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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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!

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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 traditionally is the windiest month we have.  Times of flat calm are coming although that is not much comfort for those that were here this past week and it was their only shot.  Heck on days like those, we have a saying, “You don’t buy breakfast, you just rent it!”  It is amazing that with these conditions, anglers that have to go do something discover that there are locations near to home that will produce nice action and usually at least a dinner or two.  Areas where you can get out of the wind and still find some good action.

Offshore fishing is about to bust wide open in coming weeks so be ready.  If you are new to this fishery, we are having a free fishing seminar this Thursday evening beginning at 6:30 on Dolphin Fishing.  We will be discussing the tactics and tackle used for this particular type of fishing.  It is absolutely free and will be held in our outdoor amphitheater at our Marine Educational Center located at the store.

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March 14, 2007 - We have had a steady dose of moderate winds, not calm and not too rough.  That has been the norm for most of the winter this year.  In fact, looking at some of the wind history over the past several years, we have had one of the calmest years on average so far this year.  There have been over 20 days with the winds at an average of 10 knots or less so far with the normal being only 8 from the first of the year to mid March. 

So what is your excuse for not getting out as much as you would like?  If the ocean is a bit bumpy for you, there is always the bay and area bridge channels; all providing good action as well as dinner fish.  For those that have gone, the reef action has been quite good and with the darkening moon, this should only get better this week.  One of the keys to working the reef is that there is a whole lot more than just the drop off.  Problem is, most don’t know how to work areas other than just anchoring up for yellowtail.

This week in our outdoor amphitheater at our Marine Educational Center located at the store; we will be covering the different aspects of working the reef.  Not just the drop off but also the plateau with all of its patches of coral and grass beds.  We will be discussing the variation of currents that you find, both velocity and direction on any given day.  We will be starting at 6:30 with the time change but we will have a ‘bull’ session for those that come early.  It is absolutely free and everyone is invited to attend. 

The permit have been making a big time appearance in many of the usual locations, the backcountry flats and banks.  Also, many have been showing up along the ocean side flats and humps.  It is just about the right time for them as March is one of the big months for numerous permit to be around in the huge schools.  The wrecks in the Gulf have been covered up with them for a while now as well as some of the Hawk Channel wrecks.

The best bait for a permit by far is a live small blue crab.  If he’s dead, so are your chances of hooking a fish for the most part.  The problem with fishing crab for most is the knowledge of how to hook one without killing it or to make it swim properly and not look just like a fishy weight.  You use a hook that matches the size of the bait.  Too big and he’s going down; too small and the bend of the hook will not exceed the width of the crab’s body, giving you virtually not chance of getting your hook into anything. 

Hook the crab from the underside to the top in one of the corners, (left or right side,) and do it gently.  A crab has a hard shell and you will have to work the hook through easy as not to shatter the entire area.  (This is most often the case, even with professional anglers, when a school is approaching and everyone gets so excited they forget to pay attention.)  Work it through the top of the shell as well and turn the hook so it looks like another leg.  I prefer to use the Mustad style 92661 hook in 1/0 to 3/0 for permit because it is a bronze hook that matches the color of the crab and will not have any shine to it as a silver hook does.

Permit do not have teeth so no leader is needed.  You don’t want to have too heavy of a line as to spook them because they are not dumb.  That’s why they are classed as a game fish.  Double line usually will do just fine if you are using very light line.  If you want to use a leader, I recommend fluorocarbon for its invisibility. 

Casting the crab is where most anglers need help.  You can best understand how to do it properly if you just imagine that you are on the hook traveling through the air and going ‘splat!’  Cast the crab gently and it will last much longer.  If you knock it senseless, it will not swim properly looking lively.  (How frisky are you after walking into a wall?)  Once you knock the flap on its bottom open, you do not have much time with that crab.  Used properly, they can last most of the day on a hook and ones that are not used will live in a livewell for many days.

Once you hook one, don’t think you are going to ‘horse’ them right in.  They are sought after for their fighting ability.  They will fight almost to the death.  It is important that you ‘breath’ them for a spell when releasing them so they will have a fighting chance to make it past the predators.  (He just made your day so don’t make it his last!)

 

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March 7, 2007 - You caught it, now what?  Believe it or not, that question is asked more by anglers than any other this time of year with so many visitors that are not familiar with the wide variety of species we have here in the Keys.  First of all, is it something that I want to keep or throw back, is it good to eat and how do I clean it?  For those of you that target a particular species and know all about it, you wouldn’t think that there are some that just don’t know.

Those that have fished all of their time in fresh water probably aren’t even aware of the fact that you don’t want to be sticking your fingers in the mouths of most of the fish that we have here.  Chances are you won’t get all of them back!  Gills are another place to keep your digits away from as many of these fish have a line of bone inside of them that will slice you wide open. 

Keeping your catch properly chilled is another very important factor.  If your catch is allowed to expire warm and not cooled correctly, it will dramatically decrease the amount of time you will have to store the fish before it turns bad.  The same is true for cleaning your catch.  So many will lay the days prizes out for all to see.  This is great for photos but too long in Keys weather and your fish will be loosing quality rapidly. 

Different species require different techniques used to clean them and get the most meat in your frying pan and not to the pelicans.  The use of the electric knife is very advantageous for many species but not all as you can miss quite a bit from some.  Plus the age-old question is prevalent with many kinds of fish, “What parts to I keep and what parts do I throw away”  Filleting is a skill that is learned over time and with much practice.  Obtaining a high skill level while still possessing all of your fingers is always a bonus.  Speed is not always the sign of a good fish cleaner, particularly if one is partaking in a celebratory brew or two. 

To obtain the very best flavor of fresh Keys fish, proper cooking is essential.  You don’t just slap it in a frying pan and cook it until it turns dark brown.  This quite often is over cooking and will make the meat taste dry and in some cases, fishy tasting.  Most light meat fish will cook quite quickly and should be extremely moist and flaky.  Tuna and cobia are prime examples of darker or heavier textured meat that can be actually marginal in flavor with over cooking yet when done right, is awesome. 

Probably the biggest mistake I have seen made by anglers is in long-term storage of fillets.  By this I mean freezing.  How many times have you looked in the freezer and found a bag of fish that has darkened in color, become covered with frost inside the package or just plain looks dried out?  Think of all the effort that you expended to get the boat, bait & tackle ready, the time you spent out fishing, the cleaning of your catch and then was in a hurry to pack it up for the freezer.  I have seen fish that went ‘south’ within a week in the freezer due to poor packaging.  How many times have you eaten fish that was frozen and it tasted ‘fishy’?  There are ways to prevent this from happening.

First of all, any fish that I clean; I completely remove the bloodline.  This is the line that runs between the top and bottom portions of a fillet.  This contains a high concentration of blood and in parts, tiny bones.  If this remains in when frozen, this is what will make your fish taste ‘fishy.’  The darker the meat of the fish your are processing the greater this comes into effect.  With a tuna for example, you leave this in and when you thaw and cook it, you might be better off eating the pot and throwing the meat away! 

