passing by anyway for another shot at a tarpon to top off the day, (or night!) After all, if you’re going to fish, fish! The bars, the chores, the bills & all of the other stuff will be there tomorrow. If you are lucky, so will your spouse. Or maybe not, it depends on your point of view now doesn’t it?

One of the most fun areas you can fish on light tackle now is the flats with all of the top game fish present and the ability to see them so good with the clear, calm waters. It is great on either light spinning or fly tackle. One thing that fly enthusiast don’t think of, as a good time is to go offshore. Although more and more are realizing it. Schools of dolphin are one of the best times you can have on a fly rod. They are aggressive and exciting to catch. You don’t need an open boat to do a roll cast to them so you don’t have to do all of the false cast out there. In fact, you may have to keep your back cast off the water or you will have one on earlier than you had planned.

All of this fishing is not as complicated as these authors have is built up to be. The main objective is to have fun at whatever you do. There are many ways to do just that. It can be accomplished by using a little common sense and checking with local tackle stores for the best way to go about what you want to do. Never mind the little snickers and giggles that you may get on some of your questions. Most of the people down here came from somewhere else originally and had to learn how to fish here, just like you.

June 6, 2007 - Nature has a way of taking care of itself. Just look at what we have just had. Tropical Storm Barry did just what the major part of the state needed, wet it down good. Yet for us, it came on the heals of what we usually get in April, a set up like a Bermuda High pattern that holds on. It was here since a week before the boat races and remained strong through Barry. That is several weeks of 20 + knot winds which inhibited anglers from getting out to fish many venues of the Keys. Now things have changed and we should be getting back into our summer pattern.

Offshore, the key word is, as expected in early June, Dolphin! They are pouring through and the weather has finally cooperated enough for just about any sized vessel to get out there. I have over 12 different reports of fish caught in the past few days exceeding 50 pounds; tons of stories of fish over 30 pounds and lots of big smiles as they were telling me about them. The best part about the reports is that most of the action has not been that far out, at least for dolphin.

The majority of the reports of good catches have been from 6 to 10 miles beyond the reef line. This is where almost all of the very large fish that I have heard of being caught have been with quite a few of them inside of that; say 150 to 350 feet. These were caught sort of by accident. By that, I mean that they were trolling while they were headed in or out to the deeper water and found a big fish, mostly around nothing at all; no birds, no weeds or any debris in the area. All were caught on high-speed lures such as ‘Billy Baits’ and all were being trolled at over 10 knots while they were traveling. (It just goes to show that fish live in all of the water and not just certain parts of it!)

When you hear the fish are in 600 feet of water, understand this: In most of the Middle & Lower Keys, you will hit 600 feet of water about 5 to 6 miles from the edge of the reef. This depth, 600 to 699 feet, will maintain itself for about the next 8 to 10 miles out. I mention this because it is common for someone to report that the fish were in 640 feet of water. That is not quite as helpful as you may think. 640 feet can be 7 miles out as well as 15 miles out, depending on the exact bottom contour at that exact spot. A distance from shore is much more helpful for knowing where the fish were. Remember that the current changes everything from hour to hour and fish will not always stay in one are for long. It’s not like having a wreck to go to with numbers and all. All offshore fishing requires a certain amount of hunting, even on spots like the hump. The fish are not always going to be there when you are.

Tuna have also been prevalent, with good numbers of them only 8 miles out from the reef. You have to look for the birds working fast from east to west. Get in front of them, (Don’t try to come up from behind or you will push the fish down,) and you will do well with these black fin. The ‘hump,’ which is the only know bottom spot to find tuna has been hammered so bad by all of the boats with the calm seas that the only fish left are probably wearing crash helmets. (I’ve seen beehives with less activity!) When’s the last time you caught big fish in the middle of 30 + boats within a 3 acre area?

Southwest of the ‘hump’ about 6 to 10 miles is where you should find some very large tunas. Both Skipjack and Blackfin will be here, moving fast to the west but it will seem like an endless supply. In this mess of tuna is where you are likely to find billfish feeding as well. You may also find quite a few porpoise in the area. There have been a few Yellowfin in this region lately too. From here and working west-southwest has always been some of my favorite fishing for a mix of tuna, wahoo, billfish and some very large dolphin or at least large schools of them. It is not for those that do not like to travel well offshore however. Sometimes you may wonder if you should be trolling with lures or cigars!

