Fishing Reports

Over the last 10 days we have produced some pretty good “mixed bag” catches of various reef fish along with Kings, Cobia and even a few Dolphin. We’ve had some chances at Sails but either pulled hooks or had them chaff off. We also lost one which broke us off around a piece of lobster gear. One day we had a school of Wahoo swim up in the chum slick and had half a dozen rapid fire bites from these speedsters but suffered more bad luck with pulled hooks, kinked wire and bitten swivels. Frustrating but exciting, I’m sure our luck will change.

We have caught a Sailfish on each of our last 3 trips which is a pretty good indication that they are finally becoming more abundant as we move closer to Spring time. In addition to the Sailfish we have had some excellent Yellowtail Snapper fishing. The Kingfish bite remains consistent and we are seeing greater numbers of Amberjack on the various wrecks. All in all another week in which we provided a lot of action for our clients.

We continue to focus on producing the best possible action for our clients as we move into the month of March. King Mackerel remain a mainstay as they have for the last several months. Most of our Kings are caught on 15lb test line which results in an entertaining and exciting fight. We are catching a great many Little Tunny, commonly called Bonita which, being members of the Tuna family really pull hard on light tackle. Mixed with the Bonita has been the occasional Blackfin Tuna. Kite fishing remains quiet with very few Sailfish or Mahi around. On the reef Yellowtail Snapper have been dependable. Most clients looking for something good to eat have been able to head home with plenty of these delicious fish. We are also catching some Grouper and Mutton Snapper for reef variety. For those looking for a real workout, Amberjack and various Shark species have been readily available.

The fishing has been pretty tough of late, with all the boats complaining about a lack of action. Sailfish remain scarce, offshore trolling has been unproductive and there are less Tuna around then in previous weeks. Our strategy has been to anchor down along the most productive reef areas, chum heavy, and draw the fish to us. As the pictures below illustrate, (many of them 1/2 day results) it has resulted in a mixed bag of species and provided decent action during a time of slow fishing.

Typical winter weather in Key West features cold fronts packing strong North and Northeast wind followed by a couple days of lighter breezes before the next front arrives. If high pressure settles north of us,we also get brisk Southeast winds which makes for sloppy conditions as the sea is building from the open ocean. Fortunately we enjoy relatively short runs to the fishing grounds and the SOUTHPAW is very stable, so we haven’t lost many days to weather. King Mackerel, Yellowtail Snapper, Little Tunny, Amberjack with the occasional Tuna comprise the bulk of our catch. We are producing a lot of light tackle action, although some of the “glamour” fish such as Sailfish remain scarce. Pictured above is an estimated 375 pound Lemon Shark just prior to release.

Windy weather has been a big issue over the course of the last ten days or so. Our heavy wind kites have been getting a workout. We have lost a number of trips when it was simply too rough to be comfortable. Here in Key West, wind direction as much as velocity plays a key role in how large the sea will be. If the wind direction is out of the north even with high velocity it is generally fishable because the natural lay of the Keys themselves and the outlaying reefs creates a lee and blocks the formation of large waves. Wind directions with any degree of south in them on the other hand blow in from the open ocean and create larger wave heights. Consequently, 15 knots out of the South East is rougher than 25 knots out of the North or North East. One thing we know for certain is that fish tend to bite more aggressively when there is a chop on the water. There are plenty of King Mackerel, Blackfin Tuna, Mutton Snapper, Black Grouper, Amberjack, Yellowtail, and Cero biting. Also lots of aggresive shark species. “Action” fishing remains strong, Sailfishing continues to be slow with only the occasional Sail hooked.

Key West winter fishing action remains outstanding. We continue to have lots of days with lots of action. King Mackerel remain a mainstay of our pelagic action with Blackfin Tuna and Wahoo also in the mix. Bottom fishing is yielding some high quality Mutton Snapper to go along with Yellowtail Snapper. Amberjack, Cero, baracuda, Bonita and Blue Runners are also part of our day to day catch. The only current disappointment is that there are very few Sailfish around

Fishing in the new year took up about where 2012 finished- or maybe it actually got better? If you are an angler who enjoys lots of action from lots of different species, we suggest you take a look at these photos of our fishing action during the first week of Jan. Many of these photos reflect the results of 1/2 day trips! That’s a lot of CATCHING to squeeze into a 4.5 hour trip. King Mackerel are swarming- great fighters on the light tackle we use. Also big Mutton Snapper, Blackfin Tuna, Bonito, Cero, Sailfish, Yellowtail and even a few Grouper to release, as the season is closed.

Our fishing year has drawn to a close with a flurry of good action over the last week in December. The waters close to the reef drop off have been particularly productive. A lot of bites from a variety of species. Smoker sized King Mackerel have really increased in numbers over the last week with several fish topping out at the 40 pound mark. Happy New Year to all, we look forward to more great fishing in the new year.

Lots of outstanding fishing over the last week, and great variety as well. Everything from pelagic fish like Tuna, Sailfish and Wahoo to Kings and reef fish like Grouper and Snapper. Have a merry Christmas and enjoy the photos.