 

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February 21, 2007 - They’re here!  All of the wise visitors from the north that have enough sense to get the heck out of weather that resembles falling in the fish cooler, (without the smell, that is.)  Many of these wise visitors are anglers as well and even though we don’t have too many bass, crappie, blue gill or other familiar fish to them, we do have enough species to confuse the daylights out of most.  I always like to take visitors out and see the wonderment of catching 8, 10 or even 12 different species on one spot with the same exact rig and the same exact bait.  If you ever think that you know them all, just go night fishing on the reef and see what comes out of the water.

One of the problems with all of these different fish and particularly those that frequent these parts as opposed to fresh water species is their natural defenses.  For instance, picking up a grouper or many other of our local species by sticking your fingers up the gills will usually result in the angler obtaining a good look at the bone in their fingers.  Most local species have spines throughout their fins that will not bend but have a quirky tendency to break off easily once embedded in your body.

Notwithstanding is the real business end of these fish, which is the mouth.  Most fish are aptly named such as pinfish, (just grab one wrong and you will have no further questions.)  Then there are the snapper whom once they get a hold of a finger will only let go to obtain a better grip.  Of course there are the mackerel and kingfish with their numerous teeth and the barracuda, which would be an orthodontist fantasy! 

So what do you do with all of these species once you catch them?  One phrase comes to mind; Handle With Care!  There are quite a few tools to use, which will de-hook a fish and keep your fingers away from the ‘business end’ of them.  The use of a rag will help keep you from being poked and prodded by their fins but the best way is not to have to handle them at all.  This is not only good for you but also the fish as the majority of their immune system is external and is located in the slime that coats them.  Once removed by a rag or other, shall we say not so gentle handling, they are a big time target for infection that could kill them a day or two down the road.

Speaking of snapper, all types of them will be the main topic at this week’s free fishing seminar.  We will be discussing Lane, Mangrove, Mutton, Yellowtail snapper as well as the tastiest of them all, the Hogfish, which is really not a snapper but as good eating as all of them.  We will be covering techniques, locations, baits and lures that are known to effectively capture these species.  This free seminar will begin promptly at 6pm this Thursday at our Marine Educational Center located at the store. 

So now you are asking what is out there right now for me to worry about?  The fishing has been so good the past two weeks that I would not have room to detail all of it but I can summarize.  Starting offshore, sailfish action has been spotty at times but when you find a pocket of them, look out.  Kings and tunas have been quite good along with an inordinate number of wahoo hitting deep diving plugs.  Reef action has remained steady with a wide variety of snappers and quite a bit of large grouper.  The patches have been good for mutton and hogfish.

 

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February 5, 2007 - OK, it’s winter after all. This has been a good front and the associated winds have turned on the sailfish action for those hearty enough to try it. This activity should remain on key for a while now along with an increase in the king activity just offshore.

One of the biggest keys to successful fishing is obtaining live bait. Here more than in most fishing arenas in the country, live bait is almost essential for finding and catching the larger specimens of your targeted species. Now you can find live shrimp, pinfish and crabs at most tackle stores and a few have a couple of other live baits available from time to time. But for obtaining a steady supply of baitfish, your best option is to catch it yourself. This way, you know just how it was handled and how long it has been in captivity. As you know with may live baits, they do not take to a great deal of handling before they start to sun their bellies. The most efficient way to catch live bait is with a cast net.

This brings me to the number one question that I get this time of year, “When’s he coming? What day is he coming? When’s he going to be here?” The man they are referring to is none other than the master artist with a cast net, Mr. Al Fernandez, owner and CEO of West Coast Nets, Inc. Al will be demonstrating how to properly cast the nets as well as informing you on how to care for and choose the proper net for your needs. It’s all-free of charge too! It will be held this Thursday evening @ 6pm in our outdoor amphitheater @ at our Marine Educational Center.

What has been good all year and is continuing is the yellowtail fishing all along the reef line. It will vary from time to time as to the best depth, but it has been by far the most consistent fishery on the Oceanside. The average size of the fish being brought in is usually much larger when using live bait. It has actually made yellowtail fishing, normally one of the most frustrating and aggravating types of fishing, very enjoyable. What has been quite unusual has been the large numbers and size of fish that have been in relatively shallow waters, from 35 to 50 feet. This has given many anglers whom are not that good at the art of yellowtail fishing an advantage, which you gain when, you don’t have to work them in deep waters.

Very near the yellowtail activity, which is usually concentrated along the ‘edge’, which is the drop off section of the reef line where it falls from 35 feet of water downward to over 120 feet deep, is another area that has been very good. The patch reefs have been alive with a variety of fish from yellowtail to mangrove and mutton snappers, a variety of grouper species, hogfish and many more. These areas have also been covered time to time by a blanket of other species that stay in the water column between the bottom & the surface. These include mackerels, jacks and others. These patch reefs that are usually in depths of 18 to 35 feet do not hold the big numbers of fish normally but have been known to provide a bounty on occasion.

The patch reefs have been more than adequate for finding at least one ‘keeper’ grouper, enough of a variety of snappers to provide a very nice dinner and enough action to keep everyone happy. I do not recommend that you plan on spending the entire day on one patch reef but rather hitting a good number of them to average out a good catch. Like anywhere else, the patch reefs are not all loaded with what you are after but you may find that they have more to offer than you had imagined. With the depths that you will be fishing and the fact that you can use your eyes, a fairly accurate fish finder, to find the coral patch reefs, you will find it is an efficient way to fish.

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January 24, 2007 - No excuse! None whatsoever. I don’t want to hear why you couldn’t go fishing with the weather that we had as well as the amount of fish that have been available for the taking. It has seemed more like May than January weather wise and the winds have been quite docile for winter. If you have missed it, you’ve really missed it! You name it, it’s been happening with only a few exceptions. Let’s take it one venue at a time.

The bay waters that are, for arguments sake, offshore. That is the areas that are over 15 miles out in the back. In this area, big mackerel, cobia, grouper and some very large kingfish have been taken on the outer wrecks as well as just in open areas with good chum lines. If you go, look for a similar sight that you may find in the ocean; feeding birds. They will be on the actively feeding fish. Also, many schools of cobia have been found up along the surface ‘tailing’ after surface baitfish.

With the warmer than normal water temperatures, we are still not seeing the big numbers of cobia or kings. I have had reports that good numbers are up-state 40 or so miles and it will take a couple of good cool fronts to move them into local waters.

The meat of the bay waters, say from 5 to 15 miles out in the bay have been even more mackerel, snapper, smaller grouper, trout, redfish, bluefish & tons of ladyfish. For those that brought enough chum to establish a good line, the action has been more than rewarding enough for their efforts. Anglers have had to pay more attention to their limits than looking for fish. Most have achieved their limit of mackerel and snapper in less than a few hours of fishing as long as they were over the tall grass bottom or needle grass rather than in on the shorter, flatter turtle grass. The exception to that has been fishing around banks and shoals inside of 5 miles out.