Both fresh baits as well as lures are good right now for dolphin. With numerous schoolies around, I would lean towards the lures personally. Those that know me know that I use artificial baits exclusively but for those that don’t, you may find that you will have to take tons of it to get through the day. Think about having four ballyhoo out when a bunch of small dolphin hit and have this happen several times to you. Bang, you are out a dozen baits with little or no real keepers to show for it. That is why I tend to teach to run at least two lures with two baits until you find some signs of larger fish. This way, you won’t be out of bait by noon. Not to mention, I have caught more big fish on artificial lures than I ever did on ballyhoo. The fish are close and numerous. Now all you have to do is to take out a second mortgage on your house to get enough money to put fuel into the boat to go fishing.

Bayside action has been good in the deeper waters for snapper and grouper but the shallows near the islands have been so loaded with sharks, mostly bulls, that fishing has been a challenge. After about 30 minutes with the chum out, you don’t have much of a chance with anything you hook before a shark gets a hold of it. If you are into shark fishing, this is definitely your place to go and now.

May 30, 2007 - What am I supposed to say? Even if I was a politician, I could not put a positive spin on the holiday weekend. Yes the fish were here; big dolphin and not too far offshore, great yellowtail and snapper fishing is happening, tarpon are red hot and the bay is alive! All of that is great … if you could have gotten to them!

The winds that most of the southern half of the state has been experiencing are still howling. Most of the past week or so it has been 25 to 35 knots from the northeast, which has limited all but a few salty, strong-stomached anglers. Those that have gotten out have reported the above findings of species active and aggressive. Their catches have almost made others want to go … right up to when they looked out on the waters.

What was available to most in smaller boats this past weekend was be the bay, flats and bridge fishing for a wide variety of species. Tarpon highlight the big game available while a good number of mangrove snapper are moving through the bridge channels as well as loading most of the bay waters. The main thing is to use your common sense and know your as well as your vessel’s limitations.

Winds are down compared to what we have had but for smaller boats, it is still tough to do anything. The local creeks and channels looked like a tournament was being held in those specific waters. It was amazing how many fish were caught there, probably mostly due to the fact they could not swim too far without running into another fishing line.

The big worm run for tarpon like I wrote about last week, has not happened as of press time but I really am looking for it to shoot off this full moon, (the next day or two.) The worm fly we developed looks just like the worm that comes out of the sponges that the tarpon eat so get a handful and head to one of the local bridge channels on the start of the outgoing tide and look out! Even if you don’t fish, it is a sight to behold when all of these fish are on the surface looking for them. Just take a walk on one of the bridges and you will see what I am talking about.

Thousands of tarpon all over the surface of the waters along with hundreds of other species eating these worms is a sight to behold. Seriously folks, it is real! This is not something that I dreamt up at the Betty Ford. Just ask any of the long time local tarpon guides.

Offshore action has been tough lately but as with all of the Keys. If you do go, look for hot dolphin action from 3 to 10 miles beyond the reef line. For those not just after dolphin, try the reef itself. This has been a banner year for yellowtail although not too many have had an opportunity to fish for them most of this month. Just work from 40 to 90 feet with the depth recorder on and look for schools to show up.

Other action that was good this weekend and should continue is the snapper working through the area bridge channels. It is not red hot yet but quite steady with plenty of big fish. On windy days, and lately when haven’t they been, these bridge channels are the best bet for action. There are also plenty of action species in the region such as bug jacks, chubs, sharks and a big resurgence of barracudas. You can always tell when the waters are warming when the ‘cudas begin to show in numbers.

May 16, 2007 - Wow! Is fishing ever awesome right now? It doesn’t seem to matter which venue that you pick; it’s been hot! I know that there are some that haven’t had that good of luck but for the most part, especially with the guides, it has been great.

To qualify what I am talking about, understand that a cooler full of fish does not necessarily represent a great day of fishing. Understand that this is a sport and there are times when the fish win. Getting your butt kicked can be just as an enjoyable day as catching a boatload. The thing is that you will be back to those fish that kicked your butt to try again and see if you can’t get the upper hand. It is the challenge of fishing.

