Fishing Reports

King Mackerel, Little Tunny, Mutton Snapper, Yellowtail Snapper, Blackfin Tuna, Black Grouper and a variety of Shark species

We have been experiencing excellent King fish action over the last 10 days or so. The arrival of the Kings always seems to coincide with Christmas. Large numbers of Kings should remain in our area on through the winter with a peak in February. Pictured is Coach Mike Clark and members of the Merry Mount College swim team with the results of a morning half day trip. The largest “smoker King” weighed 36 lbs and was caught on 15 pound spinning tackle.

We have had enough cold fronts and wind from the N.E. to really spark up the fishing action. The Sailfishing is getting very consistent- we’ve been catching them virtually every day. Blackfin Tuna are also showing up in pretty good numbers. There was a Wahoo bite on the full moon; quality fish in the 40-60 pound range. Also more and more larger King Mackerel. Mix in Mutton Snapper, Black Grouper, Amberjacks and lingering Dolphin for tremendous variety.

Over the last several weeks a succession of cold fronts has brought lots of blustery weather to the Key West area. Inspite of windy conditions the reef fishing has been very productive. Black Grouper, Yellowtail & Mutton Snapper along with Cero, Tunny and King Mackerel are all being caught with regularity. Many of our clients have been skeptical at the beginning of the day about sea conditions only to find that not only does the SOUTHPAW offers a stable fishing platform, but that the reef is alive with fishing action. Les Gregg, his wife Beverly and son Brian display a mixed bag of Dolphin, Black Grouper and Snapper, While Gracie Wilkinson who was celebrating her 16th birthday shows off a Tunny and a good eating Yellowtail.

First time client John Wilber along with his son and friends had a great day on Friday October 28th. The day began with plenty of action from late season Dolphin along a weedline and color change in 250′ of water. Most of the fish were in the 10 to 12 pound range. In the afternoon we worked a strong color change right in front of Sand Key Light in depths from 170′ to 190′ and caught 5 Sailfish including a triple header. We saw a total of 9 Sails in two hours and had bites from 7. These Sails are the typical small fall fish we see every year, average weight about 20 pounds. What they lack in size they more than makeup for in aggression- often attacking the baits in groups of 3 or more.

The SOUTHPAW is back in the water after getting refurbished in the boat yard. Projects included fresh bottom paint and zincs, new cushions where needed, new paint below decks,
fresh wax on the hull, and the installation of a new Simrad chart/depth machine. All in all the boat is looking better than ever. We continue to be Key West’s best Charter Boat! On the fishing front, late season Dolphin and early season Sailfish are here. For those with a taste for Snapper, the Yellowtail are also biting well. The included pictures are from a recent Tuna trip to Nova Scotia- 34 giant Bluefins caught in 10 days of fishing.

For those who regularly read my fishing reports, you might recall that back in May I complained that Dolphin fishing had not lived up to expectations during what is usually peak season. With the benefit of hindsight I can now say that the season was simply later than usual this year. We have enjoyed outstanding Dolphin fishing throughout July and it continues into August. We have also caught another Blue Marlin of approximately 250 pounds.

Steady fishing, with a combination of  Dolphin, Bottom fish and an occasional Billfish have kept our anglers satisfied over the last month. Pictured are some recent catches including Sailfish, a Blue Marlin, various species of bottom fish and the ever present Dolphin

Most fishing reports either posted in the newspaper or on private websites are relentlessly upbeat. From reading them you’d think the author never had a slow day and never failed to catch absolutely everything they were after- in huge quantities! The local chambers of commerce may appreciate these reports but fishing enthusiasts are well advised to be a little skeptical. Take the Dolphin season here in Key West as a case in point. The fact is, as of this writing – at what should be the peak of the season, Key West has had a very poor Dolphin run. The fishing has improved a little bit of late, but overall results to date have been disappointing. The number of “gaffer” size fish ( those from 10-20lbs) is down as is the size and number of the schools of smaller “schoolie” dolphin. Almost every day there are a couple of  “slammers” in the 40-50 lb range caught, which garner a lot of press, but you can spend many many days on the water before you get in front of one of these fish. Yes we are catching a dozen or more Dolphin on every trip but not as many larger fish as we’d like. On a more positive note, there have been a decent number of Blue Marlin around, we had another encounter the other day, but never got a hook in the estimated 150 pounder. Also had a small Mako shark eat a schoolie off the hook then vanish. On the reef edge, the Mutton spawn is over after a week of excellent fishing, there should be another push of Muttons on the upcomming June moon

April has been a busy month for us, so I’ve gotten behind on posting reports. We have had many outstanding days of late featuring Sailfish, Blackfin Tuna, Dolphin, Kingfish and Mutton Snapper while slow trolling Kite baits, flat lines and deep lines in depths from 110′ out to 200′. On the wrecks, the Amberjacks are thick and the bite is instantaneous while the Permit are schooled up on the high rocks along the bar. Flag Yellowtail are biting well on the reef edge-many of these fish weigh an honest 4 pounds. As of this writing the Dolphin run has not yet begun but on April 27th while offshore in 500′ looking for Dolphin we successfully released an estimated 300lb Blue Marlin on 30lb class trolling tackle. The fish put on a great show and we hope to post video at a later date.