The area bridge channels have been producing good action on mangrove snapper and several species of grouper. The best results have been achieved fishing from a boat up current of the old bridge pilings. Working each piling for a short time, (unless the action remains steady,) then moving down a couple of piling and trying it again. This hit & run technique has been quite productive for a good catch of larger fish.

Hawk Channel has been alive with big lane snapper and some very nice mutton snapper. For those that have spent some time in this area, most have been rewarded with at least one big one making its appearance. Some nice kings as well as buku mackerel have also been solid in this the Hawk. Nice ‘legal’ sized yellowtail have been taken in the past week.

The reef, that is on top along the patches of coral, say 15 to 30 feet has been an excellent area for those deep trolling, (wire lines, downriggers, deep planers, etc.) Drift fishing has also been very good. For these anglers, their reward has been ‘flag’ yellowtail, mutton, mangrove and big lane snapper; black, gag, red, yellow mouth and small (5 to 25 pound) snowy grouper, (Yes! That’s small for a snowy!) There has also been plenty of mackerel around as well as a few kings on top of the reef.

On the edge, (30 to 100 feet of water,) the action has been such as to confuse anglers on which tackle to take along. My suggestion, take it all! The grouper have been ranging from ½ pound strawberry to 80-pound blacks. The mutton this past week on some of the deeper spots have been upwards of 22 pounds. Yellowtail have been scattered but for those found, the schools have had huge numbers in them. Lots of kings in this area on flat lines as well as even bottom lines. All of this creates the dilemma; light tackle for the yellowtail but then you get a huge king on and you may be in trouble. It would be wise to take along an extra spool of line just in case.

Offshore fishing, (over 100 feet of water,) has been awesome! For those trolling a deep line, (wire, downrigger, planer, in line sinker,) wahoo, kingfish, tuna have been the top three species. Working an inshore current edge, (this has been varying from 200 to 450 feet from day to day,) has been very productive for the wahoo & tuna. The kings have been everywhere but not in big numbers or many of the monsters yet. Sailfish have been hitting mostly surface baits; either trolled rigged ballyhoo or live baits on a slow troll. Drifting with the live baits near where you have spotted a recent bait spray has been the best bet for sail and king action.

We will be holding a free fishing seminar this week on fishing around the bridges and channels of the local waters as well as on areas and techniques on finding bait fish. Channels and bridges are always a good option on a windy day, particularly with an easterly wind but you cannot count on finding bait when you get there. Live baits are one of the best things you can use in most all types of fishing here so learning where to find it can be quite beneficial. The free seminar will be held this Thursday evening beginning at 6pm in our outdoor amphitheater at our Marine Educational Center located at the store.

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January 17, 2007 - Don’t complain about the weather or the winds because it is still better here than in 90% of the rest of the country. Plus, I seriously doubt that you would be dressed the same back home right now. Heck, for most of those north of the Mason-Dixon line, they are not thinking about catching a fish as much as keeping it from freezing before they get a chance to fillet it!

I know it has been difficult to fish in the recent winds but the fact of the matter is that we have to live with it now. It is the usual weather that we will be having through the end of March. Winter patterns with passing fronts will cause the winds to hasten for a few days then drop for a day or two and back up again. The only variety we get is the switching of the direction of them.

This makes it a challenge when you go to a certain area and have a great day. You want to do it again tomorrow but the weather conditions may not be at all favorable to do so in that certain venue. It is just the way it is now. You will have to be versatile in your fishing ventures. Quite frankly, in the winter time here, over 20 knots is very limiting, 20 knots is questionable, anything down to around 15 knots is a good fishing day, 10 to 15 knots is a definite, and 10 knots or below is a ‘Forget the Honey-Do’s today Hun’ day for sure!

A little wind just mixes up the bait more and actually increases the fishing in the area. The bay for example has had more action of late as it ever has. On several recent trips that I took, the hardest part was attempting to get a sip of my beverage between bites. The only way was to keep the bait out of the water. That’s not bragging, it’s fact! The area about 7 to 12 miles north into the bay has good numbers of snapper, grouper (yes, some legal ones too,) trout, redfish, bluefish, all kinds of jacks, some nice cobia, remoras and literally tons of mackerel. The mackerel are so thick in spots that it is difficult to get a bait down to the snapper when they move in on you.

The reason that I am going in to so much detail is to inform you of the action that is available in the bay for mackerel and more for those that would like to have a blast on light tackle. If you have a fly rod; I don’t care how good you are with it; you should take it along. You don’t have to cast well, just get the fly wet and odds are you will have a fish on. Make sure you have a little wire in front of the fly or have lots of them! It’s a great place to take kids as well for a few hours of this type of fishing and you can count on them sleeping well that night.

On the other side of the islands when conditions allowed, yellowtail have been lighting it up as of late. Using the “Cy Fly,” anglers have been catching some very nice flags. The “Cy Fly” is a small fly made just for flat-lining and not so much for a fly rod. Tip it with just a minuscule piece of bait and drop it back into the chum line. Over the years, it has proven to entice the larger fish in the area. Silversides have proven to be a hot bait as well. Always drop a live or large rigged bait to the bottom as some very nice mutton as well as grouper have been taken lately.

Just offshore, kingfish and sails have been the hot commodity. Trolling just below the surface has been the most productive style as opposed to skipping along the top. I have been using the new “Head Start” sinker rig for a little while now with excellent results. It is the best rig that I have found that can allow even a moron the ability to rig a bait that will troll perfectly. (That’s the reason that I got it!) It can be used with ballyhoo, even old frozen ones, squid, and rubber ballyhoo, with or without a skirt. It gets the bait down about 4 feet @ 8 knots. It is also excellent for use on the reef to troll the patch reefs for grouper and big yellowtail. I don’t brag about a product unless I’ve seen it work and work well. This one does. Diving plugs have also been very good lately for big kings as well as nice fish on the patch reefs.

Area wrecks have been active with a wide variety of fish. What you may think of as a wreck and what I call a wreck may be two different things. Depending on the topography of the bottom in an area will determine what kind of structure is needed to hold a group of fish. This week’s free fishing seminar will be on wreck fishing in the Keys. It will be held in our outdoor amphitheater at our Marine Educational Center located behind the store from 6 to 8pm this Thursday evening. It is absolutely free of charge and everyone is welcome. We will be giving out numbers as well.

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January 10, 2007 - It’s been wild! From two feet to two hundred feet of water, there has been action in just about every venue of fishing that is available here in the Keys, and that covers quite a few options. Actually there has been good activity in even shallower as well as deeper waters than that. Weather has been the determining factor in just where you would have been able to fish any particular day. This is winter fishing in the Keys. The fronts that roll through cause winds to shift day to day, which inhibits smaller boats in some areas. It also stirs up the water and causes a great deal of fish movement following bait throughout the region.