So when I say that the fishing is great it doesn’t mean that the ocean level is dropping from all of the fish taken out of it. What I am saying is that for the majority of anglers, it has been one heck of a week of fishing. The weekend was about as awesome as you could get. Most every venue we have here, the bay, bridge channels, all of the area flats, Hawk Channel, the reef and even offshore were hot with action.

It also caused some congested thinking about just what to go for on such good days. You almost had to put on blinders to go do whatever you wanted to as not to get to confused by all of the other options. Flats fishing was just about as good as it gets and should remain the same for some time. The mix of the ‘big three,’ Bonefish, Tarpon & Permit on the flats right now make it hard for anglers to target just one at a time. You almost have to have three guns, (rods,) loaded and ready at all times.

The bay continues to be good with trout and snapper as well as a good mix of cobia and many other species mixed in. Take good chum, fish the tall grass bottom and you should have your way! Many of the snapper are on the move now so even if one of your favorite spots were void of fish last week, it doesn’t mean that that will be the case this week; or even on a day-to-day change.

Hawk Channel is full of fish that are moving through to either the bridge channels or to the reef to spawn. (If you had only one chance a year, would you miss it?) That is why these fish are on a mission. Reports from anglers fishing the ‘Hawk’ have been mixed with so many different species, even fishing the same spot day after day. It is a good bet for a mixed bag of fish. Again, good chum is the key.

The tarpon are filling in the local bridge channels faster than the tourist at Christmas time. Some very big fish have been caught this week and you can only count on more arriving soon. Literally hundreds of tarpon were hooked in the recent tarpon tournaments in the Middle Keys. All of that was in the evenings. The action at the bridges is hot especially in the evenings in the last couple of hours of daylight into a couple of hours after dark. It’s easy to do and doesn’t take a lot of time or fuel so give it a shot, soon.

The reef action has been quite exciting for a mixed variety of action as well. The drop off, what I like to call the ‘edge,’ has been especially good for a mix of good dinner fish and the occasional butt kicking from something that still remains unknown to the angler but has sparked their interest to a point that they have to return and try again. This area as well as the waters just offshore is some of the most prolific for fish in the Keys. It holds such a wide variety of species that it would take a huge book to list them all.

Offshore is just now getting right. The dolphin started good this past weekend and seem to be on ‘inbound mode.’ More and more have been seen & caught each day. Location varies from day to day but for the most part, within the first 8 miles beyond the reef has held enough for most everyone. As most of you know, I like to high-speed troll to cover more ground in the time allotted and in turn cross over more fish. It is a good way to go now with the fish being somewhat scattered out over the areas. It worked well this past weekend with a limit of dolphin in only a couple of hours. That was without hitting the schoolies but rather pairs of bigger fish. Give it a try, it’s productive.

Speaking of butt kicking and offshore, this week’s free fishing seminar is on Swordfish and other ‘biggies’ of the deep. After an hour or two fighting those fish and have one break off, you don’t know if you are angry or relieved! The seminar will begin at 6:30pm at our Marine Educational Center and I’ll be there. If you were looking for me earlier this week, I was contemplating checking into the Betty Ford Clinic after 15 straight days of tarpon tournaments and the associated parties. It’s better now that my liver quit calling in sick from overwork.

May 2, 2007 - It’s Tarpon Time! They are everywhere and eating heavily throughout the day & evenings according to all of the reports that I have received as well as witnessed in the past few days. The flats are covered up with them as well as most all of the area bridge channels. Darn, what a great time to have a tournament! Now that I’ve mentioned it, there just happens to be a couple of them coming up real soon.

The Ladies have their very own event that starts this Friday May the 4th with kick off and late sign up at 2pm @ the store. It is the 31st Annual Ladies Tarpon Tournament. Thursday May 10th is the start of the oldest tarpon tournament in the area; the 41st Annual Marathon International, which runs for three evenings of fishing. The kick off is 2pm on Thursday May 10th @ the store with late sign up available. This event is open to everyone and usually hosts a wide field of anglers challenging the ‘Silver King.’ (We’ve been known to have a little fun in these events over the years as well!!!). Both events feature the ‘Committee Boat’, which has to be seen to believe. You can send me an e-mail @ worldclassan@comcast.net or you can call me at the store @ 305-743-6139 for further information on either event. These events are not sponsored by AA but AAA has been involved a time or two in the past.

