Ken Ferris and a group of buddies from Philadelphia enjoyed two days of mixed bag action just before Christmas. On Monday 12/21 we used small pilchards for live chum and baited the kite lines with Thread Herring and Blue Runners to catch King Mackerel up to 25 lbs. We also had 1 Blackfin Tuna and countless Bonita. On day two, 12/22 we had a dozen Yellowtail Snapper, 8 Mutton Snapper, 3 Tuna, 1 Dolphin, 1 Black Grouper, 4 Kings and several Bonita.
Steady Blackfin Tuna fishing highlights the current fishing report. Early morning and late afternoon are the most productive times. The Tuna’s are responding to live chumming with Pilchards. There are plenty of Yellowtail and Cero on the reef edge. Sailfishing is still spotty. Kingfish are increasing in numbers but still hit or miss.
Yesterday we did an overnight trip 60 miles west of Key West and took advantage of some great calm weather. We had solid action from smoker kings, with 6 over 30 pounds. The largest topped out at 47 pounds and nearly spooled us from an anchored boat. We also had 4 African Pompano which were unexpected, to go along with Tuna , lots of Bonita and a smattering of bottom fish, mostly Red Grouper.