In just this past week, I have either heard of or participated in real good catches of sailfish, kingfish, tuna, mackerel, mangrove, mutton, lane, yellowtail, trout, redfish, porgy, cobia, a variety of grouper and even dolphin. Like I said, the only factor limiting the action was being able to comfortably get to them. For the past several weeks, we have been in a very warm weather pattern with east to southeasterly winds maintaining a onshore flow from the ocean which has produced a good build up of ‘summer species’ along with the winter ones.

Just offshore the reef, sails and kings have been abundant. 200+ feet of water have produced quite a few good tunas and a very surprising number of dolphin for this time of year. Back on the edge of the reef, yellowtail and big mutton snapper have been improving now that we are on the ¼ moon. Hanging on and not contributing to the chum line has been the biggest problem on the windy days. The patch reefs have had an unusual number of mangrove snapper for the winter along with a good variety of grouper and a few large muttons.

Inside of that, along both sides as well as in the middle of Hawk Channel, big lane, mangrove and mutton snapper have been giving anglers a good time as well as some very nice dinner fillets. Mackerel, some cobia and a good number of red grouper have also been reported. Chumming the subtle humps and bumps has been quite productive and much more comfortable when the winds are northerly.
Kingfish, mackerel, cobia and more will be what we will be covering this week at our Free Fishing Seminar. We will be teaching how to actually catch them as opposed to just getting cut off by them repeatedly. For anyone with family down or those that just like to have a time where you catch fish after fish after fish, there is nothing like these species. Our free seminar will be held in our outdoor amphitheatre at our Marine Educational Center 5050 Overseas Highway this Thursday evening at 6. Everyone is invited to attend.

The bridge channels have remained steady, as long as you don’t get caught up in fishing the deeper channels with the winds up. There, the heavy concentrations of weeds that have been blowing through have made keeping a bait under the surface quite difficult. Just work off the side of where the noticeable weeds are moving through and you will find that by keeping a bait down, your activity will drastically improve. Silversides have been the hottest bait here lately, even more than live shrimp!

Moving into the bay waters, all I can tell you is that if you skimp on bait, you will not be the most popular person on the boat because the fish have been chomping! Inside of 5 miles out, action has been somewhat limited unless you find some of that sought after tall needle grass bottom. Beyond 5 miles, where most of the bottom is good, mangrove snapper have been scattered throughout as well as gag and black grouper. Mackerel action remains good 7+ miles into the bay throughout the region although the big fish are not prevalent yet. By big, I am talking 7+ pounds and 40+ inches. They will come when we get into cooler waters along with associated temperatures. The same can be said for the cobia; while some are being found, the big numbers as well as in size have not appeared as of yet. There is still good snapper here if you can get a bait down to them through the mackerel. Also found in this venue has been redfish, some very large, trout and a wide variety of action fish such as jacks and others.

Flats fishing has been very good on some days when the winds and temperatures allowed. Plenty of bones have been around as well as good times with many other ‘critters’ located in the shallow waters. Not to be forgotten have been the mangrove snapper that have been quite thick along the grass flats looking for crustaceans that have been blown loose of their cover when the winds are up. This is a good area to fish for the activity as well as having the flat provide a block to the wind and waves. You can either set up on anchor and chum the edges of the flats or just drift along them if the wind and current are cooperating. On the drift, a small jig, 1/8 to ¼ ounce tipped with some shrimp has been killer.

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January 3, 2007 - Trout season is open! This only means one thing; all of those trout that you’ve been catching for the past couple of weeks are going to disappear. Somehow, I don’t think this is going to be the case as this looks like a banner year for the spotted sea trout that we have here in the Keys. In fact, usually the larger populations have been well to the northeast near the Everglades Park Boundary. In the past couple of years, and this one looks very similar, we have seen an abundance of trout in most of the back waters from the park all the way west to the Content Keys.

The tall grass beds have been full of them for a few weeks now and the recent cool weather will only bring more of them into the area. If you are trying to catch them, there are a variety of ways. Live shrimp are the favorite bait for them however you can hook them regularly on small live pinfish either being slowly retrieved or put out just above the grass tops on a float. You will find that drifting the grass beds will be very productive as well as times behind your anchored boat. For better results at anchor, fish to the side of the main chum flow, as they rarely will congregate in the heavier chum area. Remember that they are a slot fish. (Yes, there is such a thing as too big of a fish)

Bay fishing has been red hot as of late with the cool fronts moving much of the baitfish around. This has caused a good migration of predators as well as moving in many new species that we have been waiting for. Cobia are showing up more & more daily. Mackerel are coming in many areas in good numbers as well as bluefish. Gag grouper have been more numerous in most of the bay than I have seen in quite a while. Although they are not all big ones, it is nice to see the shear numbers of them. (They’ll grow up someday soon!) Numerous lane snapper have been found in the little depressions that line the outer bay, say from 9 to 12 feet of water.

Mangrove snapper have been both in the deeper waters of the bay as well as along most of the shallow banks. There are times when you can find the ‘motherload’ and others where things are kind of scarce. The key is to be flexible, move around and find them. The shallows have been popular on the windy days to get protection from the seas. It is also when the baitfish get churned up from the bottom and the big fish come in to the area to feed.

The area bridge channels remian good for a wide variety of fish. Live shrimp have been the best bait for this area to get the most action. It is not uncommon to catch fifteen or twenty different kinds of fish in these areas during the course of a day. The same can be said of Hawk Channel. An influx of mackerel as well as some very nice mutton snapper have been a bonus along the channel lately.

The recent full moon has slowed the yellowtail fishing but things should pick up in the next few days. Kingfish along the reef have increased in numbers as well as size with the cool weather with more & more headed this way; (at least that is what they told me.) The patch reefs have been producing some very nice groupers, hogfish, mangrove snappers as well as a variety of other species. The deeper drop off areas have been holding some big ‘tackle busting’ grouper. Most are still out there according to the fish stories that I have been told by ‘frustrated’ anglers. (I’ve never seen a big grouper get any bigger after he comes into the boat, except in the angler’s stories!)

When to fish where so you don’t have a bad day on the water by working too rough of conditions for enjoyment as well as rigging for all of these types of fish will be covered at this week’s free fishing seminar this Thursday evening at 6pm. It will be held at our Marine Educational Center located at the store. We will be having special guest speakers (since I will be out of town for my Daughter’s Birthday. Those of you that know her know she gets what she wants!) The seminar is free and everyone is invite to attend.

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December 5, 2006 - Isn’t it amazing that fishermen are always worrying what the other boat is doing, what they are catching. Its like they all have to be doing the same thing or it doesn’t count. I have seen so many boats that will head way out from shore just to try to find another boat to fish by. Folks, let me tell you that it is a big ocean; bay or whatever out there and there is not just one spot to fish. It happens on the reef so much its almost funny. What’s really funny is the boat you are wondering about is probably wondering about what you are catching as well!

That is the beauty of the area we are in, there are so many places to fish that are equally as good as others. The bay offers us huge grass beds that hold fish. The reef has so much rocky bottom that does the same. We have hundreds of square miles of banks & flats upon which to fish. Our bridge channels are not like most where there are only a couple of openings that run for less than a ¼ mile. Ours literally run for miles & miles, with almost the entire run being good for fish.