Weather you are going to be fishing in the tournaments or not, you should take advantage of the tarpon fishing right now. It is hot! Live mullet, live pinfish, live shrimp, live crabs and many types of plugs are all working for these hungry fish. The tournaments use 12 or 30 pound line classes to catch the fish but if you are on your own, 20 to 30 is the normal line class used on either spin or conventional tackle. Use at least a 6-foot leader of 60-pound test up to 125-pound test and have your way. Remember, the big tarpon don’t come to the boat, the boat comes to them.

The offshore report has been interesting this past week with numerous fish reported with a wide gap in the sizes. Most have spoken about lots of small schools and quite a few real big fish. What hasn’t been common is fish in the 8 to 15 pound range. Most of the action has been well offshore as of late with the edge of the ‘Stream moving out in the later part of last week, 16 to 20 miles from shore. There has been some large fish taken inside of 400 feet as well, but not too consistent. For anyone that has found any sizable debris, it has resembled a winning lottery ticket.

This week at our free fishing seminar we will be covering all aspects of dolphin fishing from what lines and rods to use as well as how to rig for fun and safety, the best presentations of baits, lures as well as how to keep the quality of your catch top notch. It is all free and it begins at 6:30 this Thursday evening at our Marine Educational Center located at the store.
The reef report has been fairly good with a decent bite on the yellowtail and nice muttons considering that we are on the full moon. A few big grouper were hooked but won the battle with the angler. Waters have been so gin clear lately that the use of a fluorocarbon leader has been almost a must. It has been common for anglers to have balls of fish right behind the boat yet can not get any of them to hit a thing. This can be frustrating at times although with the right mix of techniques, you should be able to work out your differences.

Inside along the inner edge of Hawk Channel, some nice catches of snapper have been put together as well as a few traveling cobia. The snapper bite has continued into the bridge channels as well. Many of the tarpon fishermen using live pinfish, shrimp & even crabs have found more than a few snapper. A few big black grouper have been taken along here as well.

April 25, 2007 - You know what? Reality has set in on fishing these days. Not just here in the Keys but pretty much, Nation wide. I can not speak for the rest of the nation but I can tell you that in the Middle Keys, fuel prices have gone up 48 cents a gallon in the past 20 days; and that’s just on the highway! That alone has been the number one reason given by anglers that I have asked why they are not fishing near as much as usual. It is not weather because we have had well below average winds so far this year. Anyone in South Florida knows it is not rain because for the most part, there hasn’t been any. So what can it be?

By far the number one answer has been, “I don’t want to go out looking for dolphin 20+ miles and burn all of that fuel.” Or “Those Gulf wrecks are still hot with fish but the run now cost me over $450 in gas.” I know it is not the bait prices because my bait prices are only up 3% to 5% in the past 3 years, most of that is due to the fuel increases that are now charged on delivery. Tackle has not gone up very much with the exception of lead; at least not going by percentages of fuel increases. Hell, down here, you could swallow a bottle of Viagra and not rise as fast as fuel prices!

I feel for those that just got their 28 to 32 footer with the 3 big engines on the back so they could be on the dolphin in seconds. Sounded like a grand idea about $2.00 / a gallon ago didn’t it? One thing I have learned over the years is that speed is equated by $ more than horsepower. Now a days, when someone says that they have a 250 on their boat, they are saying how much money it burns per hour!

I run a slow, 12-knot, 31 footer with a single Cummings Diesel but I get 2.2 miles per gallon and all of my organs have remained in their original location upon my return to the dock. Even with that, I have noticed that I myself am not going as frequently nor near as far as usual yet I don’t really didn’t plan it. It is just that it doesn’t seem to justify going on a long trip to take a chance on finding some nice fish. I have talked with several of the local fuel docks and have been told that the amount of fuel pumped this season is off over 40% from years past. This is the largest indicator that fuel prices have put a dent in local fishing. Overall, this season in the Keys is down as well with a 15+% decrease in visitors to our islands.

