Fishing Blog

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.

This is the time of year when winter weary residents from the north take getaway vacations to warmer climates. For those with an interest in fishing, Key West is a great location to indulge this urge. Our fishing is close by with the result that little fishing time is wasted on long runs to distant fishing grounds. Even on 1/2 day trips we can have you catching a variety of hard fighting and often good eating species only a half hour from the dock. With so many Charter Fishing operators to choose from, unless you have a referral from a trusted fishing friend it can be hard to settle on the right boat. Here are some things to keep in mind. Don’t automatically choose the cheapest rate you can find. In general you get what you pay for, be suspecious of boats offering rates below the fleet average, one way or another these boats are cutting corners that won’t benefit your fishing experience. Secondly find out what size, make and model of boat you will be fishing on, bigger is not always better but the larger boats do ride better if the sea is choppy. Thirdly find out what sort of fishing the Captain specializes in, does this dovetail with your fishing interests? Ask pointed questions, does the boat use live bait, specifically, Ballyhoo, Pilchards, or Threadfin Herring. In the winter, Charter Boats that don’t routinely use the afore mentioned bait simply don’t catch as many fish as those that do. Avoid a Charter Boat during the winter season that only practices dead bait trolling. If the operator is unwilling to anchor and chum, use live bait, slow troll, put a kite up or do anything but dead bait troll you are probably not well served.
Aboard the SOUTHPAW you are riding on Key West’s finest designed Charter Boat. look at how clean and well organized our vessel is. That Tuna tower isn’t just for show, it helps us catch more fish. Look at our cockpit space- biggest in the fleet. live bait? you bet, every day a live well full. We are expert at all the tactics and techniques neccesary for successful winter fishing in Key West, just look at our catch reports. Don’t settle for less, try Southpaw Fishing.

A year ago we were experiencing one of the worst Dolphin fishing seasons in anyone’s memory. This year the Dolphin fishing is much improved with steady action over the last three weeks or more. We have not seen many of the classic east west weedlines which were a feature of Dolphin fishing in the past but there have been plenty of areas of scattered weed holding fish and plenty of birds to show us the way. The most important birds indicating the presence of Dolphin include Frigate birds, Noddy’s and Bridled Terns. The shearwaters which are also common typically indicate Skipjack Tuna. To maximize my clients chances for success, I spend all day in the Tuna Tower which gives me a superior observation post. Plenty of lithium batteries to power the stabilizing feature in my binnoculars allows me to find birds far on the horizon which would be invisible to the naked eye.

Water temperatures are falling as cool weather arrives in our area and the first cold fronts of the year pass through the Fl Keys. Ballyhoo are everywhere along the reef edge which attracts both pelagic species from offshore, and reef species to this abundance of bait. This is the time of year when sight casting for Sailfish is productive. After loading our live wells with Ballyhoo we patrol the edge of the reef in search of Frigate birds and the frantically showering schools of bait which signal the presence of Sails as well as other predators such as Cero, Yellowjack, Dolphin and Blackfin Tuna. An accurate cast with a frisky live Ballyhoo almost always results in a hookup. With our Tuna tower and oversized live wells the SOUTHPAW is ideally designed for this exciting fishery.

After a terrible month of May during which the annual Dolphin migration never really materialized, fishing during June has been very uneven. On longer days we have elected to go offshore but results have been inconsistent. Some days we’ve found a few Dolphin and return to the dock with 10-12 fish, although there has been little in the way of weed lines and very few birds. We have been getting a few billfish bites in addition to the Dolphin, mostly Sailfish but also the occasional Blue Marlin and White Marlin. other days it seems like an empty ocean and we have had to run far and wide to avoid being skunked. On shorter days we have fished the reef and produced some decent catches of flag Yellowtail and big Muttons. Other days with poor current conditions we have struggled to catch a few Yellowtail. Very inconsistent. All in all, the disappointing season continues.

In a normal year we think of April in Key West as being one of the finest fishing months. This is a month when seemingly everything is biting. Sailfish are typically abundant as they begin their spring migration along with Cobia and some of the largest Blackfin Tuna of the year. Dolphin also typically put in an appearance as the early fish arrive in our area. Along the reef edge King Mackerel are still common and Snapper and Grouper fishing continues strongly.

This year the month of April has frankly been a disappointment. The Sailfish migration has been slow to non existant and Tuna and Cobia have been scarce. We have relied on reef fishing to provide action for our clients. On many days we have done a little bit of everything from trolling to live baiting to bottom fishing in order to maximize our chances.

Fishing during the month of March has been steady if unspectacular. King Mackerel have been a main stay for those seeking action. We have been catching them regularly up to about 25lbs using live bait and 15lb test spinning outfits. These fish are hard fighters on this type of gear. Yellowtail Snapper have also been abundant during the month. This has fit the bill for those interested in good eating fish. Yellowtail require a bit of finesse to hook and then are scrappy fighters. Mixed in with the Yellowtail have been, Mutton Snapper up to 12lbs and a few out of season Grouper as well as Amberjack, Little Tunny and Cero. For our clients who are looking to tangle with big fish, there has been a steady bite of Bull Sharks. We have caught and released numerous Bulls during the month weighing between 300-400 pounds. Dead bait trolling has produced Blackfin Tuna particularly during the later afternoon. Sailfish remain relatively scarce although there have been signs of improvement as the month has gone on. Sailfish should become much more abundent as we move into April.

Cold and windy weather has predominated during the month. We have lost a few days to weather and fished many others when conditions were tough. The colder weather has induced better Sailfishing, but by no means as good as it could be. There have also been a few Blackfin Tuna and Wahoo mixed in. King Mackerel are finally arriving in better numbers and have become a dependable part of our catch. The reef edge has been active on days when there is a decent flow of current. Flag size Yellowtail, Mutton Snapper, out of season Grouper along with Tunny and various Jack species have kept the rods bent on days when we had to hunker down and deal with a sloppy sea state. Adequate supplies of live bait whether they be Pilchards, Thread Herring, Goggle Eyes, or Ballyhoo are critical to our success. Bait has been tough this month, requiring a lot of extra work to procure. none the less we strongly believe live bait fishing produces better results this time of year than deadbait trolling.

Unseasonably warm weather continues to be the main story with regard to Key West fishing. As we move into January and what should be the heart of winter time fishing, two species which we count on this time of year are notably absent or here in greatly reduced numbers- Sailfish and King Mackerel. In both cases it seems that there are good numbers of both of these fish located north of us in the case of Kings and East of us in the case of Sailfish. Both of these migratory fish will stay in their comfort zone until cooler water temps force them in our direction.
Blackfin Tuna have been around in reasonable numbers along with gaffer Dolphin and a few Wahoo. The reef action has been steady for Yellowtail Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Cero, and Black and Red Grouper. Grouper season closed on Jan 1 so for the next several months this will be a catch and release fishery. I have no doubt that when and if cooler weather arrives later in the month we will see some outstanding fishing.

Blackfin Tuna have been the highlight of Dec fishing in the Key West area. The Blackfins are holding on many of the area’s deeper wrecks. We have been live baiting these fish using both Ballyhoo and Pilchards. By throwing net fulls of live chum behind the boat we are able to draw the fish to the surface and create a feeding frenzy which leads to exciting top water strikes. Sailfish remain scarce, the weather continues to be unseasonably warm and most of the Sails remain North and East of us. More Wahoo are being caught as we move closer to the full moon. The Dec moon is always one of the best for Wahoo.
Along the reef edge; Cero, Yellowjack, Yellowtail, Grey and Mutton Snapper are biting with the occasional Black, Red or Gag Grouper thrown in.