That is what I find most interesting is the bridge fishing. Not fishing from off the bridge but rather from a boat fishing the pilings. You fish an area no greater than two pilings wide at a time and there are literally hundreds to choose from. The best way is to hit a spot, give it about ½ hour and if things are not working, try another. What I see is so many that will leave a set of pilings and run over a mile to another area. Knowing the fish around the bridges, you can be only a couple of pilings away from the ones that are currently holding the fish when you leave. The fish will move all along the bridge during the course of the day and can fool you more often than not. Some days you can make six or seven moves before you find a group of fish but I can tell you, it is worth the effort.

The bridge channels have been the most consistent fishing that has been going on lately. There have been mutton, mangrove, lane and yellowtail snapper all along area bridges from Long Key through Spanish Harbor. Quite a few grouper, although not too many legal sized ones, have been caught as well. Plus there are many other species around. I have heard of small kingfish, cobia and even trout in the past week. The thing is with live shrimp; the action is so good that you don’t have time to get a drink unless you have your line out of the water. It is Keys fishing at its best!

The subject of fishing the bridges & channels as well as the bay, basically everything on the north side of the Highway, will be discussed at this week’s free fishing seminar in our outdoor amphitheater at our Marine Educational Center Thursday at 6pm. These areas are not only a great option on a windy day but have their own unique fishery that does somewhat require different techniques from other venues.
With the moon just past the full phase, the yellowtail activity may slow a bit on the reef. Some nice grouper are still being caught on the patch reefs along with scattered pockets of mangrove snapper. Hogfish have been doing quite well for those drifting a live shrimp along the bottom. They are always a nice find and something that you always want to invite home for dinner. The patch reefs have also had quite a few scattered big mutton snapper with most being taken by drifting boats more so than those at anchor. It is a good option for those that do not know the area well enough to hit any of the so-called ‘good spots’ but would like to bring home dinner.

On somewhat of a personal note, I am kind of giddy over being selected as one of only 4 stores in the world to be a Certified Showroom for Star Rods. I know many of you probably think that I have been certifiable for many years now but that is a different subject. What the Star Rod Showroom means for us as well as you the customer is that we now have in stock every model of rod they make, which is over 220 different types of rods. It’s nice to think that they picked a store on this tiny island to be the only one in the Southern United States to have this status. It is quite impressive and for fishermen that can not get enough tackle, we have oxygen standing by.

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November 15, 2006 - How’s your tackle? Is it all in working order? Are all of the guides on your rod solidly attached & the finish looking the way you like it? Here’s a tip, take a Q-Tip and run it along the inside of each guide just as where your line will flow through it. If you find any snags, there is potential there to chafe your line. Are your reels clean inside & out with the drags smooth for the big ones? Is your line new and in good shape? I am not trying to promote business with these questions but rather reminding you of the fact that we are on the brink of the winter season with some of the finest line pullers available moving into the area daily.

The reason that I ask about the condition of your tackle is that we hear so many complaints about fish breaking off, mostly the big ones, because of equipment failure. This is common with tackle that was put up for the summer with our winter residents and also for those that haven’t had the time to take care of it otherwise. It is working right along with the smaller fish and when a big one hits, POW! Old line is the most common factor and the cheapest to correct. Even stripping off 20 or 30 yards will do wonders for you. If it comes off looking like a slinky, it is time to change it! 

This past week was a gold mine for many in just about every venue with awesome conditions. Offshore tuna were plentiful, scattered good catches of dolphin, some nice wahoo on diving plugs as well as quite a few sails along the edge. Speaking of the edge, the combination of the nice conditions and the right moon phase made for some very nice yellowtail fishing. In fact, all snappers were active and should continue for the next week or so. The bridges were bubbling with life as well as the bay waters. The flats and shallows were a sight fisherman’s paradise with the calm, clear waters. Just think, this is just the start of things to come.

In talking with captains all up along the east and west coast of the state, which is one of the best ways to tell when the migrating species are moving south, I have had reports of large numbers of fish headed this way due to the cooling waters to our north.

Along the east coast, kingfish in good numbers have been moving through the Daytona Beach area for the past couple of weeks with quite a few of them showing up along the shores of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami just this past weekend. This means that with the next front or two we should be bombarded with numerous kings to go along with the scattered amount that have already found their way to our waters.

Along the West Coast of the state, the reports are even better with huge and I mean huge numbers of cobia moving along their shores headed down the line. Guides that I had conversations with from St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Boca Grand, and Ft. Meyers and down to Naples have all reported a big movement of cobia flowing southward along the coast. All of their wrecks have been loaded with them for several weeks now with a good showing of a southward movement as evidenced with the huge buildup just off of Naples and the wrecks to the southwest of them.

These fish are known for moving in large schools following baitfish and staying in front of the cooler waters they do not particularly like to be in. The fronts should be moving through the area in the next few weeks and these fish will be literally be riding the wave into local waters. Quite a few of them have already been caught locally but the big numbers are not here yet. The best indicator of the big push is when the fishermen along area bridges start to find them on a regular basis.

With the cobia will come the big pile of mackerel. They are due anytime and will literally fill the bay waters as well as Hawk Channel and the inside reef line. There has been a good mackerel catch already; in fact, it has been going on for several weeks in the bay waters. Following these two species are the black, red and gag grouper. They will be headed for the shallow waters of the bay and the edge of the reef line following the same baitfish that all of the others are. With another front or two, we could be so busy that you may have to add Geritol to your lunch box! 

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October 30, 2006 - Ever notice how sometimes people that write about fishing are mostly wrong? All it takes is for one angler to have a good day when the fishing isn’t supposed to be that good to prove you wrong or someone not to have a good day when they just read about all of the great action. Then, on a rare occasion, writers like me hit it right on but only on a rare occasion. This happened this past week with the bay action. The variety of fish that have become active in the bay waters is tremendous. Now I am not stating that everywhere in the bay is red-hot but rather that if you move around when where you are is slow, chances are you will hit on some spots where the action is good.

With the weather being what it has been, the bay was the most logical option to fish. All of the anglers that I talked with that ventured out well into the bay had good catches and all reported the same thing, not a great deal of any one species but rather a wide variety of fish caught in the past several days. There were very nice lane snapper, legal mutton snapper, and legal yellowtail in quite a few areas, mangrove snapper, trout, redfish, bluefish, big mackerel, ladyfish, cobia and even two flounder. Plus several of the groups found some nice keeper grouper and quite a few that they wished were made of at least 10% rubber so they could stretch them another inch or so.

Now I know what you are asking right about now is just where did all of these people find these fish at. Well, being a true fisherman, I’m kind of foggy on that information. Actually none of us found a great deal of fish at any one area. It was not on wrecks but rather by working the ‘white spots’ that are plentiful in the bay when it is clear enough to see the bottom. Most all of the action, I can tell you was in the region from about 6 miles north, northeast of Boulard Bank, eastward towards Sprigger Bank. We all just worked the ‘white spots’ for a time and moved on again. I don’t think that I personally fished a spot for more than an hour at a time. The fish would be good at first and then slow to almost nothing in about 30 to 40 minutes. This is normal for the bay this time of year and by moving we all put together a good catch. Heck on Sunday, we had a box full and not more than three of any one species!