I can tell you that many of the usual anglers and captains that I contact on a regular basis throughout the Keys for information to relay in this column are not fishing nearly as often as years past. This week alone, with beautiful weather, less than half of the regular charter captains fished. This is one of the reasons that I have been struggling to find reports from many venues lately. The ones I have had are very favorable which indicates that the fishing is still quite strong, just not very many taking advantage of it.

OK, enough with complaining about it, now what do we do about it. One option is what I call the ‘Dorothy Syndrome.’ You remember, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” On my last seven trips, I do not believe that I have traveled more than five miles from the dock on any of them. I have been working humps and bumps in Hawk Channel, the near spots in the bay as well as the area bridge channels. May sound boring but the catches have been damn good. Nice hog fish; mutton, mango, lane and even some very nice yellowtail snapper; several keeper grouper along with a wide variety of fun fish as well as other good eating species. Nice thing about the Keys is that there are plenty of locations where you can find fish very close to home.

Other locations that have been reported as doing just fine are the reef edge with yellowtail along with some huge kingfish that are still around. Sailfish action has turned on like it should have back in November this week just off the edge. Bay snapper has had an upturn in the past several days with some very nice snapper. This week’s free fishing seminar will be on the bay and what is available now along with where to find it. It is always a nice option, particularly on windy days. The seminar begins at 6:30pm Thursday at our outdoor amphitheater in our Marine Educational Center.

For the most part, dolphin fishing is still scattered as of now but should improve very soon. Look for a big increase in fish working through local waters in the next week or so if tradition holds true. There have still been some very nice fish taken in the past week or so nearby as well as some nice schools found in the 20+ mile range.

Tarpon are not only in the area and active but by far the best bet for a big fish on a short trip. The area bridges and channels have them available and hungry. A reminder the 31st Annual Ladies Tarpon Tournament is May 4th & 5th. And the 41st Annual Marathon International Tarpon Tournament is May 10th, 11th & 12th. You can send me an e-mail @ worldclassan@comcast.net for further information on them. We are now entering the heart of the tarpon fishing in the Middle Keys, which runs well through June.

April 17, 2007 - OK, so March was very quite weather wise and so far April has been kind of rough on us. Strong winds for the start of the month and then these couple of fronts, you really can’t call them cold fronts when the temperature only drops 3 degrees, that have really mixed things up. Just when we were planning on a nice calm weekend, this last front decides to move all the way down and rough things up a bit. It did work over the bait scenario to our advantage though.

Working the winds as they clocked around the compass, anglers did find quite a few venues that were active. Dolphin are definitely beginning to work into our local waters more and more. While most of the consistent action remains well offshore, 18+ miles or so, plenty of scattered nice fish have been taken within 4 miles of the reef line. A good number of tunas have also been found in this area along with quite a number of ‘tailing’ cobia. These fish are working toward the west and can easily be spotted by boats with a tower. For others, just have a casting bait or plug at the ready along with a sharp eye just below the surface is your best bet.

The reef itself has been quite good with action now that we have just passed the dark of the moon. This should remain quite good for another 8 to 10 days so take advantage of it. We haven’t seen any real build up of mangrove snapper on the reef as of yet. There are spots with small schools but not the big numbers of big fish. ‘Tails still highlight this venue along with some very nice muttons.

Tarpon have been quite good to the west of the Middle Keys. By that I mean that the lower backcountry has been somewhat covered up with the arriving fish according to many of the flats guides. Bahia Honda Bridge has been the hottest so far for numbers of tarpon while daily improvement has been seen from 7-Mile through Long Key Bridges. The recent northerly winds did not help, as tarpon are not prone to being very active on them.

Speaking of tarpon fishing, that will be the topic at this week’s free fishing seminar at our outdoor amphitheater in our Marine Educational Center this Thursday evening beginning @ 6:30pm. We will be covering ways you can improve your chances of hooking up with the ‘Silver King’ along with ways to remain attached.

There are two tarpon tournaments that are upcoming next month; the 31^st Annual Ladies Tarpon Tournament May 4^th & 5^th. Both are all release events the 41^st Annual Marathon International Tarpon Tournament May 10^th, 11^th & 12^th for tarpon in the evenings and are known as much for their parties as they are for their fishing. You can send me an e-mail @ worldclassan@comcast.net for further information on them. We are now entering the heart of the tarpon fishing in the Middle Keys, which runs well through June. Space is still available. Give me a call or drop by @ the store for information.

