Over the past month we have seen a steady improvement in the fishing. A distinct color change has been in place for three week, featuring green water on one side and bright blue water with strong east current on the other. Sailfishing and Tuna fishing along this edge has been excellent on many days. Further offshore, the Dolphin fishing has been very steady and has included days with multiple fish over 20 pounds landed.
Fishing over the last month has been challenging. We have had an on going issue with scattered Sargasso weed which has been so thick it is often impossible to fish a given area. Water quality has also been an issue with a lack of the vibrant color changes we expect to have this time of year. None the less, we have been producing steady catches of Sailfish, Blackfin Tuna, (some over 30 pounds) Mutton Snapper, Yellowtail and a few Dolphin.
We have had steady fishing over the course of the last several weeks for a variety of species. Weather conditions and the availability of various types of bait has determined what we target on any given day. Signs of the transition to spring fishing are apparent. There has been a decrease in the number of King Mackerel but an increase in the number of Sailfish. Reef fishing has been strong with many good catches of Yellowtail Snapper and Mutton Snapper. We caught a couple of good sized Cobia one day which is another sign of spring. Amberjack are also becoming more abundant on the deep water wrecks.
For clients who want a lot of action, the last month has been terrific. King Mackerel and Little Tunny are everywhere and have provided constant rod bending action. The Snapper bite has been fair, some days a decent bite other days a slow pick. Lots of large Bull Sharks around for those who want to tangle with them. Cero, Blackfin Tuna, Wahoo and a few Mahi also available. Sailfish remain scarce.
Overall the fishing has been very solid for the last several weeks. Dolphin, large Blackfin Tuna and Sailfish have dominated the action. We have also had success with Yellowtail Snapper on trips when we have anchored down on the reef. The wind has been an issue with lots of days featuring 15 to 20 knots or above. The harder it blows the better the fishing has been.
Fishing over the last several weeks has produced a number of outstanding catches ranging from Dolphin and Tuna to Mutton Snapper and Yellowtail. On days with the wind direction out of the SE the Dolphin fishing has been pretty good even though we are well off season for this species. On days with N or NE wind we have done a combination of trolling and bottom fishing to produce results. Sailfish remain somewhat scarce, catching one every once in a while.
We are still waiting on cooler weather to bring water temperatures down and get our winter fishing kick started. In the meantime there are Blackfin Tuna and a few Dolphin outside of the reef edge, Amberjack on the wrecks and Yellowtail, Cero, Yellow jacks and assorted Mackerel on the reef.
After a disappointing start to the Dolphin season as noted in our last fishing report, the last several weeks has offered by far the most consistent Dolphin fishing of the entire season. As is always the case in fishing, no two days are ever the same and some days are better than others but we have been averaging 12 to 20 fish per trip. Most of these fish range in size from 7 to 12 pounds and most days include fish 15 to 20 pounds.
We are now well into Dolphin season and the results have frankly been disappointing. Very few large fish have been caught, even during the mid May period when historically the bigger fish migrate through our area. The volume of schoolie fish, those between 4 and 8 pounds is also down. Not withstanding the tough fishing we have been able to produce decent catches by working really hard to track down birds, floating debris and scattered weed. One bright spot over the last month has been the quality SAilfishing which is late in the season for these fish. A dramatic color change has been in place outside the reef edge featuring green water on one side and blue water with strong east current on the other. Live baiting has produced most of the action. There have also been full sized Blackfin Tuna in the 20 to 30 pound range mixed in.
The month of April can often offer Key West’s best fishing of the year. The variety of fishing opportunities from Sailfish to Snapper is unmatched
by any other time of year. One reason for this is the seasonal overlap of species. Winter residents such as King Mackerel and Blackfin Tuna linger on
while spring and summer residents such as Dolphin are arriving in the area. Meanwhile warming water temperatures on the reef edge stimulate the Snapper bite.
Ultimately however, successful fishing on any given charter date requires that we take advantage of the specific conditions that exist on the day in question.
First, we are paying attention to wind direction and velocity, a north wind at 15 knots means something quite different than light and variable southeast. Secondly,
we are checking for the amount of current and it’s direction along the reef edge, combined with overall water clarity. Theses variables are in constant flux, dirty water and heavy current in one direction will often give way to very clean water with current in the opposite direction overnight. All of this effects the behavior of the fish we target and gives us a good idea of what to fish for and what tactics will be successful. We know from long experience that its not a good idea to “fight the conditions”, so for example if we have our hearts set on kite fishing for Sails but we find there is no wind and that the water in the targeted depth is dirty and full of scattered weed, kite fishing isn’t going to work out and we better go to plan B. We recommend you Fish for what’s biting and enjoy the day.