This type of action should continue for some weeks until the temperature of the bay settles down with the upcoming cold fronts. If you have the opportunity, I would take advantage of it. I can tell you this, take a wide variety of bait along, as you will never know just what you will find. I can also point out that the farther to the east we worked, (toward Sprigger Bank,) the more we got into the trout and mackerel. The lane and mutton snapper were on the spots that we worked farther out; say 12 t o16 miles from Marathon almost due north of the airport. I can tell you this much; I’m going again very soon!

For those that like the Oceanside of the islands for their choice of fishing, there has been a bit of scattered action offshore with dolphin passing through from time to time. Those that hit on the passing weed patches or debris were very happy. Most that spent time looking for fish were rewarded by at least a few tunas or a wahoo if not some bonita. Almost all were looking for the seatbelts with the seas being what they were. If you are headed to the reef and wonder what it would be like offshore, the best action has been within 6 miles of the reef. So if you want to, scoot out and see if there is anything around. If not, just turn back to the reef and all you have lost is a little time and a few gallons of fuel. If there is something there, you will have the opportunity. (You’ll never know if you don’t go!)

This week’s free fishing seminar being held in our outdoor amphitheatre at our Marine Educational Center will be on working the edge of the reef and adjacent offshore waters. It is becoming a very good time for sailfish as these fronts push more and more bait up along the edge of the reef. Many other species will be working the area as well. The free seminar will now begin at 6pm with the time change and will be this Thursday evening.

The reef action may slow some with the full moon coming up. One thing was for sure the early part of this week and that was you didn’t have to shake the chum bag. Yellowtail and muttons are still highlighting the action in most of the areas around the Middle Keys. To the west, grouper have been reported to be good along with a good number of leftover mangrove snapper. Kingfish are being sought but at this time, only a few scattered reports of a fish here or there have been received. It will take a few more fronts to move the big numbers in I believe. (I have been known to be wrong though.)

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October 11, 2006 - The lack of pressure from, quite frankly, the lack of anglers in the past few months has created some fine fishing in areas that you usually do not fish because it is ‘fished out’. I can tell you that this is not the case in many of the ‘usual’ areas. An example off of Marathon is Washerwoman Light. This is one place that everyone can find because of the tower on it. Many divers that spear fish also hit it. Consequently, you would think that this area would not have very many keeper fish. This is usually the case but I have had reports and recent experience of big grouper and plenty of keeper yellowtail all around this area. The same has been true for the areas just east of Sombrero Lighthouse and even Delta Shoal.

This week’s free fishing seminar at our Marine Educational Center will be covering working the reef from Hawk Channel out to the drop off this time of year. There are many techniques to work the different bottom contours that make up the reef as well as knowing what is rocky or coral bottom and which is the grass patches. The free fishing seminar will be held in our outdoor amphitheater this Thursday evening @ 6:30 pm at our Marine Educational Center and everyone is invited to attend.

Reef & bay fishing is improving right now however late summer fishing in the Keys is totally dictated by the weather. It determines the ability on when and where you can go fishing without getting your fanny kicked. We have had some windy days that have kept smaller craft from enjoying their day on the water on the reef as well as some of the late summer squalls that can come up almost any time. For those who don’t have radar, the VHF weather channel #2 is very informative and accurate. Listen for the ‘short term forecast’ for any possible inclement weather approaching.

The best bottom fishing now is along the reef and in the bay at night. Snapper are night feeders as a rule to start with. So it only makes sense to fish for them when they are feeding the best. Yes, they will eat in the daytime as well but are usually much better at night. The difference is at night; you can’t see just where the clouds or storms actually are. You can only see the reflections and with the larger ones, the lightning flashing. At night, it always looks closer!

Between the heat and the storms that pop up, most anglers opt for offshore as the fishing answer in the late summer. Finding a school of fish has been not that much of a problem. Getting them to bite has been. I have been known to leave one on the rigger line and make a sharp circle. This seems to excite the fish a little more when they are not aggressive.

This time of year, the offshore fishing is spotty. By that I mean that there are not too many consistent areas that fish keep pushing through. They seem to be more spread out over various depths. This is a good time for a little higher speed of a troll to cover more ground. It keeps production up and keeps everyone from falling asleep. Working birds rather than weed lines is a good bet. Sometimes following a couple of birds that aren’t feeding but just cruising can be beneficial as they are looking for the same thing you are.
(This is not to say that you are no good at finding fish but remember they do it for a living, literally!)

Another thing enjoyed by everyone in the daytime now is snorkeling and diving. Not just for lobster but even to enjoy the sights of the reef. It is one of the reasons that we are here. The calm days are excellent to do drift dives, which covers so much area comfortably. This is how I have found most of my best fishing spots over the years. It is one thing to see an area on a machine and it is something else altogether to see it with your own eyes. You can find the good ledges and which side of the area the fish are hanging out. It is also good to find that big grouper you always seek. For the reef, it is the most productive way to find new grounds to fish and also this way; you will know just what it is that always hangs your line up.

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October 4, 2006 - I warned you. I told you that the winds would be coming and now look how the early part of this week was. To tell the truth, it feels good though doesn’t it? A break from all the sticky weather we were having. Well this will also be good for the fishing. It will finally turn over that layer of steamy hot water that has been covering the surface for so long. Anyone that has been in the water diving or snorkeling knows what I am talking about. The top 3 or 4 feet was so hot that it was not refreshing yet if you dove down 5 or more feet, it felt good.

These winds along with the associated white caps will churn up this surface layer and mix up the waters so you will see an influx of bait fish as well as other normal surface species. It was just too dang hot for most. I heard some of the divers joking that if you caught a fish on the surface, it was already ½ way cooked. By bringing up more bait it will also cause some movement of the species we are looking for. A good analogy would be like the mall just opened and everything is on sale!

As far as offshore is concerned, these winds will make the fishing a little less comfortable with the seas at 3+ feet but it can also help. It should gather most of that scattered weed and pile them up into some nice lines, particularly along the edge of the stream. It will also turn on the sailfish as has been reported already late last week and into the weekend. Most of that action was just off the edge where the baitfish were piled up by the winds coming from a northerly direction. This will also improve the reef fishing in the near future.

I love the start of these fronts coming through. Neither for the cooler temperatures, which at this point in the year is only a degree or two, nor for the winds that are associated with them. I like the calm seas. Most that know me know that I have a ‘coolie cup rule’ when it applies to the seas. I have my beverage in a coolie cup on the console and if it is rough enough for it to tip over, we are going somewhere else calmer. It’s something you develop after 40+ years on the water. I’ll leave the rough seas for the young studs to concur. The best part of these fronts coming through is it keeps the ‘summer squalls’ away.