Bayside of the islands have been improving with action lately. It had been somewhat stagnant overall but we are seeing an influx of a variety of snapper, trout and grouper. Problem is now that the big numbers of mackerel are gone, it just doesn’t seem the same not to have a rod going off every 10 seconds. Now it is more like fishing. Look for depressions, usually associated with a white sandy area for the best collection of snapper. These don’t have to be that impressive to be good either. A drop of a foot or two in depth is all it takes usually to hold a number of fish. It doesn’t have to have structure in it either. Just the depression will attract fish that will harbor in the nearby tall grass beds.

The snapper should be beginning their move to the reef to spawn and the first place this is noticeable is in the bay where the big ones that come in out of the Gulf will transgress on their way out. Keep an eye on area bridge channels as well for on some days, you can hit the jackpot and limit out within half of an hour on 4+ pound fish.

April 11, 2007 - Tarpon are on the tongues of just about every guide as their numbers have risen so much in recent days. Some of the really big fish have shown up and are giving anglers a real good fanny kicking. Bridge action has been best in the mornings and evenings like always with live baits as well as casted artificals. Throughout the flats, it is all going on. Throughout the backcountry, action is red hot with the ability for sight fishing being very good. Now you can spot fish wakes that are not camouflaged by 6-inch ripples. With the rising water temperatures, more and more fish are up on the area flats. Oceanside has had more than its share of action as well with tons of tarpon being around to excite area anglers. Permit have been one of the hottest fish to find for several weeks now with fish in excess of 15 pounds being common.

Bayside action has finally expanded from just mackerel to snapper, trout, redfish and grouper. There are still quite a few mackerel well into the bay, over 10 miles, with numerous big cobia in the same vicinity. One very noticeable species around the back islands are acres of mullet pushing into the area. There are times where you can see 4 to 6 acres of them mudding their way through. For a light tackle thrill, cast a plug or large jig into these muds as you will find huge jacks, cobia and other large predators feeding on the mullet. This is also the sure-fire sign that tons of tarpon are soon to be in. (It’s like mom calling, “dinner’s ready” on Thanksgiving Day.)

One mention of a couple of tarpon tournaments that are upcoming next month; the 31st Annual Ladies Tarpon Tournament May 4th & 5th . Both are all release events the 41st Annual Marathon International Tarpon Tournament May 10th, 11th & 12th for tarpon in the evenings and are known as much for their parties as they are for their fishing. You can send me an e-mail @ worldclassan@comcast.net for further information on them. We are now entering the heart of the tarpon fishing in the Middle Keys, which runs well through June. Space is still available. Give me a call or drop by @ the store for information.

On the other side of the islands, action is very good as well from the reef and beyond. ‘Tails are hot right now with good grouper action from 35 to 90 feet of water. The reef action throughout this region is very good as well with mutton snapper being almost as good as the yellowtail. Some very big groupers have been taken from a little east of Big Pine Shoal through Cudjoe Key reefs. The clarity of the water along the edge has been awesome. It had cleared up tremendously and at times, you could see your prey swimming on the bottom in over 60 feet of water. This caused the need for fluorocarbon leaders to catch much.

Offshore action has not only some sails, dolphin and tunas but also a good run of swordfish. This last full moon was a bonanza for the night feeding billfish. Most of the action was around 28 to 32 miles out on live baits such as blue runners while rigged squid had its share. This should continue to be good through most of the summer if history holds true. Having the good weather to fish at night for these monsters is one of the main keys to success. Just having the ability to go out that far without having your organs attempting to switch places makes a big difference. This fishery has really taken off in the past couple of years with the ban of long lining throughout the Keys waters. What is nice now is a small one can be released alive and not dead as a doornail like was done with a long line.

Speaking of offshore fishing, that will be the topic at this week’s free fishing seminar at our outdoor amphitheater in our Marine Educational Center this Thursday evening beginning @ 6:30pm. We will be covering trolling to catch and not just fish. Different techniques and strategies used on the ‘off’ days as well as when they are so thick, you are afraid of running over them.