We have indeed been fortunate this year with the lack of them hounding us, which is a good thing after last year. I can use the rest. Heck, I was getting tired of studying Greek toward the end of last season just to understand the names of the storms. The hurricane center probably went 600% over budget last year just on staff alone not to mention plane fuel. This means you can actually keep your chart for another year and feel somewhat confident that it is still accurate. Just think of all the lines you won’t have to untie just to go fishing again and I am telling you, now is a good time to go.

With the slight change, the bay has fired up quite well with some nice snapper. The area bridges, in spots and not the entire structure, have been producing some very nice snapper. You have to move around and look for them as they are moving up & down the area themselves. Tarpon and snook have been quite common in the early evenings along the bridges too. Hawk Channel has come alive with some very nice hogfish and lane snapper. The reef has been quite good although we are up on the full moon, which traditionally slows the bite somewhat as well as increases the current flow.

To learn more about what is going on now, stop by this Thursday evening at 6:30 at our Marine Educational Center in our outdoor amphitheatre located at the store. We will be covering what fishing is the best now as well what to look forward to in the near future. This will be our first free fishing seminar of the new season and will be held each and every Thursday through April. These seminars are absolutely free of charge and everyone is invited to attend.

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September 20, 2006 - It’s starting to remind me of the old days around here. Not quite as far back as when we had traffic lights (only 2 by the way,) that didn’t change color, just flashed. When as the old saying was that you could shoot a cannon down the highway and the ball would stop before hitting a car. But it is close now. Have you noticed that you can go to the highway and turn ‘left’ without spending ½ of your lunchtime waiting for an opening? Going to the grocery store and not having to play ‘bumper cart’ just to get around? Folks, its dead around these parts right now.

The past couple of ‘H’ seasons have taken their toll on visitors that had been taking advantage of the off season rates as well as the fine fishing and diving we have this time of year. I can understand not wanting to take the risk of doing all the travel and then having to leave on a moment’s notice. I would not be big on visiting Oklahoma in late spring, particularly anywhere near a trailer park! What I can tell you is that the waters are as void of boats as the highway is of automobiles.

There are plenty of fish and some action is quite good now. It’s just that there are very few taking advantage of it. With fuel cost now, I can also understand that too. To limit your extra expense of running around for what may be there, I have worked really hard this week to obtain as much accurate information as possible on what has been hot lately. Now, before you hurt yourself snickering, understand and consider the source; I am a fisherman. Not unlike a weatherman or an attorney, we are supposed to lie from time to time.

Offshore has been relatively steady this past week or so with a good amount of current and the stream edge only about 12 to 14 miles beyond the reef. There have been some weed patches well over an acre, which will excite the heck out of you. I haven’t heard of any really big fish, over 40 pounds in the past week but plenty of substantial ones in the 8 to 25 pound range. Using the 30+ foot diving plug, we have had very good success with wahoo and nice tunas. Also several dolphin have hit deep. If offshore is what you like, now is not a bad time to give it a shot.

Like every summer, the reef is one of the best places to work. Both up on the plateau as well as along the drop off, yellowtail and a variety of snapper have been prevalent. Using some good chum, you should to well here, particularly at night when the bite has been awesome on this phase of the moon. Most of the anglers that I have talked with say that their limit was achieved in less than a couple of hours and these were people that did not have a clue as to where they were. (Isn’t that always the way?) The best baits lately are live shrimp, live small pinfish or larger ones cut into chunks and fresh ballyhoo cut into chunks. Work a spot for at least a half of an hour to give it a good chance.

We have had some nice calm days and nights lately and the swordfish have been around to give anglers that have tried a good time. Numerous catches have been reported in the past couple of weeks and this is a great time if you have never tried it. We have stocked up on the big rigged squid which seems to work well for them and eases the challenge of obtaining and keeping live baits all the way out there. Night fishing is wild in itself but night fishing in the middle of the ocean is a rush even if you don’t get anything. But odds are that you will.

Bridge channels as well as most flats are active with the usual species now including quite a few tarpon still around. Live pinfish are a good bet here for the tarpon as well as the occasional big snapper that is in the area. Daytime for the flats and evenings for the bridges are best.

I don’t know about you but I have worked myself up into a frenzy. Stop by the shop and load up for your day’s fishing but don’t look for me. It is time for me to go out and practice what I preach!

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September 12, 2006 - Experience; having the knowledge of lessons learned by putting in the time at one’s profession or activity. In fishing, it is invaluable. Knowing the subtleties of conditions to make the day’s fishing work for you. It all comes from being there and having done that before to know just what you are likely to be in for that particular day. Knowing just when conditions are right for this particular type of fishing at this particular spot as well as knowing when to quit on a particular species in a particular spot.

This is the main reason for anglers to hire professional guides, particularly targeting specific species. The guides have the experience to know where and when to find the fish the anglers are looking for. They also have the right equipment, specific tackle for targeting the requested species. You don’t troll for marlin in the bay too often although I have had several disgruntled anglers in the store complaining about the lack of dolphin in the bay over the years. It’s difficult to keep a straight face when they are upset.

Offshore is one venue where having experience is quite valuable. On a slower day, knowing where and when to work the rips, current edges and which side, knowing which birds are working over fish and which ones are just like you, looking for fish. This can make the difference between working out a decent catch or that one word which is feared most by fishermen; skunked!

For those that have a great deal of pressure on producing fish yet do not have very good luck on a regular basis, I have one option for you that I have found to work quite well for me over the years. Now, don’t tell anyone because this is a secret: start your day by going to the bait shop and get a box of squid. Put it in a bucket without ice. Then go to the fish house and buy what you would consider a fairly good catch. Put that in a cooler with ice. Go to you’re favorite bar and park around the side or back and have a great time until it is time to go home. Just before entering the house, take the squid and rub it on your clothes then enter with your cooler of ‘your catch’ and pronounce that you had a great day! Three tips for success with this strategy; 1) Don’t have the fish house totally fillet your fish because your spouse will know you couldn’t do anywhere that good of a job. 2) Don’t bring home any notes or worse, girl’s phone numbers on bar napkins with the name of the bar on them. 3) Whatever you do, do not rub the squid on you before you enter the bar!

For those that do not have great years of experience, do not fret. There is one philosophy that I have come to believe in since I have obtained more experience. I’d rather be lucky than good! Fishing is one sport where you can know just about everything and still get your rear end handed to you on any given day. Every day is different and unlike other sports where you control the circumstances, such as you throw the ball or you hit the ball, fishing is also determined by other elements; the fish. Just when you think you know exactly what they want and in what portion, they turn their nose up at it. Those of you that are single may not grasp this but for those of us that are married, we have come to comprehend this concept, although sometimes painfully, yet completely.