One other store note is that we will be closed this Sunday afternoon in respect of services in the memory of Paul Wright, a long time employee and very good friend. We will only be open from 7 to 11 am on Sunday April 15th.

April 4, 2007 - Tarpon, Dolphin, Snapper, Wahoo, Yellowtail, Tuna, Grouper, Sailfish, Trout, Kingfish, Mutton Snapper; take your pick, all have been available lately. The key is when you where when. All of the above mentioned fish were biting for many anglers this past week but, naturally, not for all at the same time. It all depended on when you where when. Offshore had its hot days as well as the reef, the bridges and the bay. It’s all a big gamble as to when is the best at a certain venue. That is the main key to fishing. Guessing right!

That’s right, guessing. There are guides that will have most of the tendencies down to a pattern so they will be right most of the time and it makes them look good. But I don’t care who you are, it is almost impossible to get it right all of the time, (although there are guides out there that will argue with me on this point.) At best for the average angler who is not a professional, if you hit the hot spots 40 to 60% of the time, you have done very well. After all, if you caught just the right amount and size of what you went after every time, there would be no challenge in the process and you would get board with fishing. What keeps us going back is the chance of that big one or that day where just about everything went as planned.

One of the most difficult types of fishing to pinpoint is tarpon. These fish will make a fool out of the best guide as well as any amateur angler. Tarpon are best known for doing what they want; when they want and there is nothing that we can do to change that. Speaking of tarpon fishing, we are less than a month away from the 2 big local tarpon tournaments. The 31^st Annual Ladies Tarpon Tournament will be held on May 4^th& 5^th and the Granddaddy of Tarpon Tournaments, the 41^st Annual Marathon International Tarpon Tournament will be held May 10^th, 11^th & 12^th. I have all of the information on both of these events and naturally will be glad to share it with you. Both of these events are a great deal of fun weather you catch fish or not. If you doubt that, just ask anyone that has fished one of them recently.

Besides the tarpon, the offshore fishing has been great for those that have ventures out. Most of the action is still like winter fishing. By that, I mean that the majority of the activity has been within 6 miles of the reef. It will be a little later in the month before the big schools will show up well offshore. But for now, take advantage of the fact that most of the fish are close to home. Work in the 120 to 600 foot depths and you should do fine for the most part. Not every place you go nor every day will be bountiful but for the most part, you should do well. I found that using lures rather than baits has been more productive in both covering more ground and hooking more fish.

I have been using the ‘Billy Bait’ mini turbo slammer in the blue & fuchsia color for my best results for over 15 years. This lure has just caught fish without explanation or thought. I’ll say this about it; it’s the reason that I am not commercial fishing anymore and sitting in nice, comfortable air-conditioning writing this article. It has been that good to me! There are other colors that do very well and on some days, do better. But for the most part, that one is hard to beat. (FYI, I have at least 40 of them on the boat so I don’t get caught short if that tells you anything!) I have had quite a bit of luck with other styles of ‘Billy Baits’ as well as many other

March 28, 2007 - We’re near the end of the month and for the most part, March was a ‘lamb’ of a month. We did not have the heavy fronts, high winds all month, strong nasty fronts that are normal for the month. We did have a season change, not only the official ‘First Day of Spring’ last week but also what seemed to be a switch from winter to summer. The first part of the month, water and air temperatures were down and now it is summer like conditions. Fishing has reacted accordingly.

With the rapidly warming water, mackerel have seemingly fled from most of the ocean and nearby bay waters. They are still scattered around but not in the numbers that we have seen for some months now. This departure should only continue in the next few weeks so if you still want to catch some, you had better get to it! The same has been somewhat true for the kingfish along the reef as well as the nearby Gulf waters. They have been thinning out quite noticeably as of late. Still, reports of fairly good action continue along the reef, although most of the activity is actually up on the patch reefs rather than off the edge in the deeper waters.