You can spend a day offshore working everything you have learned and put together a decent catch and the other guy can go out there knowing nothing, find a floating tree, have all the wrong stuff and still get a great catch. Hence, particularly offshore, I’d rather be lucky than good. Have you noticed there is more than one flavor of ice cream, more than one color of automobile? That’s because the same thing doesn’t work for everyone. The same is true for advice. It depends on the fashion of digestion of information as to its value. The best way is to take bits and pieces from suggestions and tips, work your own experiences into them and you will find what works for you. The one thing I know for sure is you won’t learn anything if you don’t go fishing. That is if you don’t follow the tip from above in which case you may not know more about fishing but you will become the equivalent of the local version of the National Enquirer!

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September 6, 2006 - It’s over! Not the fishing, not the diving, not the boating, just the rush of all of these activities. The Labor Day Weekend marks the traditional end to the tourist season here in the Keys. It is when most of the motel rates drop as well as many other hidden rate fluctuations that are aimed at the visitors. It is when you can transverse the town with relatively little traffic. It is when you can go to the grocery store quickly and your only hold up is just about everyone you see, you recognize.

The last big push of the summer is just behind us with a flurry of activity on the water for both fishing and diving. The reports of the catches were very mixed. The divers weren’t too disappointed with the lobster. Most reports were quite a few found relatively near shore. With the waters having cleared up quite well since Ernesto, most were able to search their favorite ‘honey holes’ without too much trouble. I know the bridges were loaded with more divers than anything else. Tides were right for this endeavor so many were pleased.

The fishing was similar with the reports. Some were very happy with the catches they had. Most of them were either fishing well offshore or the reef in the evenings. Daytime reef or for the most part, any type of bottom fishing was somewhat slow. Mostly it has been due to the high water temperatures. The exception of the daytime fishing has been the flats. Plenty of bonefish, permit & tarpon have been around but here again; it is best early in the day. As the heat builds up during the day, the fish display more sense than the fishermen by heading to cooler areas.

The best fishing offshore has been well out. This has been the pattern for several weeks now and is standard for this time of year. The best weeds, bird activity, amounts of debris and fish have been 20 + miles beyond the reef line. This is not to say that there is nothing inside of this area, just not consistent amounts of them. There has been a good run of wahoo with some very large ones caught in the past couple of weeks. Having a lure down has been the most active with wahoo. Also, quite a few tunas have been pushing through with most being skipjack but plenty of blackfin. The big Bonita have made their appearance as well in the early waters, 150 to 400 feet.

I found a school of yellowfin tuna about 35 miles out this weekend and had several hooked up. (Hey, no one catches them all!) From what we saw, they were big fish. The ones we had on were all I wanted to tangle with in that heat. The fact they were this close got my attention as well as my ambitions up to go try it again. After all, that’s what fishing is all about. Get your butt kicked and go back for more. The times that you win make it that much more gratifying. Yellowfin make a habit of kicking butts!

The reef action still is good, mostly I think because the hot water in the bay has made the snapper reluctant to move back into there. What has happened is mangrove fishing all along the reef has been the best in a long time. Also good yellowtail action mixed in with mutton and grouper. Big lanes and hogfish have been quite prevalent throughout the top patches of coral along the reef. Live shrimp have been taking them very well.

Along Hawk Channel as well as the inner patches, the story is about the same. Good fishing in spots but you have to look for them. Use your fish finder and look for the areas of broken or raised bottom that will most likely hold fish. The bridge channels have been mixed in results with some good areas of snapper but not every day.

One activity around nearshore waters as well as the bridge channels is the opening of snook season this past weekend. Know the new size is a minimum of 27 inches in length. This elusive fish can be as frustrating to catch as dating but for those that enjoy the fight as well as the taste, just as rewarding. ‘Ol Linesides’ is a favorite fish of many anglers for his jumping ability as well as his excellent flavor. Plugs, Rapala Lures, and live baits are the favorites of local anglers for these mostly nocturnal feeders. We are a collection sight for the State’s snook research program and unlike most of them, we don’t want the meat. All we need is the carcass either on ice or even frozen for the researchers to utilize.

Well for those of us that are left here in the Keys, here we are in September…The month of the year with the greatest fear of ‘Summer Squalls.’ It makes many of the old time locals that have seen quite a few of them a little tense. To put is another way, September is the month that local proctologist go on vacation!

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August 30, 2006 - It’s hot and I mean hot! This is why most during the middle of the day are either diving or trolling. Lobster has been good so far, which is pleasing those diving. 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. Trolling has picked up a bit here in the past week or so with decent numbers of dolphin working through. Not too many large ones have been reported but plenty of action with some good ones mixed in. Wahoo are starting to become more frequent and for many, have been the most exciting catch of the day. Quite a few have been taken in the past couple of weeks. Most reports are that there are some fish within a few miles of the reef. The good numbers of larger fish are still way out, 30+ miles although I have only had a few reports of anglers that have traveled that far for a dolphin.

Sight fishing on the flats has been very good with calm, clear waters. The only problem is that you have to do it early to avoid the heat of the day. The fish are wiser than we are, as they will head for cooler waters then. One area that is seldom hit is Hawk Channel. Throughout the Keys, this is one of the best venues when others are not producing. It almost always has a wide variety of fish that will fill the skillet as well as providing good action for anglers, especially those with families. It may be a spot to try this week.

The reef has been alive with big yellowtail in the daytime with huge schools being brought to the transom of boats with good chum but getting them to eat with the sun up has been quite the challenge. The numbers and size of bottom fish have been better than normal, again this could be due to the increase of anglers fishing these areas that would normally be fishing offshore all day.

Swordfish have been caught with some regularity in the past month. This fishery is very accessible on the calm days that are prevalent this time of year. It takes some planning, as you need to run down well to the west to allow for the drift you will experience in the Gulfstream. Otherwise, plan on having breakfast on South Beach!

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I had an interesting conversation a few months ago with Billy Wagner here at the store and we were thinking back to yesteryear about what was ingrained into our heads then about the items you kept in your hurricane emergency kit for each person. Most items haven’t changed except for the addition of the battery operated TV, which we just didn’t have. We always maintained enough medication for at least a month, particularly after Donna when we learned just how fragile our highway lifeline was.

The subject came up about the one item we always had yet has been forgotten. I have not seen, read or heard of this one item on any hurricane preparedness list in many years now: a lifejacket. It was one of the main items. We used it as a pillow when resting but it was always near. In an area that is subject to high risk of water rising, it is essential! Those last year in Wilma here in the Keys, not to mention those in Mississippi and of course, New Orleans have learned this lesson.

I have read that the Gulf Region has suggested that residents obtain an ax or hatchet to cut through their attics and roofs in the future. This is grand if the water stops at the eve. If it rises any more, good luck floating around on your ax! I have not seen one suggestion in that area about having a life jacket. Guess it is just too old fashioned of an idea for them.

One thing that I know is that I don’t know when the water begins to rise is just how high it will get. I do know just how long I can hold my breath & that’s why I’m old fashioned and keep a life jacket for every person in my emergency kit. If you have a boat, you can easily use the ones from it. I doubt you will be boating in a hurricane. Just a thought I wanted to pass on. Like everything else in those kits though, I hope all of it rots and has to be replaced long before we ever need to use it.

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