Sailfish action has slowed somewhat of late as well but don’t let that fool you. We almost always have a big surge of spring sails when we get a certain weather pattern set up which is more than likely upcoming. Strong winds from the east resulting from what is commonly called a Bermuda High, a very large high-pressure system that anchors itself near Bermuda. It usually last several days and creates strong sharp seas along the edge of the reef. This causes what is called ‘tailing conditions’ for the sailfish. It is known as the best bite of the season for sailfish in the area. It is also causes sea conditions that make most shall we say, less experienced anglers resemble a chameleon. It contributes to the rumor that all sailfish are named Ralph because that is what you keep hearing from the anglers seeking them.

With all of the winter fish leaving or at least thinning somewhat, you may ask what is in now. Well I can tell you that we have almost missed the spring change of a few species moving in a little at a time. They just showed up in force. All but the dolphin are in just like it is a few months from now and even the dolphin are around in numbers that are generally noted as two to three times as many as this date normally has.

Offshore, wahoo and tunas are thick and large. Dolphin are around but not in concentrations along weed lines like they will be later in the year. Moving around and covering ground will cause you to find more of them than those that just troll one line for a length of time. High-speed lures are by far the most beneficial way to make contact with the scattered schools that are around now. For additional information about how to rig for these offshore species now and in the coming weeks, stop by our free fishing seminar at our outdoor amphitheater @ our Marine Educational Center this Thursday evening. We have special guest that will be covering different techniques on offshore fishing, rigging, tackle as well as what to look for. Again, it is free and it begins at 6:30pm sharp.

Just last week, reef and bridge fishing was very difficult with the strong winds and the associated strong currents. Now, both venues are much more docile and coincidentally much more productive. Good action from yellowtail along the reef has been consistent along with nice mutton snapper being taken along the reef. Both venues have been very active with large mangrove snapper, particularly on live baits such as pinfish. Tarpon around the bridges in the evenings as well as the mornings are becoming almost red-hot. It almost looks like May out there now.

Speaking of mangrove snapper, bay fishing has been quite active with them. So much so, that if you travel out at least 5 miles to the tall grass beds, you would not have any trouble in catching your limit in only a few hours. That is if you brought some good chum with you. If you didn’t, you wasted a trip! With a limit of 5 per person, you may not want to keep the first five over the 10-inch minimum that you catch. There have been some very nice fish out there well over 20 inches in length. They usually show up after you have been fishing for a while. If you are worried, just keep the first couple and leave your limit open for some of the big ones. You can always finish off with what is available in the chum line in a short time.

March 21, 2007 - Every week I look for the best information that I can get to give you an overall view of what is happening out on the local waters. I don’t just report on one or two individual’s catches and list all of the parties involved but rather look for an overview of the entire spectrum of the fishery in a particular venue. There are times when I hear of a fantastic catch by some and others in the vicinity did not do very well. I try to look at the averages.

So this week I have been looking for some great news on the flats, the bay, area bridge channels, Hawk Channel, the reef or even offshore. Guess what? I didn’t find any! It has been the first time in a long time when I could not find an overall good report in any of the above-mentioned venues. Quite frankly, it has been just plain slow. The one thing that hasn’t been slow has been the winds, which could have greatly contributed to the poor reports or even the lack of them. For the most part, the bay and the bridges have been the places most fished due to the strong winds we have had for over a week now.

These winds will be greatly associated with the changing fishing that we are about to experience. This recent cool snap should trigger the last good blast of mackerel in the bay; cause a good movement of baitfish throughout the region, which should trigger a movement of the predator fish to replenish spots that have been worked over too hard lately.

That is one thing a period of good winds will do; cause anglers not to be able to go to the same spots over and over again pounding it until they catch the last ‘keeper’ off of it. The long time local guides will communicate with each other and not hit the same spot that another guide had just fished the day before to give these areas a break from the fishing pressure. This assures that these locations do not get fished out and will produce a nice day for their future parties. All anglers do not share this wise use of common sense though and they are the ones that will have less and less action on a certain location on progressive days.

So why is the fishing so slow overall right now? Heck if I know. It may be that the transition is taking place as we have seen a good influx of dolphin just offshore lately. Also red grouper have been showing up in the shallower waters of the bay along with good numbers of mangrove snapper. This is what we look forward to this time of year. Tarpon are also showing in nice amounts on the flats of the lower backcountry according to area flats guides.

We actually shouldn’t complain about the winds since March traditionall